KDP supports three publishing formats: Kindle eBook, paperback, and hardcover. Each has different technical requirements, different royalty structures, different reader audiences, and different strategic considerations. Understanding how each one works helps you decide which to offer and in what order to prioritise them. For the full publishing roadmap, see our complete beginner’s guide to self-publishing on Amazon KDP.
Kindle eBook
The Kindle eBook is KDP’s original format and still the most popular for independent authors. eBooks are delivered instantly to any device running the Kindle app — Kindle e-readers, smartphones, tablets, and computers. There are no printing costs, which means a higher royalty margin and no minimum pricing floor driven by production costs.
Royalties: 70% for books priced $2.99–$9.99 (minus delivery fee); 35% outside this range.
What it suits: Fiction of all genres, business and self-help, narrative non-fiction, most category non-fiction. eBooks work less well for books where layout precision matters — cookbooks, illustrated reference, children’s picture books — because the reflowable Kindle format does not guarantee page-level layout control.
File formats accepted: .docx, .epub, .pdf, .html, .mobi, .rtf, and .txt. For most authors, uploading a .docx (Word) file and letting KDP’s converter handle the rest is the simplest approach. For complex layouts, creating an .epub directly using a tool like Atticus gives you more control over the output.
Cover requirements: JPEG or TIFF, minimum 1,000 pixels on the short side, maximum 10,000 pixels on either side. Ideal dimensions are 2,560 × 1,600 pixels (1:1.6 ratio).
Paperback
KDP’s paperback option uses print-on-demand technology. Each copy is printed when an order is placed — there is no minimum print run, no upfront printing cost, and no inventory to manage. Amazon uses digital printing facilities in the US, UK, and Europe to fulfil orders, which means delivery times are similar to any other Amazon product.
Royalties: 60% of list price minus Amazon’s printing cost (which varies by page count, trim size, and interior colour).
What it suits: Most book categories. Non-fiction readers particularly tend to prefer paperbacks — many readers of business, self-help, and reference books want to make notes and mark pages. Having a paperback option available significantly broadens your audience for these categories.
Trim sizes available: Multiple sizes including 5″ × 8″, 5.06″ × 7.81″, 5.25″ × 8″, 5.5″ × 8.5″, 6″ × 9″, and several others. 5.5″ × 8.5″ and 6″ × 9″ are the most common for novels and non-fiction respectively.
File requirements: A PDF created to KDP’s print specifications — correct margins (minimum 0.25″ on all sides, with the inside margin depending on page count), correct trim size, images at 300 DPI minimum, and either no bleed or full bleed applied correctly. For the complete specification guide, read our article on KDP print specifications.
Interior colour: Black-and-white interiors are substantially cheaper to print than colour interiors. Most fiction and text-heavy non-fiction uses black-and-white. Cookbooks, children’s books, and illustrated titles typically require colour, which significantly increases the printing cost and therefore the minimum viable list price.
Hardcover
KDP added hardcover publishing in 2021. The process is nearly identical to paperback — the same print-on-demand model, the same file preparation requirements — but with a case-bound cover instead of a glued paperback cover. Hardcovers have higher printing costs than paperbacks and therefore require higher list prices to achieve a positive royalty.
Royalties: 60% of list price minus printing cost (higher than paperback equivalent).
What it suits: Gift books, illustrated titles, memoirs and narrative non-fiction where a premium format feels appropriate, business books targeting a corporate readership, and any title where readers have demonstrated willingness to pay a higher price point for a physical object.
Eligibility: Not all titles are eligible for hardcover through KDP. KDP checks eligibility automatically during your title setup and will inform you if your title does not qualify. Common ineligibility reasons include trim size or page count falling outside supported ranges.
For a detailed comparison of the two print formats, see our guide to KDP hardcover vs paperback.
File Requirements Summary by Format
- eBook manuscript: .docx, .epub, or .pdf. Formatted for reflowable reading. No fixed-position layouts.
- eBook cover: JPEG or TIFF, 2,560 × 1,600 px recommended, under 50 MB.
- Paperback/Hardcover manuscript: PDF only. Must match your chosen trim size exactly, with correct margins, bleed (if applicable), and 300 DPI images.
- Paperback/Hardcover cover: PDF only. Full-wrap file including front, spine (width calculated from page count and paper type), and back. KDP provides a cover template generator for each trim size.
Linking Formats Together
When you publish the same book in multiple formats, Amazon links them together on a single product page so readers see all available options with a format selector. This linking happens automatically once all formats are live, though it can take 24–48 hours after the second format goes live to appear.
Each format has its own ASIN (Amazon’s product identifier) and its own separate KDP entry in your Bookshelf. You manage them independently — you can update the eBook description without touching the paperback, for instance.
Which Formats Should You Offer?
The standard recommendation for most authors is: eBook first, paperback second, hardcover only if it suits your book. eBook setup is simpler and faster; it generates data about your book’s reception before you invest in print file preparation. Before you begin, prepare your metadata with a KDP metadata tool like KDP Rank Fuel — so your keywords, categories, and description are ready to go when your files are. Adding paperback broadens your audience and adds a meaningful search result on Amazon. Hardcover is worth considering only when you have evidence that your readership values a premium physical edition.
Getting your metadata right across all formats — the same accurate keywords, categories, and description — is where a KDP metadata tool like KDP Rank Fuel adds real value. A single optimised description and keyword set, applied consistently across all your formats, ensures that every version of your book is pulling in the right readers from the right searches. The dedicated KDP metadata tool built into KDP Rank Fuel by Vappingo handles all of this — keywords, description, and categories generated together from a single input.
And before any format goes live, your manuscript needs to be error-free. Fiction manuscript proofreading from Vappingo ensures that what readers find inside your book matches the professional presentation of the cover and listing.
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