We hope these instructions will help you if you’re uploading files to KDP.
Why KDP Rejects Book Files, and How to Check Yours First
By Mugees Ahmed
Amazon KDP checks your book files more than once. Its previewers look for errors when you upload. Once a paperback is submitted, someone at KDP also checks the interior and cover by hand and emails you if anything needs fixing. You can run most of the same checks yourself before you press Publish.
The ebook
KDP takes ebook manuscripts as Word files, EPUB files or KPF files from its Kindle Create tool, among others. It cautions that a Word file with a complicated layout can convert badly.
1 Download Kindle Previewer, KDP’s free desktop app, and open your file in it. Switch between device types, and page through the whole book at a large font size. Stray blank pages and squeezed images are easy to miss in a quick skim.
2 After you upload, KDP runs a quality check and shows a summary. Open the Online Previewer’s Quality panel to see each issue. For English ebooks it flags spelling mistakes and low-quality images, and you can have the list emailed to you.
The cover image is a separate upload. KDP asks for a JPEG or TIFF file, ideally 1,600 pixels wide and 2,560 tall, and no smaller than 625 by 1,000.
The paperback interior
Pick your trim size before you format.
1 Make the document’s page dimensions match your trim size, and export one page per sheet rather than facing pairs.
2 If any picture bleeds to the page edge, KDP will only take a PDF. Make each page 0.25″ taller and 0.125″ wider than the trim size, which lets the picture reach 0.125″ beyond the cut line on every edge except the inside one.
3 Base the margins on the finished page count. The inside (gutter) margin starts at 0.375″ for 24 to 150 pages and rises to 0.875″ for 701 to 828 pages. On the outer edges, allow at least 0.25″ (0.375″ if you use bleed). A late round of edits that adds pages can push you into the next band.
4 Before you export, embed every font, flatten transparent layers and make sure all images are at least 300 DPI. Delete comments, bookmarks, crop marks and leftover placeholder text. Type should be no smaller than 7 points.
The paperback cover
KDP wants the whole wrap, from back panel to front panel, as one PDF. To get its width, add the back panel, the spine and the front panel, then 0.125″ of bleed at each end. For the spine, multiply your page count by 0.002252″ for white paper or 0.0025″ for cream. Once the interior is final, KDP’s cover calculator will do the arithmetic and give you a template.
If your book has fewer than 80 pages, keep the spine free of words, because KDP turns down spine text on books that thin.
When both files are in, open the Print Previewer, which lists any errors that would stop the book going through. If you can, read a printed copy before you publish, since a margin that looks fine on screen can feel cramped once the book is bound.
The rejections KDP sees most
KDP’s paperback guidelines list the problems that most often stop a book. Each one has a quick check.
- Locked or encrypted files. Export your PDF without a password or editing restrictions.
- File names with emoji or unsupported special characters. Name the file with plain letters, numbers and hyphens.
- Missing pages. Compare the page count in your PDF with the count in your word processor.
- Too many blank pages. Page through the PDF and delete any run of empty pages left by stray breaks.
- A front cover with no title. Make sure the title appears on the front panel, not only on the spine.
- Wrong page numbering. Check that numbers run in order and that none skip or repeat.
- Logos or watermarks from the PDF maker. Look at the corners and margins of every page for a stamp left by the software that made the PDF.
Fit the checks into your launch
A rejected file has to be fixed before the book can go live. KDP’s cover guide is plain about it: a cover that misses its specs “will be rejected and require adjustment before your book can go live.” So if you run these checks before you set a release date or announce the book to readers, you can fix a rejection without moving a date you have already announced. That keeps your launch plans from slipping.
About the Author
Mugees Ahmed belongs to the team at Clean Page Press, which turns manuscripts into the ebook and print files that self-publishing writers upload to Amazon KDP. More at https://cleanpagepress.com
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Market Wisely
By editor B. Lynn Goodwin
Do you already get multiple e-mails a day from people who want to put you on Tik-Tok or empower you on Amazon or even represent your book as a possible film? In the last month I’ve also had people who claim to be literary agents asking to represent me. This is not the way the publishing world works.
How do you know what’s legitimate and what’s a scam? Let these tips help you.
Here are some ways to avoid getting taken:
1. Check the e-mail address. If it’s from a gmail, the writer may not be affiliated with any organization.
2. Check the website. Look up the name of the person who’s supposedly sending it. If they have an e-mail, one with a company affiliation, this is not legitimate.
3. If you talk to anyone who sends an e-mail, make them be specific about what they’re offering you and what it will cost. I sometimes respond and say, “I’m not interested in spending money on this. Please take me off your list.”
4. Did you know that someone is offering classes to anyone who wants to be a literary agent? What would you look for in a qualified literary agent? As you probably already know, most legitimate agents don’t seek out writers.
5. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Take a look at Writer Beware and see what they have to say. Check with your fellow writers too.
If you have a marketing budget, what should you spend it on?
1. Some people use Amazon ads. They can get you seen, but the bills can add up faster than the sales. The authors I know who’ve tried these ads have had varying levels of success. Google Amazon ads (link above) and see what you think.
2. There are also Facebook ads. Again, know what you’re getting into. Will your ad get you the results you want? If you google Meta ads or Instagram ads, you’ll see what’s out there. Fair warning. Please put limits on how many times you want the ad to run so you don’t run up a HUGE bill.
3. If you want help and are willing to pay for it, there are plenty of legitimate publicists. Fauzia Burke has sent me many books for review, so I believe she’s working in the author’s best interest. There are many like her. They charge fees, write articles, and send books out for review. I’m listing her because some of the books she’s sent are quite good.
Reedsy lists numerous publicists. While I’ve done some book reviews for Reedsy, I’ve never worked with one of their publicists. I know they’re an active organization and they have high standards for the businesses they list. Fair warning: There will be a charge, so get a contract that guarantees what they’ll do for you.
You might also like to check out the blog tours at WOW: Women on Writing. I had a couple of books on tour there, got to share some articles, and had bloggers write good reviews. I’ve participated in many of their tours and interviews with their authors have appeared on our Writing Advice and Marketing Advice pages. They’re a good organization.
Full disclosure: There is a charge. What’s your budget? Be sure to get what you pay for, okay?
4. There are lots of podcasters looking for speakers. Since many of them charge, I recommend looking for friends or local people to get you started at a low fee, if any, and recommend you to others.
If you have no marketing budget, where do you start?
1. You can walk into your local bookstores and libraries and ask about giving a reading there. They’ll want you to bring an audience, but they aren’t likely to charge you. Woo-hoo.
2. As soon as you have a publication a date, ask your local newspaper to share your good news. Or your local Patch. You’ll have to check and see if they charge, but if you talk to the local book reviewer and offer her something unique, she might want to print a Q&A with you.
3. I’ve had luck with local Rotary clubs. They’re often looking for speakers, and here in Northern California, the attendees buy books. Woo-hoo. If you’ve set up an easy credit-card way for people to pay, you’ll make more sales. Rotary clubs do not charge their speakers. Want to try other service clubs? I’d love to hear the results.
4. Do you belong to a book club? See if they’ll let you speak and sell books. Or ask your friends to ask their book clubs if they’d like to hear from a local author. .
5. By now, you’ve figured out that a lot of this is trial and error, right? So try. It’s your book. Don’t you want to share the words you’ve written with the world?
Questions? Please ask.
Observations and success stories? Please share. We’d be happy to post your success stories on You Can’t Make This Stuff Up. PLEASE check our criteria before submitting.
Want some writing advice or editing help? Click on the link to see how we can help. Questions? Please ask.
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