Selling Your E-Book on Amazon: A Simple Guide (Focus on KDP)
By Mahnoor LLC – Your Easy Business Guide
Hey there, aspiring author! Want to get your awesome e-book onto Amazon so people all over the world can read it? You’re in the right place! This guide, brought to you by Mahnoor LLC, will walk you through everything, step-by-step, in plain language. We’ll focus on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), which is Amazon’s super easy way for you to put your e-book out there. We’ll also talk about any costs involved, so you know what to expect.
Your Simple Journey to Selling on Amazon (KDP for E-Books)
Think of it like a fun adventure! Here’s your map:

- Get Your Book Ready: Make sure your story is polished and looks great.
- Set Up Your Amazon Account: Tell Amazon who you are and where to send your money.
- Upload Your Book: Put your e-book file and its cool cover onto Amazon.
- Tell Amazon About Your Book: Add a catchy description and helpful search words.
- Set Your Price: Decide how much your e-book will cost.
- Hit Publish! Make your book live for everyone to see.
- Spread the Word: Tell people about your amazing new e-book!
Step-by-Step: Getting Your E-Book on Amazon (KDP)
Let’s break it down into easy steps.
Part 1: Getting Your E-Book Shipshape!
Step 1: Write and Polish Your Story
- Finish your book! This is the very first and most important step.
- Make it Perfect: Read through your book many times. Ask friends or a professional to read it too. They can catch typos or confusing parts. Think of it like making sure your car is clean and running perfectly before a road trip!
Step 2: Create a Super Cool Cover
- Your Book’s Face: This is what people see first! A great cover makes people want to click and learn more.
- Get Help if You Need It: If you’re not a designer, it’s a really good idea to hire someone to make a professional cover. It’s an investment that pays off!
- Cost: Professional cover design can range from $50 to $500+, depending on the designer’s experience and what you need. You might find more affordable options on sites like Fiverr or Upwork, but always check their reviews! You can also use Canva for Cover Design, it’s FREE.
Step 3: Format Your E-Book for KDP
- Make it Easy to Read: Your e-book needs to be set up so it looks good on Kindles, phones, and tablets.
- Simple Files: KDP works best with common files like Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx) or EPUB files. KDP also has its own formatting tool called Kindle Create if you want to try that.
- What to do: Just make sure your chapters start on new pages, your text is clear, and there are no weird extra spaces.
- Cost: If you do it yourself, it’s FREE! If you hire a professional formatter, it might cost $50 – $300, depending on your book’s length and complexity.
Part 2: Setting Up Your KDP Account and Putting Your Book Online
Step 4: Create Your KDP Account
- Go to: kdp.amazon.com
- Sign In: Use your regular Amazon shopping account, or create a new one.
- Tell Amazon Who You Are: You’ll need to provide some basic personal info and your bank account details. This is so Amazon knows who to pay when your book sells!
- Cost: Setting up a KDP account is completely FREE!
Step 5: Start a New Book Entry on KDP
- On your KDP homepage, you’ll see a button that says something like “Create a New Title” or “Create new Kindle eBook.” Click that!
Step 6: Tell Amazon All About Your E-Book (Book Details Section)
- Language: What language is your book in?
- Book Title & Subtitle: Type in your book’s full title and any subtitle.
- Author: Put your name or pen name here.
- Description: This is super important! It’s like the back of a physical book.
- Catchy Hook: Start with a sentence that grabs attention.
- What’s it About?: Briefly explain your story or what readers will learn (for non-fiction). Don’t give away the ending!
- Keywords: Sprinkle in words people might search for. For example, if your book is about “space adventure for kids,” use those words!
- Make it Easy to Read: Use short paragraphs and maybe some bold text to make it easy to skim.
- Publishing Rights: Just confirm you own the rights to your book (which you do!).
- Categories: Pick up to two main categories for your book (e.g., “Science Fiction” and “Young Adult”). Be as specific as you can!
- Keywords: This is like your secret weapon for searches. Add up to 7 short phrases that people might type into Amazon to find a book like yours. Think outside the box! (e.g., “fast-paced thriller,” “magical academy,” “healthy eating guide”).
- Cost: All of this is FREE!
Step 7: Upload Your E-Book File and Cover (Content Section)
- Upload Manuscript: Click the button to upload your formatted e-book file (like your Word document or EPUB). KDP will do the magic to make it a Kindle book.
- Upload Cover: Upload your professionally designed e-book cover image.
