KDP Publishing

Using Images in KDP Books: Resolution, File Formats, Placement, and the Colour vs Black-and-White Decision

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Book Production · Vappingo Using Images in KDP Books: Resolution, File Formats, Placement, and the Colour vs Black-and-White Decision Images in books behave differently in print and ebook formats — different resolution requirements, different colour modes, different sizing rules. Getting this wrong produces blurry print images or oversized ebook files that erode your royalties. This … Read more

Typography for KDP Books: Fonts, Sizes, and Spacing That Work in Print and Ebook

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Book Production · Vappingo Typography for KDP Books: Fonts, Sizes, and Spacing That Work in Print and Ebook Typography is the invisible architecture of a readable book. The right font choices, body text size, and line spacing make reading feel effortless; the wrong choices create friction that readers sense even when they can’t name it. … Read more

KDP Bleed, Safe Zones, and Margins: The Print Formatting Rules That Cannot Be Broken

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Book Production · Vappingo KDP Bleed, Safe Zones, and Margins: The Print Formatting Rules That Cannot Be Broken Bleed, safe zones, and margin requirements determine whether KDP accepts your print files and whether your finished book looks professional. These are not stylistic preferences — they are hard technical requirements with precise measurements. This guide explains … Read more

KDP Publishing Timeline: How Long Does Each Stage Actually Take?

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Book Production · Vappingo KDP Publishing Timeline: How Long Does Each Stage Actually Take? From uploading your final files to appearing live on Amazon, each stage of the KDP publishing process has its own timeline. Understanding those timelines — and what can slow them down — is essential for planning a launch date you can … Read more

Setting Up a Book Series on KDP: Series Pages, Metadata, and Read-Order Linking

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Book Production · Vappingo Setting Up a Book Series on KDP: Series Pages, Metadata, and Read-Order Linking KDP’s series feature links your books into a single browseable series page, adds read-order numbering to each product page, and creates the also-bought relationships that drive read-through. This guide covers how to set it up correctly, what it … Read more

KDP Content Guidelines: What You Can and Cannot Publish on Amazon KDP

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Book Production · Vappingo KDP Content Guidelines: What You Can and Cannot Publish on Amazon KDP Amazon’s content policies determine what you can publish through KDP. Most books sail through with no issues — but understanding the rules upfront prevents the account penalties, listing removals, and publishing delays that catch unprepared authors off guard. 9-minute … Read more

KDP Proof Copies: How to Order, Review, and Approve Your Print Book Before It Goes Live

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Book Production · Vappingo KDP Proof Copies: How to Order, Review, and Approve Your Print Book Before It Goes Live A proof copy is a physical print of your book ordered before it goes on sale — your one opportunity to catch formatting issues, cover problems, and print quality questions before real readers encounter them. … Read more

Preparing Your Manuscript for KDP: The Pre-Formatting Checklist Every Author Needs

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Book Production · Vappingo Preparing Your Manuscript for KDP: The Pre-Formatting Checklist Every Author Needs Most formatting problems start in the manuscript, not in the formatting tool. This pre-formatting checklist covers every cleaning, structural, and editorial task that should be complete before you hand your manuscript to a formatter or open a formatting application — … Read more

KDP Hardcover Publishing: Formatting Requirements, Costs, and When the Premium Format Is Worth It

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Book Production · Vappingo KDP Hardcover Publishing: Formatting Requirements, Costs, and When the Premium Format Is Worth It KDP’s hardcover option lets self-published authors offer a premium physical format. The printing costs are higher and the formatting requirements differ from paperback — but used strategically, a hardcover listing can improve conversion rates and overall earnings … Read more

Book Cover Design for KDP: Genre Conventions, Hiring Designers, and What Actually Makes Covers Sell

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Book Production · Vappingo Book Cover Design for KDP: Genre Conventions, Hiring Designers, and What Actually Makes Covers Sell Your cover is your book’s primary marketing asset. It communicates genre, quality, and emotional promise in a thumbnail the size of a postage stamp. This guide covers what makes covers work — genre visual language, thumbnail … Read more

ISBNs for KDP Books: Free vs Paid, What You Actually Need, and What You Don’t

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Book Production · Vappingo ISBNs for KDP Books: Free vs Paid, What You Actually Need, and What You Don’t The ISBN question trips up nearly every new self-publisher. KDP offers free ISBNs — but using them comes with tradeoffs. Buying your own gives you control — but costs money. This guide explains exactly what an … Read more

KDP Cover Design Requirements: Specs, File Types, and What KDP Will and Won’t Accept

