Skip to content
kdp123

KDP glossary

34 terms KDP publishers run into, each defined in a sentence or two with the numbers that matter and a link to Amazon's own page. For the full rules, follow the link to the fact page. Checked against Amazon on 2026-11-09.

3ABCDEFGIKLPST

35% and 70% royalty optionsalso Ebook royalty rate
The two Kindle ebook royalty rates, paid on the list price excluding VAT. The 70% option needs a US list price of $2.99 to $12.99, deducts a delivery cost and applies only to buyers in Amazon's 70% territories; other sales earn 35%.
Rules: KDP ebook royalties: the 35% and 70% optionsRules: KDP ebook pricing rules: minimum, maximum and price matchingCalculator: KDP royalty and printing cost calculatorSee also: Delivery cost, Paperback and hardcover royaltySource: KDP Help G200644210, KDP Help G200634560
A+ Content
Images, text and comparison charts that a KDP author adds to a book's Amazon detail page through the A+ Content Manager on the KDP Marketing page. It is created per marketplace, appears within eight business days of approval, and cannot include customer reviews, pricing, promotions or links.
Rules: A+ Content for KDP books: where to create it and what's allowedSee also: ASINSource: KDP Help GHL7P99B7AA543CN, KDP Help G4WB7VPPEAREHAAD
ACoSalso Advertising cost of sales, ROAS
Ad spend divided by the sales those ads brought in, as a percentage: $50 spent for $100 of sales is a 50% ACoS. Amazon Ads says ACoS has to stay below your profit margin for ads to make money; ROAS (return on ad spend) is the same ratio turned upside down.
Calculator: KDP royalty and printing cost calculatorSee also: Paperback and hardcover royalty, 35% and 70% royalty optionsSource: advertising.amazon.com
AI-generated contentalso AI-assisted content
Text, images or translations created by an AI tool, which KDP requires you to disclose when you publish a book or republish it after edits, even if you edited the output heavily. AI-assisted content, which you created yourself and only edited, checked or brainstormed with AI, does not need to be disclosed.
Rules: KDP AI content disclosure: AI-generated vs AI-assistedSource: KDP Help G200672390
ASINalso Amazon Standard Identification Number
The unique 10-character code Amazon assigns to every product in its store. Most ASINs start with B0, book ASINs can begin with a number, and the ASIN appears in a product URL after /dp/.
See also: ISBNSource: sell.amazon.com
Author copiesalso Author copy
Copies of your own live paperback or hardcover that you buy from KDP at the printing cost plus shipping, up to 999 per order. Shipping never qualifies for free or Prime delivery, and author copies earn no royalties.
Rules: KDP proof copies and author copies: cost, limits and how to orderSee also: Proof copy, Printing costSource: KDP Help G7BBN68RYX5UMDZF, KDP Help GVEG4YA9G2T7N6DR
Best Sellers Rank (BSR)also Sales Rank, Amazon Best Sellers Rank
Amazon's ranking of a book by customer activity relative to other books, shown in the Product Details section for up to three categories. It updates at least once a day, weights recent activity more heavily, and can move even when your own sales stay the same.
Calculator: Amazon BSR to sales estimatorSee also: CategoriesSource: KDP Help G201648140
Bleed
Artwork that runs past the trim edge so color reaches the edge of the page after cutting. KDP bleed is 0.125 in (3.2 mm) on the top, bottom and outside edges, so a 6 x 9 in page with bleed is 6.125 x 9.25 in.
Rules: KDP bleed size and minimum margins by page countRules: KDP paperback cover size and spine width by page countCalculator: KDP paperback cover size and spine width calculatorSee also: Gutter, Trim sizeSource: KDP Help GVBQ3CMEQW3W2VL6, KDP Help G201953020
Categoriesalso KDP categories, Browse categories
The sections of the Amazon store where a book is listed and ranked. KDP lets you choose 3 categories per book, new choices can take up to 72 hours to show, and Amazon ranks a book in up to three Best Seller category lists.
Rules: KDP keywords and categories: 7 keywords, 3 categoriesCalculator: KDP category finderSee also: Best Sellers Rank (BSR), KeywordsSource: KDP Help G200652170, KDP Help G201648140
Delivery cost
A per-sale charge based on file size that KDP deducts from ebook royalties under the 70% option: $0.15 per MB on Amazon.com, minimum $0.01. Ebooks on the 35% option pay no delivery cost.
Rules: KDP ebook royalties: the 35% and 70% optionsCalculator: Kindle ebook price checkerSee also: 35% and 70% royalty optionsSource: KDP Help G200644210, KDP Help G200634560
EPUB
