What is Amazon KDP? (Facts Authors Need to Know)

Ronald M. Bieber
Amazon is an excellent place if you're looking to buy and sell things online. It's also got some great sales and free shipping now and then, but did you know that it's super easy to build a publishing career with amazon? Read on and get the answers to what amazon KDP is.

Amazon is an online e-commerce giant that allows its customers to buy goods and services across the planet. Amazon is a global leader in books, electronics, software, and entertainment. Amazon has a lot of small departmental businesses, such as Kindle. If you're considering self-publishing your book, you might have heard about Amazon KDP. So, what exactly is Amazon KDP? Keep on reading to learn more about Amazon KDP.


Table Of Contents

What is Amazon KDP?

Amazon KDP is a free self-publishing platform for authors and publishers to create, publish, and distribute their ebooks worldwide. Amazon KDP allows authors and publishers to control their book publishing process, including cover design, formatting, pricing, and distribution. With Amazon KDP, authors can reach a global audience of readers with just a few clicks and get paid via wire transfers, direct deposits, or checks.


What Is Amazon’s KDP Service?

KDP, or Kindle Direct Publishing, is a service from Amazon that allows you to self-publish your book as an e-book. With KDP, you can reach millions of readers worldwide and earn up to 70% royalties on your book sales. Amazon allows you to access your product page, and all the rights to the book are reserved for you.

It means that you’ll retain all rights to your book — including distribution rights — and have total control over pricing and promotions on your book page. You can also enroll your book in Kindle Unlimited, a program that allows readers to borrow your book for free with no due dates.


What Can You Publish on Amazon KDP?

Amazon KDP is a self-publishing platform that allows you to publish your books in e-book and paperback format. There are different types of books that you can publish on KDP:

However, Amazon has limitations on which books you can publish. You cannot publish magazines, newspapers, spiral-bound books, and periodicals. With Amazon KDP, you can reach a broad audience of readers through Amazon's vast distribution network.


Can I Use KDP for Content that’s Already Published?

If you have content that’s already been published, you can use KDP to help distribute and sell your work. Using KDP can be a great way to reach a new audience for your work. However. You have all rights on the books. If the book already has an ISBN from other publishers, it should have the same title, author name, and binding type to use the ISBN on Amazon KDP.

When you publish through KDP, your work will be available on Amazon.com and other retailers participating in the Kindle Store. Plus, publishing through KDP gives you access to promotional tools like Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions, which can help you reach even more readers.


How Do You Publish Something With Amazon KDP?

To publish your book on Amazon.com, you’ll need to create your free KDP account at https://kdp.amazon.com (you will need an existing Amazon account to set up a new one). Once you create the account, provide your author name, payment, and tax information. Amazon asks for tax information to have the correct tax reports on your costs.


How Does Amazon KDP Pay Authors?

Amazon KDP pays authors based on the number of Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP) read by customers. For every page an author's book is read, they earn a royalty. The amount they make per page varies depending on the price of their book. Amazon KDP pays authors via direct deposits, wire transfers, and checks. Therefore, it’s up to the author to select their preferred payment method. However, you should note that each method has a payment threshold; therefore, consider the favorable one.

Authors can earn royalties from Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, subscription services that allow customers to read as many books as they want for a monthly fee. When a customer borrows an author's book from either of these services, the author earns a royalty.


When does KDP Pay?

KDP pays royalties every month, after 60 days of every end month, for book sales in the previous distribution days. You can expect payment after 90 days since Amazon reports the sales and when your royalties meet the threshold.


Are There Minimum Payment Thresholds With Amazon KDP?

Yes, there are minimum payment thresholds with Amazon KDP depending on your chosen payment method. You can be paid by direct deposit, wire transfer, or check, whichever method you prefer. There are no minimum payment thresholds with Amazon KDP if you choose to be paid via direct deposit. It means you’ll receive your payment as collected.

However, if you receive payments via a wire transfer or a check, the minimum threshold you’ll need to reach is $100. it means that if your monthly royalties are less than $100, you won’t receive a payment for that month. However, your royalties will accumulate until they reach the $100 threshold, at which point you’ll be paid for all of the accrued royalties.


How Long Does It Take Amazon KDP to Pay You?

You will earn royalties as soon as your book is published on Amazon KDP. Royalties are paid out 60 days after the end of each calendar month they are made. The main factor for the payment duration is the method of payment that you have selected.

If the payment is via direct deposit, it should take one to five business days for the payment to go through. However, if you’re in China, the direct deposit can take 7-10 business days to reflect in your account. If you're being paid via wire transfer, it will take five to ten business days for the payment to reflect in your bank account. And if you're being paid via check, it will depend on your location. Checks sent within the United States generally arrive within 30 business days.

Also, if there are any issues with your book or account, it may affect payment duration. For example, if your book needs to be revised before it can go live, this will delay the payment process. Amazon KDP will also need to verify your identity and banking information before they can issue payment. Be sure to have all of the necessary documents ready when you begin the publishing process.


Does Amazon KDP Withhold Taxes?

When you enroll in Amazon KDP, you must provide your tax information. The information is used to calculate, withhold, and remit taxes to the appropriate taxing authority on your behalf. Depending on the country or region in which you reside, different taxes may apply to your book sales.

State and local taxes may apply to your book sales in the United States. If you reside in a state with a sales tax, Amazon will calculate, collect, and remit the tax to the appropriate tax authority on your behalf.

If you reside outside of the United States, different taxes may apply to your book sales, including value-added tax (VAT), goods and services tax (GST), and withholding tax. Amazon will calculate, withhold, and remit these taxes to the appropriate taxing authority on your behalf where required by law.


Conclusion

Amazon KDP is a powerful tool for self-publishing authors. It allows you to reach a broad audience of potential readers and provides a simple way to publish and distribute your book. Publishing on amazon KDP is free, and you’ll be paid for any sales made on your book.

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