Uploading to Kindle Direct Publishing takes minutes — the preparation decides success or rejection. Many books fail not on content but on formalities: wrong margins, missing bleed, a cover at the wrong resolution. This checklist walks through the points that really matter.
The manuscript
Valid EPUB3 (no reflowable chaos)
Chapter structure with a clean table of contents
Hyphenation and justification checked
No orphan lines at the top or bottom of a page
The cover
300 dpi, correct dimensions incl. bleed for print
Title readable at thumbnail size
EAN-13 barcode area kept clear
RGB for the e-book, CMYK-ready for the print PDF
KDP doesn’t reject your book — it rejects a file that breaks a rule. Know the rules, and the upload becomes a formality.
Metadata & discoverability
Seven keywords, two categories, one description — that’s the frame within which your book is found. Keywords should be real search terms, not wishful ones. Categories as specific as possible, because in a narrow category you rank faster. And the description sells in the first two lines — everything below is seen only by those already interested.
Before the click
Always order a proof copy before publishing widely. A printed book reveals errors invisible on screen: inner margins too tight, a cover whose colors look different, typesetting that suddenly feels cramped on paper. This final loop costs a week and saves your first impression.