Uploading your first book to Amazon KDP feels like a major step. After weeks or months of writing, editing and designing, the temptation to press Publish straight away is strong.
Before you do, take a little time to check your files carefully. This simple beginner’s list written in plain English will help you spot common problems before your book goes live.
1. Check the Size of Your Book
Your trim size is the finished size of the printed book. For example, many novels and general non-fiction books use a 6 × 9 inch size. Children’s books, workbooks and cookbooks often use larger sizes. The size of your interior file must match the size you choose in your KDP settings. If your book pages measure 6 × 9 inches, select 6 × 9 inches in KDP too.Check the page size in Canva, Word, InDesign or whichever program you used to create your book.
2. Check the Space Around Your Text
Your text needs enough space around the edge of each page. This space is called the margin. The space nearest the spine is sometimes called the gutter. The gutter needs extra room because part of the page disappears slightly into the binding.
Look through your book and check that no words, page numbers or images sit too close to the edges.
Pay special attention to text boxes, captions and page numbers. These small details often move closer to the edge than expected.
3. Check Whether Anything Reaches the Page Edge
Some books have pictures, colours or patterns running all the way to the edge of the page. This is called bleed.
If nothing touches the edge, you do not need bleed. If a photograph or coloured background reaches the edge, your design needs a little extra image area beyond the final page size.
This extra area gets trimmed away during printing. It prevents thin white lines from appearing around the page. When setting up your KDP book, select the bleed option only when your interior design uses edge-to-edge images or colour.
4. Upload Single Pages, Not Double Pages
Your design program might show two facing pages together, like an open book. KDP needs each page as a separate page in the final PDF.
- Open your finished PDF and scroll through it. Each PDF page should contain one book page, not two pages side by side.
- Check the order too. Make sure the title page, copyright page, contents page, chapters and final pages all appear where you expect them.
5. Look Closely at Every Image
Pictures that look fine on a small screen sometimes look blurred when printed. Zoom in and inspect every photograph, illustration, chart and logo. Look for fuzzy edges, blocky pixels or small images stretched into larger spaces.
Avoid using images copied from websites. These are often too small for printing.
Your original artwork and photographs should be saved at a good print quality (usually 300 dpi) before you place them into the book.
6. Check Your Fonts
A font is the style of lettering used in your book.
- Open your final PDF and check every page. Make sure the headings, body text, page numbers and decorative lettering all look correct.
- Look for letters that have changed shape, disappeared or moved into the wrong place.
- Use clear, readable fonts for the main text. Decorative fonts work better for titles and headings than for long paragraphs.
- Try opening the PDF on another computer or device. This helps you spot font problems you missed on your usual screen.
7. Create the Cover After Finishing the Interior
The number of pages inside your book affects the width of the spine. This means you should finish the interior before creating the final cover file. Once you know the exact page count, use the KDP Cover Calculator to download the correct cover template. The template shows the size of the back cover, spine and front cover. If you later add or remove several pages, download a new template and check the cover again. The spine width will have changed.
8. Keep Important Details Away from the Edges
The edges of a printed cover get trimmed.
- Keep the title, author name, logo and back cover text well inside the safe area shown on your KDP cover template.
- Check the spine text too. Make sure it sits in the centre and does not run too close to either edge.
- Leave space on the back cover for the barcode. KDP adds one for you unless you upload your own approved barcode.
9. Search for Forgotten Placeholders
Placeholder text is temporary wording used while designing a page
Common examples include:
- Insert title here
- Add photograph
- Chapter heading
- Lorem ipsum
Check every page for text or empty boxes left behind by mistake. Also look for duplicated pages, missing page numbers, unfinished captions and old versions of headings.
Check that the book title and author name match the details you entered into KDP. Use the Previewer and Order a Proof Copy, KDP includes a preview screen for checking your book before publication.
Do not skip it.
Go through the book page by page. Look for text too close to the edge, unexpected blank pages, missing images and mistakes in the page order.
For a printed book, order a proof copy before publishing. This is a sample copy of your book. Hold it in your hands and read through it. Check the text size, margins, picture quality, cover position and spine. A printed proof often reveals problems that were easy to miss on screen.
10. Take Your Time
You do not need to understand every technical publishing term before uploading your first book, work through one check at a time. Open the final files, compare them with your KDP settings and use the preview tools provided. A careful final check will help you avoid many of the most common publishing mistakes.
Need Help with Your Book Design?
Wilsonian Press creates editable Canva book templates and bespoke interior and cover designs for independent authors.
Our templates include professionally designed pages with placeholder text and images; margins and bleed. You replace these with your own manuscript and content, page by page, with support available when needed.