An open ebook file format that KDP recommends for ebook manuscripts, in version 2.0 or 3.0, alongside DOC/DOCX and KPF. MOBI is no longer accepted for new uploads or revisions.
Rules: KDP ebook file formats: manuscript and cover requirementsSee also: Kindle CreateSource: KDP Help G200634390
Expanded Distribution
A free KDP option that offers a paperback to US and UK distributors so bookstores, libraries and other retailers can order it, paying 40% of the list price minus printing cost. Hardcovers, low-content books and some trim sizes, languages and content types cannot use it.
Rules: KDP Expanded Distribution: eligibility, royalty and restrictionsCalculator: KDP royalty and printing cost calculatorSee also: Paperback and hardcover royalty, Low-content bookSource: KDP Help GQTT4W3T5AYK7L45, KDP Help G201834330
Free Book Promotion
A KDP Select benefit that makes a Kindle ebook free for up to 5 days in each 90-day enrollment period, in all KDP marketplaces. It must be scheduled at least a day ahead and can start no earlier than the second day of the term.
Rules: KDP Select rules: exclusivity, renewal, Kindle+ and promotionsSee also: KDP Select, Kindle Countdown DealSource: KDP Help G201298240
Gutteralso Inside margin
The margin on the bound edge of a print book's pages. KDP's minimum grows with page count, from 0.375 in (9.6 mm) at 24 to 150 pages to 0.875 in (22.3 mm) at 701 to 828 pages.
Rules: KDP bleed size and minimum margins by page countSee also: Bleed, Trim sizeSource: KDP Help GVBQ3CMEQW3W2VL6
Imprint
The publisher name on a print book's listing. With a free KDP ISBN it is "Independently published"; with your own ISBN it is the imprint you registered, which must match exactly on KDP.
Rules: KDP ISBN rules: free KDP ISBN vs your own, and ebooksSee also: ISBNSource: KDP Help G201834170
ISBNalso International Standard Book Number
The identifier for one edition and format of a book. On KDP, Kindle ebooks do not need one, while each paperback and hardcover needs its own, either free from KDP (usable only on KDP) or bought by you.
Rules: KDP ISBN rules: free KDP ISBN vs your own, and ebooksRules: KDP low-content books: definition, ISBN option and limitsSee also: ASIN, Imprint, Low-content bookSource: KDP Help G201834170
KDP Select
A free 90-day program, renewing automatically, in which you sell the ebook edition only through Amazon. In return the ebook joins Kindle+ (formerly Kindle Unlimited), earns from the KDP Select Global Fund, and gets one promotion per term: free days or a Kindle Countdown Deal.
Rules: KDP Select rules: exclusivity, renewal, Kindle+ and promotionsRules: KENP royalties: how KDP pays for Kindle+ pages readSee also: Kindle+, KENP, Free Book Promotion, Kindle Countdown DealSource: KDP Help GD9PMU58BV24QFZ7
KDP Select Global Fund
The monthly pool from which Amazon pays authors for Kindle+ reading and listening. Each marketplace's share is divided by the KENP read there that month, and the fund is announced around the 15th of the following month.
Rules: KENP royalties: how KDP pays for Kindle+ pages readSee also: KENP, Kindle+Source: KDP Help G201541130
KENPalso Kindle Edition Normalized Pages
Amazon's standardized page count for paying Kindle+ royalties. You earn for each page a subscriber reads or listens to for the first time, up to 3,000 KENP per title per customer.
Rules: KENP royalties: how KDP pays for Kindle+ pages readSee also: KDP Select Global Fund, Kindle+Source: KDP Help G201541130
Keywordsalso KDP keywords, Backend keywords
Up to seven words or short phrases you enter for a book so readers can find it on Amazon. They must not mention other authors or books, sales rank, promotions such as "free", brands you are not authorized to use, or Amazon programs like Kindle+ or KDP Select.
Rules: KDP keywords and categories: 7 keywords, 3 categoriesCalculator: KDP keyword slot checkerSee also: CategoriesSource: KDP Help G201298500
Kindle Countdown Dealalso KCD
A KDP Select promotion that discounts a Kindle ebook for a limited time on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, showing the regular price, the deal price and a countdown clock. You keep your royalty rate, so a 70% book still earns 70% below $2.99.
Rules: KDP Select rules: exclusivity, renewal, Kindle+ and promotionsSee also: KDP Select, Free Book PromotionSource: KDP Help G201293780
Kindle Createalso KPF, Kindle Package Format
Amazon's app that turns a manuscript into a KPF (Kindle Package Format) file, one of the three ebook formats KDP recommends; Amazon says KPF files fit all Kindle devices.
Rules: KDP ebook file formats: manuscript and cover requirementsSee also: EPUBSource: KDP Help G200634390
Kindle+also Kindle Unlimited, KU
