How to Publish a Kindle eBook

The ebook is the fastest, lowest-cost way to publish — it works worldwide, including India. Here's the whole process, step by step, with the real numbers.

Publishing in India? One thing to know first

Kindle ebooks work fully on Amazon.in — everything on this page applies to you. The two India-specific catches: the 70% royalty tier requires KDP Select, and KDP does not print paperbacks locally in India (that's a separate route — see publishing in print).

The steps, start to finish

  1. Finish and proofread your manuscript

    Start with a finished, proofread draft in Microsoft Word (.docx) or Google Docs — both work perfectly with KDP. Everything downstream is faster when the writing is genuinely done.

  2. Format it for Kindle

    Clean formatting is what gets a file accepted on the first try.

    Use Word's Heading 1 style for chapter titles so KDP auto-builds a navigable table of contents.

    Start each chapter on a new page with a page break, not rows of blank lines.

    Kindle ebooks are reflowable (EPUB/DOCX). The old MOBI format was retired in 2025 — don't build for it.

  3. Design your ebook cover

    Your cover is the first thing a reader sees in search results — get the dimensions right and keep the title legible at thumbnail size.

    Recommended: 2,560 x 1,600 pixels (1.6:1 ratio), RGB, saved as JPEG.

  4. Create your KDP account

    Register free at kdp.amazon.com and set up how Amazon pays you.

    Complete the tax interview — US authors file a W-9; authors elsewhere (including India) file a W-8BEN to claim the treaty withholding rate.

    India: also enter your PAN. Royalties are paid by direct deposit with no minimum payout threshold.

  5. Set your price and royalty tier

    Your price decides your royalty rate.

    70% royalty: list price in the qualifying band (USD $2.99–$9.99 and local equivalents). A small per-MB delivery fee is deducted from 70% royalties.

    35% royalty: prices outside that band — and no delivery fee is charged.

    India: the 70% tier also requires KDP Select, with an INR band commonly around ₹99–₹999 (verify current rates in KDP).

  6. Choose KDP Select or go wide

    KDP Select is 90-day Amazon exclusivity that unlocks Kindle Unlimited page reads and promotional tools (and the 70% tier in India). Going wide lets you also sell on Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo and others. See more on distribution choices →

  7. Publish and go live

    Submit your title and let Amazon's review run — typically 24–72 hours. Then your ebook is on sale worldwide, including Amazon.in.

Want a physical book too? Print works very differently — and for India it's a separate route entirely. Read: publishing in print →