Can you put a KDP paperback or hardcover on pre-order?

What KDP offers for print

KDP’s Schedule a Release page states that KDP does not offer pre-orders for print books, meaning paperbacks and hardcovers. The Kindle eBook Pre-Order page says the same from the other side: pre-orders are available for eBooks only.

What print books get is a scheduled release. You upload the finished manuscript, pick a release date up to 90 days out, and publish. KDP reviews the book, then keeps the Amazon detail page hidden until 12:00 AM GMT on the release date, when the book goes on sale. Customers cannot place orders before then.

Timeline and deadlines

• Manuscript required up front. You must upload the manuscript to schedule a release.
• Changes allowed until the deadline. You can edit the book, move the date up, or delay it by up to 90 days before the submission deadline shown in the countdown timer.
• Five-day lock. From five days before release, status becomes Release Scheduled – Ready for Release. You cannot change the manuscript, details or date, unpublish, or order author copies until after release.

Using an eBook pre-order instead

If you want customers to order before launch, the only KDP option is an eBook pre-order, which also counts toward sales rank before release. KDP allows release dates up to 18 months ahead for pre-orders created on or after September 2, 2026 (12 months for older ones), up to 10 active pre-orders at a time, and requires the final file at least 72 hours before release.

Common mistakes

• Expecting the scheduled date to create a pre-order button. It does not; the page is invisible until launch.
• Scheduling a release for a low-content or previously published book. Those are not eligible.
• Leaving fixes to the last week. Nothing can change inside the five-day lock, and KDP support cannot unlock it.

Amazon changes these rules; the linked KDP help pages are the authority.