Amazon's reading subscription, formerly Kindle Unlimited, which carries the Kindle ebooks and audiobooks enrolled in KDP Select. Authors are paid per KENP read or listened to from the KDP Select Global Fund; audiobooks in Kindle+ are US only for now.
Rules: KENP royalties: how KDP pays for Kindle+ pages readRules: KDP Select rules: exclusivity, renewal, Kindle+ and promotionsSee also: KDP Select, KENP, KDP Select Global FundSource: KDP Help G201541130
Large trim
Any KDP print trim size wider than 6.12 in or taller than 9 in. Large trims cost more to print; a US black ink paperback is $0.017 a page instead of $0.012.
Rules: KDP trim sizes for paperback and hardcover booksRules: How KDP calculates paperback and hardcover printing costsCalculator: KDP royalty and printing cost calculatorSee also: Trim size, Printing costSource: KDP Help G201834340
Low-content book
A print book with minimal or no interior content, usually repetitive pages to fill in, such as notebooks, planners, journals and log books; puzzle and coloring books are generally not low-content. It can be published without an ISBN but not with a free KDP ISBN, and cannot use Expanded Distribution or series.
Rules: KDP low-content books: definition, ISBN option and limitsSee also: ISBN, Expanded DistributionSource: KDP Help GGE5T76TWKA85DJM
Pre-order
Lets readers order a new Kindle ebook before release, up to 18 months ahead for pre-orders created on or after September 2, 2026. The final file is due 72 hours before release; paperbacks and hardcovers cannot be put on pre-order.
Rules: KDP ebook pre-orders: lead time, final file deadline and penaltiesRules: Can you put a KDP paperback or hardcover on pre-order?See also: Scheduled release dateSource: KDP Help G201499380, KDP Help GDTMGBCWHAY35NK4
Printing cost
What KDP charges to print each copy, a fixed amount plus a per-page amount set by format, ink, paper, trim and marketplace, subtracted from every print royalty. A 300-page black ink regular trim paperback costs $4.60 on Amazon.com.
Rules: How KDP calculates paperback and hardcover printing costsCalculator: KDP royalty and printing cost calculatorSee also: Paperback and hardcover royalty, Large trimSource: KDP Help G201834340
Proof copy
A printed copy of a draft paperback or hardcover, available once the draft is approved in the Print Previewer, for checking before you publish. Up to 5 per order at printing cost plus shipping, with no royalties.
Rules: KDP proof copies and author copies: cost, limits and how to orderSee also: Author copiesSource: KDP Help GVEG4YA9G2T7N6DR, KDP Help G2MYNEKHT443C2H2
Public domain content
Works no longer under copyright, which anyone may republish. When a free version is already in the Kindle Store, KDP accepts only a differentiated edition (translated, annotated, or with 10 or more original illustrations), and such ebooks earn 35% only and cannot join KDP Select.
Rules: Publishing public domain books on KDP: differentiation and royaltiesSee also: KDP SelectSource: KDP Help G200743940
Scheduled release datealso Release date
The print alternative to a pre-order: a new paperback or hardcover can be set to go on sale up to 90 days ahead, but its Amazon page stays hidden until 12:00 AM GMT on that date. Low-content books cannot use it.
Rules: Can you put a KDP paperback or hardcover on pre-order?See also: Pre-orderSource: KDP Help GDTMGBCWHAY35NK4, KDP Help GGE5T76TWKA85DJM
Spine width
The width of a print book's spine, which KDP sets from page count and paper: 0.002252 in per page on white paper, 0.0025 in on cream. Spine text needs at least 79 pages.
Rules: KDP paperback cover size and spine width by page countCalculator: KDP paperback cover size and spine width calculatorSee also: Bleed, Trim sizeSource: KDP Help G201953020
Tax Profilealso Tax interview
KDP's tax interview, which records your tax identity and must be validated before you can publish or update books. Non-US persons complete a Form W-8 and have 30% withheld from Amazon.com ebook sales and some print sales unless a tax treaty and tax ID allow a lower rate.
Rules: KDP tax interview (tax profile): W-8, withholding and treatiesSource: KDP Help G201274750
Trim size
The finished page size of a print book after cutting. KDP paperbacks come in 16 listed sizes from 5 x 8 in to 8.5 x 11 in plus custom sizes, hardcovers in five, and the most common US size is 6 x 9 in.
Rules: KDP trim sizes for paperback and hardcover booksCalculator: KDP paperback cover size and spine width calculatorSee also: Large trim, BleedSource: KDP Help G201834180, KDP Help GVBQ3CMEQW3W2VL6

Missing a term or found one out of date? Tell us. Plain-text version.