Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is a great platform.

the fact that it gives authors another way to publish their book, instead of having to wait for publishers to accept you, you can do it all on your own and straight away. you don't have to wait for anyone and you can do everything from the comfort of your own home. Amazon has given such a great opportunity for authors to have their work out there, on a store that is popular and successful.

so this book publishing platform helps you to self-publish your book once it has been edited and fitted to your own needs. it helps you through the process of content, cover design and pricing. although, at times it can be overwhelming, that is what comes with publishing a book.

but many prefer Amazon KDP because it has been made easy for authors to publish.

'Amazon KDP is a major player in the publishing industry, currently holding at least 80% of the eBook market.'

there is of course, the choice of whether you want to publish your book as a Kindle, a paperback or both!

it launched in 2007 and has provided authors with another sense of direction and decision when it comes to publishing their work. it can be easily used for those seeking a project and want to kick start their career as an author.

it uses print on demand technology, basically only printing your book when someone decides to purchase it. they print and ship directly to the reader once purchased.

for eBooks, authors can directly upload their book files, and it will appear in the Kindle store as an eBook for readers to purchase and instantly download.

for printed books, authors upload their book files and KDP Publishing uses print-on-demand technology. the printing costs will be subtracted from the royalties you earn from every book sold.

in terms of uploading your book files, they need to be prepared before publishing obviously. you will need a book manuscript (draft of your story and the contents in the book) and a document of the book cover template (i will go into this more in a later chapter).

benefits to using KDP include:

- wide distribution

- high royalties

- option of a proof copy (a draft, physical and paid copy sent to your home in order to check for mistakes)

- author rights

- quick publishing time

- step by step process, no rush

for me, KDP has been great. my book, Letters to Reality (both Kindle and paperback are ready to go and are ready for the release date). everything has been digital and i have been able to save my process along the way. i have also saved money and time. the platform have pointed out mistakes or errors that needed to be fixed in order for me to go ahead with the process too such as the cover not being the right size or text being outside of the margin.

there were times when i did struggle on what to do in terms of the book design because it was not working for me several times. however, due to resources online and other people's sharing experiences, i got through! you may come across obstacles but if you work efficiently, through the steps and give yourself a few months before you actually want to publish then it should be okay.

for more information, check out the website below:

https://selfpublishing.com/kdp/

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my self published book, Letters to Reality is now available on Amazon stores. it would mean a lot if you could check it out ❤️