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Book Production · Vappingo KDP Cover Design Requirements: Specs, File Types, and What KDP Will and Won’t Accept Your cover has different technical requirements for ebook and print — different dimensions, file formats, resolution requirements, and submission processes. Getting these wrong means rejected uploads, blurry thumbnails, or a spine that doesn’t align. This guide covers … Read more

Kindle Ebook File Types: EPUB, MOBI, KFX and What KDP Actually Accepts

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Book Production · Vappingo Kindle Ebook File Types: EPUB, MOBI, KFX and What KDP Actually Accepts EPUB, MOBI, KFX, AZW3 — the file format landscape for Kindle publishing can be confusing. This guide clarifies what each format is, which ones KDP accepts for upload, which produces the best output, and how Amazon’s conversion process works. … Read more

KDP Paperback Formatting: Margins, Trim Sizes, and Building a Print-Ready PDF

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Book Production · Vappingo KDP Paperback Formatting: Margins, Trim Sizes, and Building a Print-Ready PDF Print formatting has precise technical requirements that ebook formatting doesn’t share. Get your trim size, margins, header and footer setup, and PDF export settings wrong and KDP will either reject your file or print a book that looks unprofessional. This … Read more

KDP Ebook Formatting: The Complete Technical Guide to a Professional Kindle File

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Book Production · Vappingo KDP Ebook Formatting: The Complete Technical Guide to a Professional Kindle File Kindle ebook formatting has specific technical requirements that differ from print and from general document formatting. This guide covers file types, style requirements, table of contents setup, image handling, and the validation process — so your ebook looks professional … Read more

How to Format Your Book for KDP: The Complete Guide for Ebooks and Paperbacks

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Book Production · Vappingo How to Format Your Book for KDP: The Complete Guide for Ebooks and Paperbacks Formatting is the invisible infrastructure of a successful KDP book. Get it right and readers never notice it. Get it wrong and they notice immediately — and say so in reviews. This guide covers everything you need … Read more

KDP Backlist Strategy: How to Keep Older Books Earning Year After Year

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Sales & Visibility · Vappingo KDP Backlist Strategy: How to Keep Older Books Earning Year After Year A backlist is the most valuable long-term asset in self-publishing — but only if you actively maintain it. Books that were launched and forgotten silently lose their rankings, their algorithmic connections, and their earning potential. This guide covers … Read more

Bookstagram and Pinterest for Authors: Visual Social Media That Drives Book Sales

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Sales & Visibility · Vappingo Bookstagram and Pinterest for Authors: Visual Social Media That Drives Book Sales Instagram’s book community and Pinterest’s evergreen search engine serve different audiences and operate on different discovery mechanics — but both can drive meaningful external traffic to your Amazon page. Here’s how each platform works for authors and how … Read more

The KDP Book Launch Checklist: Everything You Need Before You Hit Publish

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Sales & Visibility · Vappingo The KDP Book Launch Checklist: Everything You Need Before You Hit Publish A complete, phase-by-phase checklist covering every task from 8 weeks before launch to 8 weeks after — so nothing important gets missed and every launch is better than the last. 10-minute read All levels Most launch failures are … Read more

Why Your KDP Sales Rank Is Dropping: Diagnosing and Stabilising a Declining BSR

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Sales & Visibility · Vappingo Why Your KDP Sales Rank Is Dropping: Diagnosing and Stabilising a Declining BSR A declining BSR is normal after launch — but a BSR that keeps climbing past the point where organic discovery stops requires active diagnosis and intervention. This guide covers every cause of rank decline and the specific … Read more

KDP Seasonal Promotions: Timing Your Price Drops and Launches for Maximum Impact

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Sales & Visibility · Vappingo KDP Seasonal Promotions: Timing Your Price Drops and Launches for Maximum Impact Amazon’s book market has pronounced seasonal patterns. Knowing when demand peaks and troughs for your genre — and timing your promotions, launches, and price drops accordingly — lets you extract more value from the same marketing budget and … Read more

Amazon Author Central: The Free Tool Most KDP Authors Underuse

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Sales & Visibility · Vappingo Amazon Author Central: The Free Tool Most KDP Authors Underuse Author Central is Amazon’s free author profile and marketing hub. It controls your author page, editorial reviews, A+ Content, sales rank data, and attribution tracking — yet most self-published authors set it up once and never return. Here’s what you’re … Read more

KDP Pre-Order Strategy: When and How to Use Pre-Orders to Amplify Your Launch

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Sales & Visibility · Vappingo KDP Pre-Order Strategy: When and How to Use Pre-Orders to Amplify Your Launch A KDP pre-order lets readers purchase your book before it’s available and concentrates those sales into your publication date for a powerful launch-day BSR spike. But pre-orders come with constraints and tradeoffs that make them right for … Read more