Updated
How to design a book cover
How to design a book cover that sells: genre signals, title type that reads as a thumbnail, images, back cover and spine, and the exact KDP sizes. Free tools.
Self-publishing guides
Short, sourced answers to the questions authors ask before they publish. Every number comes from the retailer's own help pages.
Updated
Book marketing for self-published authors
Book marketing that works for self-published authors: the book page, launch plan, email list, ads and promotions, in order of what matters. Free tools.
Updated
Editing a book: how to edit and proofread your manuscript
Editing a book in four passes: structure, lines, copyedit and proofread, with a self-editing checklist and editors' market rates checked October 2026.
Updated
How do I self publish on Amazon?
How to publish a book on Amazon with KDP, field by field: details, 7 keywords, 3 categories, files, pricing and KDP Select. Free to publish, checked September 2026.
Updated
How much does it cost to publish a book?
Publishing on KDP or IngramSpark costs nothing upfront. Real costs for ISBNs, printing, proofs and editing, with sources checked October 2026.
Updated
How to hire a ghost writer
How to hire a ghost writer for your book: what ghostwriters cost per word, how to choose one, what to ask and what the contract needs. Rates checked October 2026.
Updated
How to make an audiobook
How to make an audiobook from your book: finished length, narrating yourself or hiring a narrator, recording and the ACX audio specs, checked October 2026.
Updated
How to publish a book, step by step
How to publish a book yourself: edit, format, design the cover, get an ISBN, upload to KDP or IngramSpark and price it. Free tools for each step, no signup.
Updated
How to start a memoir and finish it
How to start a memoir or write your autobiography: find the theme, pick the stories, plan the length, write every day and revise. Free word count tools.
Updated
How to use AI to write a book, honestly
How to use AI to write a book: where it helps, where it fails, KDP's AI disclosure rule and copyright, and when a human writer is worth it.
Updated
How to write a book, from idea to finished draft
How to write a book step by step: shape the idea, set a word count, outline, write every day and revise. How long it takes, with free planning tools.
Updated
How to write a picture book
How to write a picture book: word count, the 32-page layout, a page-by-page dummy, working with an illustrator and printing costs, with sources.
Updated
Kindle Direct Publishing formatting, explained
Kindle Direct Publishing formatting rules for paperbacks and ebooks: trim, bleed, margins by page count, fonts, images and the Kindle table of contents.
Updated
Self-publishing companies to avoid, and how to choose one
How to spot self-publishing companies to avoid: who keeps your rights, ISBN and royalties, warning signs of vanity presses, and the platforms authors use.
Updated
What goes on a copyright page? Examples and templates
Copyright page examples and format for a self-published book: what to include, the three parts of a notice, and samples for fiction, nonfiction and memoir.
Updated
Word doc pages to book pages: manuscript vs printed page counts
How Word and Google Docs pages turn into printed book pages, with manuscript and book page counts for 50,000 to 100,000 words by trim and genre.
Updated
How much does Kindle Unlimited pay per page? (August 2026)
The latest author-reported KENP rate is $0.00489 per page for August 2026. The 12-month rate history, the KDP Select fund and what pages read earn.
Updated
How to format a KDP book description
The 12 HTML tags KDP allows in a book description, the 4,000 character limit, what is not allowed, and before and after examples.
Updated
What is a good ACOS for books?
A good ACOS is one below your break-even ACOS. Break-even by format and price for KDP paperbacks and ebooks, plus how KU reads and series read-through change it.
Updated
What size should a Kindle ebook cover be?
The best Kindle ebook cover size is 1,600 x 2,560 px. KDP's minimum, the 1.6:1 ratio, file types and other stores' sizes, checked September 2026.
Updated
Do you need an ISBN for KDP?
When KDP requires an ISBN, when it is optional, what the free KDP ISBN can and cannot do, and when to buy your own. Straight from KDP's help pages.
Updated
How much does KDP charge to print a paperback?
KDP charges $1.00 plus $0.012 a page to print a black ink paperback on Amazon.com. Color, large trims and a cost table, checked September 2026.
Updated
KDP spine width formula, with a table for every page count
The KDP spine width formula for white, cream, groundwood and color paper, a spine width table for every page count, and how to get the full cover size.
Updated
KDP's new 70% royalty range: $2.99 to $12.99
Since July 7, 2026, Kindle ebooks at $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com earn KDP's 70% royalty. What changed and what each price earns, checked September 2026.
Subscribe with RSS to hear about new guides and spec changes.