Self-publishing glossary

A

AI disclosure

KDP asks whether text, pictures or translations in your book were generated by AI. AI-generated content has to be declared even if you edited it; content you made yourself with AI only helping does not.

AI disclosure rules

ASIN

Amazon's own product number. Every edition on Amazon gets one, including ebooks, which do not need an ISBN.

B

Bleed

Extra picture area beyond the page edge, 0.125 in on the outside edges, that gets cut off when the book is trimmed. Use it when a picture should run to the edge; without it a thin white line can appear.

C

Categories

The shelves your book appears on in the Amazon store. You choose up to 3.

D

DPI

Dots per inch: how sharp a picture prints. KDP expects 300 DPI; pictures with less look soft or blocky on paper.

E

Expanded Distribution

An option that offers your paperback to bookstores and libraries outside Amazon, at a lower royalty rate. Only some trim sizes and interiors qualify.

F

Fixed-layout ebook

An ebook that keeps every page exactly as designed. Used for picture books and comics, where text and pictures have to stay together.

Front matter

The pages before the story starts: title page, copyright page, dedication and table of contents.

Full cover (wrap)

The single cover file for print books: back cover, spine and front cover side by side, with bleed all around.

G

Gutter

The inner margin next to the binding. It has to grow with the page count, because thicker books curve more toward the spine.

Gutter by page count

I

Interior

Every page inside the book, uploaded as one PDF separate from the cover. Also the name of the ink and paper choice: black on white, black on cream, standard color or premium color.

ISBN

The book's international number. KDP gives one free for paperbacks and hardcovers; you can use your own instead. Each format needs its own ISBN.

K

KDP Select

An optional 90-day enrollment that makes your ebook exclusive to Amazon in exchange for Kindle Unlimited page reads and promotions.

Keywords

Up to 7 words or short phrases you give KDP to help readers find the book in search. Words already in your title add nothing.

L

List price

The price you set for each marketplace. KDP has a minimum based on the printing cost, and a maximum.

Live area

The part of the page that is safe from trimming. Text and important details belong inside it; only background pictures should reach past it.

Low-content book

A book that is mostly empty pages for the reader to fill in, like a notebook, planner or logbook. KDP publishes it without an ISBN. Coloring and puzzle books generally do not count.

Low-content rules

M

Metadata

Everything about the book that is not the book itself: title, subtitle, author, description, keywords, categories and reading age.

P

Premium color

KDP's brighter color printing on heavier paper. It costs more to print than standard color, and is the usual choice for picture books.

Print Previewer

KDP's online check that runs after you upload your files. It shows each page as it will print and lists problems such as text outside the margins.

Printing cost

What KDP charges to print one copy: a fixed amount plus a per-page amount, depending on interior, size and marketplace. It is taken out of your royalty, not paid up front.

Proof copy

A printed copy you order at print cost before publishing, marked as not for resale. The best way to check colors, margins and the spine.

R

Reading age

The age range you give for children's and teen books. It decides which Children's and Teen categories the book can appear in.

Reflowable ebook

An ebook whose text adjusts to the reader's screen and font size. Right for novels and most text books.

Royalty

What you earn per sale. For paperbacks it is 60% of the list price minus the printing cost (50% below a price threshold); for ebooks it is 35% or 70%.

Royalty rules

S

Spine

The edge of the book you see on a shelf. Its width depends on the page count and paper. On KDP, text on the spine is only allowed from 80 pages up.

T

Trim size

The finished width and height of a printed book, after the printer cuts the pages. 6 × 9 in is the most common size for novels; picture books are often square.

All KDP trim sizes