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Book metadata checklist

Every KDP book detail field with its limit and rules. Tick it off, check what you type, copy the summary.

Format
Fields ready

0 of 16

Tick each field once it is ready. Type or paste a value to check it.

  1. Required
    KDP's rules for this field
    • The language you select, the language of the book and the language in your file's metadata must match. For a book in several languages, pick the primary one.

    Source: KDP Help: Language & Reading direction

  2. Required

    Title and subtitle together under 200 characters

    0 characters. Title and subtitle: 0 of 200

      KDP's rules for this field
      • The title field should contain only the actual title of your book as it appears on the cover.
      • Not allowed: Repeating generic keywords like "notebook", "journal", "gifts" or "books".
      • Not allowed: Unauthorized reference to other titles or authors.
      • Not allowed: Unauthorized reference to a trademarked term.
      • Not allowed: References suggesting someone contributed to or was involved with the book who was not.
      • Not allowed: Reference to sales rank, such as "bestselling".
      • Not allowed: Reference to advertisements or promotions, such as "free".
      • Not allowed: Only punctuation, such as "!!!!!!!!".
      • Not allowed: Only "unknown", "n/a", "na", "blank", "none", "null" or "not applicable".
      • Not allowed: HTML tags.
      • Keep the title exactly the same for paperback, hardcover and ebook: that is how they link on one detail page. Title and edition cannot be changed after publishing.
      • Customers are more likely to skim past long titles (over 60 characters).

      Source: KDP Help: Metadata Guidelines for Books
      Help with this: Book title generator

    • Optional

      Counts toward the 200 character total

      0 characters. Title and subtitle: 0 of 200

        KDP's rules for this field
        • The metadata guidelines say title and subtitle together must be fewer than 200 characters; the Titles and Editions page says 200 or less. We warn at 200 to satisfy both.
        • The subtitle follows the same rules as the title.

        Source: KDP Help: Metadata Guidelines for Books

      • Optional

          KDP's rules for this field
          • The series title must follow the book title guidelines. On kdp.amazon.co.jp, enter the series number as digits only.
          • Public domain and low-content books, such as notebooks and journals, are not eligible for a series.

          Source: KDP Help: Metadata Guidelines for Books

        • Optional

            KDP's rules for this field
            • Enter 1 for a first edition you expect to update, 2 and up for a version with significant changes (including a page count change of more than 10%). Typos and capitalization fixes do not need a new edition.

            Source: KDP Help: Books Titles & Editions

          • Required

            Cannot be changed after publishing

              KDP's rules for this field
              • Anything that is not part of the author name may be rejected, including extra punctuation, HTML tags and special characters. The primary author cannot be changed after publishing. Pen names are allowed.

              Source: KDP Help: Authors & Contributors
              Help with this: Pen name generator

            • Optional

              Up to 10 when you set up the book

              0 of 10 contributors

                KDP's rules for this field
                • Up to 10 contributors when you set up an ebook (contact KDP for more) or a paperback (no more than 10). Mobile shows 5 for ebooks and 3 for paperbacks.
                • Translations must credit the translator and the original author. Do not put keywords, HTML or anything but contributors in these fields.

                Source: KDP Help: Authors & Contributors

              • Required

                Up to 4,000 characters, HTML tags included

                0 of 4,000 characters

                  KDP's rules for this field
                  • HTML tags count toward the limit: the editor counts all characters, including any HTML tags.
                  • Not allowed: Pornographic, obscene or offensive content.
                  • Not allowed: Phone numbers, mail addresses, email addresses or website URLs.
                  • Not allowed: Reviews, quotes or testimonials.
                  • Not allowed: Requests for customer reviews.
                  • Not allowed: Advertisements, watermarks or promotional material.
                  • Not allowed: Time-sensitive information, such as tour dates, seminars or lectures.
                  • Not allowed: Availability, price or alternative ordering information.
                  • Not allowed: Spoilers.
                  • Not allowed: Unicode emojis.
                  • Not allowed: Keywords or book tag phrases.

                  Source: KDP Help: Write a Book Description
                  Help with this: KDP description formatter

                • Optional

                  Up to 7 boxes, 50 characters each (reported)

                  0 of 7 boxes

                    KDP's rules for this field
                    • Use up to seven keywords or short phrases. Keep an eye on the character limit in the text field.
                    • Keywords can be a word or a phrase. For best results, KDP recommends phrases that are 2 to 3 words long.
                    • Not allowed: References to other authors.
                    • Not allowed: References to books by other authors.
                    • Not allowed: Sales rank, such as "bestselling".
                    • Not allowed: Advertisements or promotions, such as "free".
                    • Not allowed: Anything unrelated to your book's content.
                    • Not allowed: HTML tags.

                    Source: KDP Help: Make Your Book More Discoverable with Keywords
                    Help with this: KDP keyword planner

                  • Required
                    KDP's rules for this field
                    • You must answer Yes or No to "Sexually explicit images or title" to continue and choose categories. Yes makes the book ineligible for children's categories.