- Preview: KDP lets you preview your book on different Kindle devices. Make sure it looks good!
- Cost: Uploading files is FREE!
Step 8: Set Your Price and Royalty (Pricing Section)
- Royalty: This is how much money you get per sale. For e-books, KDP usually offers two options:
- 35% Royalty: For lower-priced books or if you choose wider distribution.
- 70% Royalty: This is the common one for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 in most countries. You get a bigger share, but it has some rules.
- Your Price: Decide how much you want your e-book to cost. Look at other books in your genre to get an idea.
- KDP Select (Optional but Recommended for eBooks): This is a program where you agree to sell your e-book only on Amazon for 90 days. In return, you get some cool benefits:
- Kindle Unlimited: People who subscribe to Kindle Unlimited can read your book for free, and you get paid based on how many pages they read. This is a big way for new authors to get readers!
- Free Book Promotions: You can offer your book for free for a few days to get more downloads and buzz.
- Countdown Deals: You can temporarily lower your price, and Amazon shows a countdown timer, encouraging people to buy.
- Cost: KDP Select is FREE to join, but you can only sell your e-book on Amazon during the 90-day period.
Step 9: Publish Your E-Book!
- Review Everything: Take one last look at all the details you’ve entered.
- Click “Publish Your Kindle eBook”!
- Wait a Little Bit: It usually takes a few hours, or up to 72 hours (sometimes a bit longer), for your book to appear live on Amazon’s store.
- Cost: Publishing your e-book on KDP is completely FREE!
Part 3: Spreading the Word About Your E-Book!
Step 10: Set Up Your Amazon Author Page
- Your Author Hub: Go to author.amazon.com. Here, you can create a profile with your photo, a bio, and even link to your website or blog. This helps readers learn more about you!
- Cost: FREE!
Step 11: Get Reviews
- Reader Feedback: Reviews are super important! They help other readers decide if they want to buy your book, and Amazon likes books with more reviews.
- Ask Nicely: Encourage friends, family, and early readers to leave honest reviews. Never pay for reviews, as this goes against Amazon’s rules.
Step 12: Tell Everyone About Your E-Book! (Marketing)
- Social Media: Share your book’s link on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, etc.
- Your Website/Blog: If you have one, make sure your book is featured prominently.
- Email List: If you collect email addresses from readers, send them an announcement!
- Amazon Ads (Optional): You can pay Amazon to show your book to more people. This can be effective but requires a budget.
- Cost: Your personal marketing efforts are mostly FREE (time and effort). If you decide to run Amazon Ads, you set your own budget. You might start with $5-$10 per day to see how it works.
Step 13: Keep an Eye on Things
- Check Your Sales: KDP has reports that show you how many books you’re selling and how much money you’re making.
- See Your Rank: Amazon ranks books by how well they’re selling. Watch your book’s “Best Seller Rank” (BSR) in its categories.
- Change Price? If sales are slow, you might try a temporary price drop to see if it helps.
- Cost: Monitoring your sales is FREE!
What Does It All Cost? (The Short Version)
- KDP Account & Publishing: FREE! Amazon doesn’t charge you to set up your account or upload your e-book. They take a percentage of your sales as their fee (your royalty option).
- Manuscript Editing/Proofreading: This is highly recommended. $0 (if you do it yourself) to $0.01-$0.05+ per word for professional help.
- Book Cover Design: Highly recommended. $0 (if you do it yourself) to $50 – $500+ for professional help.
- E-Book Formatting: $0 (if you do it yourself) to $50 – $300 for professional help.
- Marketing/Advertising: Your time is FREE! If you use Amazon Ads, you set your own budget, typically starting from $5-$10 a day.
In summary, you can publish an e-book on Amazon KDP for free if you do all the writing, editing, formatting, and cover design yourself. The main costs come from hiring professionals to help you create a high-quality product, which is often a wise investment.
#AmazonKDP #SellEBook #SelfPublishingMadeEasy #EbookLaunch #AuthorSuccess #KindlePublishing #WriteAndPublish #BookForSale #MahnoorLLC #BusinessGuide #EasyPublishing #IndieAuthor #DigitalBook
Sell e-book Amazon, how to publish Kindle book, KDP simple guide, easy way to publish on Amazon, e-book costs Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing for beginners, self-publish e-book for free, get my book on Amazon, e-book formatting KDP, Amazon author central setup, marketing e-book on Amazon, KDP royalty rates, Kindle Unlimited author, Mahnoor LLC publishing, write and sell e-book.