                    Source: KDP Help: Primary Audience and Reading Age

                  • Optional

                    Children's bands: 0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13-17 years

                    KDP's rules for this field
                    • Reading age is optional, but children's and teen books without one may not be eligible for those categories or age-specific search. 0 to 12 for children's categories, 13 to 17 for teen and young adult.

                    Source: KDP Help: Primary Audience and Reading Age

                  • Required
                    KDP's rules for this field
                    • You must select a primary marketplace to select categories. It also sets your list price.

                    Source: KDP Help: Metadata Guidelines for Books

                  • Required

                    3 categories

                    0 of 3 categories

                      KDP's rules for this field
                      • Choose 3 categories. Pick primary audience and primary marketplace first. New categories can take up to 72 hours to show.

                      Source: KDP Help: KDP Categories

                    • Required

                      Required for print, optional for ebooks

                        KDP's rules for this field
                        • Ebooks need no ISBN; paperbacks and hardcovers do, except low-content books. An ISBN printed in your manuscript must match the one you enter.
                        • Each format needs its own ISBN, and a new edition with significant changes needs a new one.

                        Source: KDP Help: Metadata Guidelines for Books
                        Help with this: ISBN converter

                      • Required
                        KDP's rules for this field
                        • Title, subtitle, author name and series information on the cover should match the metadata fields.

                        Source: KDP Help: Metadata Guidelines for Books

                      • Required
                        KDP's rules for this field
                        • Ebook pre-orders only. Up to 18 months ahead for pre-orders created on or after September 2, 2026 (12 months before that).
                        • Print books (no print pre-orders): a release date can be set up to 90 days ahead. The detail page stays hidden until 12:00 AM GMT on release day. New print books only; low-content and public domain books are not eligible.

                        Source: KDP Help: Kindle eBook Pre-Order
                        Help with this: Book launch timeline

                      Rather have a pro handle this? Our studio can: publishing setup.

                      Short answer

                      KDP asks for the language, title, optional subtitle and series, edition, author, contributors, description, keywords, primary audience, reading age, marketplace, three categories and, for print, an ISBN. Key limits: title and subtitle under 200 characters, a 4,000 character description, 7 keyword boxes and 3 categories.

                      How to use it

                      1. Pick the format you are setting up: ebook, paperback or hardcover. Fields that do not apply disappear.
                      2. Type or paste each value, such as your title or description, to see its length and any rule it breaks.
                      3. Open KDP's rules under a field when you are unsure, with a link to the help page.
                      4. Tick each field once it is ready, and watch the count reach the total.
                      5. Copy or download the text summary to keep with your book files.

                      How it works

                      The 17 fields follow the order of KDP's book details page. Each one carries the limits and rules from KDP's help pages, stored with their sources. As you type, the checklist counts characters, lines and entries, and tests the value against those rules: HTML tags, sales words such as "bestselling" or "free", web addresses in a description, a series name with a book number, an edition that is not a numeral, and an ISBN check digit.

                      Title length = title characters + subtitle characters, compared with 200
                      Description length = every character, HTML tags included
                      Keywords, contributors and categories = one per line, counted against KDP's maximum

                      Worked example: the title "The Keeper of Gull Rock" with the subtitle "A Lighthouse Mystery of Secrets, Storms and the Bestselling Logbook That Changed Everything" gives: 23 characters. Title and subtitle: 114 of 200. The checklist then flags:Sales rank or promotion words such as "bestselling" or "free" are not allowed.

                      Questions authors ask

                      How long can a KDP title and subtitle be?

                      Together, under 200 characters. KDP's metadata guidelines say "fewer than 200" and its Titles and Editions page says "200 characters or less", so this checklist warns at 200 to satisfy both. KDP also notes shoppers skim past titles over 60 characters.

                      Which KDP book details can I not change after publishing?

                      The title, the edition and the primary author name cannot be changed once the book is published; you would publish a new edition instead. Description, keywords, categories and price can be updated any time.

                      How many contributors can I add on KDP?

                      Up to 10 when you set up an ebook, and you can contact KDP to add more. Paperbacks allow 10 and no more. Translations must credit both the translator and the original author.

                      What reading age should I choose?

                      Reading age is optional, but children's and teen books need one to qualify for those categories and age-specific search. KDP's bands are 0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13-17 years: 0 to 12 for children's categories and 13 to 17 for teen and young adult.

                      Does KDP ask for a grade range?

                      The KDP help pages we checked describe reading age only and give no rules for a grade range, so this checklist leaves grade out rather than guess. If your KDP setup page shows a grade field, fill it to match your reading age.

                      Do I need an ISBN?

                      Not for a Kindle ebook. Paperbacks and hardcovers need one, except low-content books such as journals, and KDP can assign a free one. Each format needs its own ISBN.

                      How many categories can I choose?

                      3. KDP says: Choose 3 categories. Pick primary audience and primary marketplace first. New categories can take up to 72 hours to show.

                      Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?

                      No. The checklist runs in your browser and forgets everything when you close the tab. Copy or download the summary to keep it. The share link holds only the format.

                      Before and after this step

                      Related tools

                      Sources

                      Last verified against KDP's help pages. Help pages change, so check the source before you publish.

                      KDP