There is a moment every author imagines while writing: typing their book's title into Amazon and seeing it there, real, buyable, next to the books they grew up reading. This guide is about making that moment happen, without the confusion that usually surrounds it.
Publishing on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), and on Apple Books, is genuinely open to anyone. What trips first time authors is not the door, it is the paperwork around the door: accounts, metadata, formats, pricing, and royalties. Here is the whole journey, step by step, in plain language, including how each step maps onto the Folio Authors dashboard so you know what is handled for you and what still deserves your own decision.
Before You Publish: The Readiness Checklist
Publishing platforms will accept almost any file. That is not the same as your book being ready. Before you upload anything anywhere, confirm these five things, because fixing them after publication is always harder than fixing them before.
Your manuscript is assessed and edited, not just finished. Your book is formatted properly for both print and ebook, with the right trim size and a true EPUB for digital. Your cover is finished and built at the correct dimensions. You have written your book description, the text that will sell your book on its store page. And you know your categories and keywords, the signals that tell each store which readers to show your book to. With those five in place, the publishing steps below become a formality instead of a battle.
Amazon and Apple Books at a Glance
The two stores reward different things, and knowing the differences helps you plan. The terms below reflect what the stores publish at the time of writing, and both can change, so always confirm current terms on the platform itself before you set prices.
| Feature | Amazon KDP | Apple Books |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to publish | Free | Free |
| Formats | Ebook, paperback, and hardcover | Ebook (EPUB) |
| Ebook royalty | 70 percent within the qualifying price band, 35 percent outside it | A flat 70 percent, regardless of price |
| Delivery fees | Charged by file size on the 70 percent option | None |
| Exclusivity | Optional, through KDP Select | None required |
| Readers | Amazon shoppers and Kindle users | Readers inside the Apple ecosystem |
Publishing on Amazon KDP, Step by Step
Step 1: Create your KDP account
Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with an Amazon account. You will add your author information, bank details for royalty payments, and tax information. This is a one time setup, and it is free. Amazon charges nothing to publish; it earns when you sell. Set aside twenty minutes and have your tax details to hand, since an incomplete tax interview is one of the most common reasons first payments are delayed.
Step 2: Create a new title
Choose whether you are publishing a Kindle ebook, a paperback, or both. Most authors do both, since the work overlaps and readers differ. Each format is set up as its own listing, and Amazon links them on one product page automatically.
Step 3: Enter your book details
Title, subtitle, author name, and your book description. Write the description like the back cover of a book in a store, because that is exactly its job: hook in the first two lines, promise the experience honestly, and end with a reason to buy now. Choose up to three categories that match your actual genre, not the biggest ones you can find, because a book ranked well in the right category gets seen more than a book buried in the wrong one.
Step 4: Choose your keywords
KDP gives you seven keyword slots. These are the phrases readers type into Amazon search. Think like your reader: words about your genre, your themes, your comparable authors, and who the book is for. Keywords and categories together decide which readers Amazon shows your book to, so treat this step as marketing, not admin.
Step 5: Upload your manuscript and cover
For ebooks, upload your EPUB. For paperbacks, upload your print ready PDF. Upload the cover file to match. Then use Amazon's previewer and actually look through the book, beginning, middle, and end. Most upload embarrassments are visible in the preview and invisible everywhere else.
Step 6: Set rights, territories, and pricing
Confirm you hold the rights to your book, choose worldwide territories, and set your price. Amazon's ebook royalty rules changed in July 2026: the 70 percent royalty option now applies to Amazon.com list prices from 2.99 to 12.99 dollars, where it previously stopped at 9.99, and prices outside that band earn 35 percent. On the 70 percent option, Amazon also deducts a delivery cost based on your file size before calculating your share, and your ebook generally needs to be priced at least 20 percent below the list price of any print edition of the same book. For paperbacks, the royalty is a percentage of the list price, 60 percent at 9.99 dollars and above and 50 percent below that, minus printing costs. Always check KDP's current pricing page before you commit, because these terms are the part of this guide most likely to change. Price with your genre's shelf in view: readers compare your book to its neighbours before they compare it to your hopes.
Step 7: Publish, and wait for review
When you click publish, your book enters Amazon's review process, which typically completes within 24 to 72 hours. Then it is live: searchable, buyable, and real. KDP also pays royalties on a delay, roughly two months after the end of the month in which the sale happened, so plan your expectations accordingly.
KDP Select or Publishing Wide?
KDP Select is Amazon's optional program that asks you to keep your ebook exclusive to Amazon for 90 day periods. In return, your ebook can be included in Kindle Unlimited and you gain access to promotional tools such as free days and countdown deals. Enrollment renews automatically unless you opt out.
Publishing wide means placing your ebook on Amazon, Apple Books, and other stores at the same time. The trade off is straightforward. Select can concentrate your readership in one place and suits some genres and strategies well. Wide gives you more doors, independence from any single store, and the ability to reach readers who never shop on Amazon.
Folio's approach leans toward reach: your book is sent to major retailers like Amazon and Apple Books in both print and ebook. If you are considering KDP Select, think carefully about the exclusivity before you enroll, because you cannot sell the ebook on other stores during an enrollment period.
ISBNs Explained
An ISBN is a unique identifier for a specific edition of a book. For Kindle ebooks, Amazon does not require one. For paperbacks and hardcovers, Amazon can assign a free ISBN, which lists Amazon as the publisher of record, or you can supply your own if you want your own imprint named. Whichever route you choose, keep a record of the ISBN for each edition, because an ISBN cannot be reused for a different book. Apple Books treats ISBNs differently, and its current guidance should be checked in its publishing portal when you set up your listing.
Publishing on Apple Books
Apple Books reaches readers inside the Apple ecosystem, an audience that buys a lot of ebooks and never shops on Amazon at all. Publishing there follows the same logic: an account, your book's details and description, your properly built EPUB and cover, your price and territories, and a review before the book goes live. The details differ in wording, but the readiness checklist is identical, which is why authors who prepare properly once can publish everywhere without starting over.
Apple Books is also notable for its simple royalty structure: a flat 70 percent on ebook sales regardless of price, with no delivery fees and no exclusivity requirement. That makes pricing decisions simpler, and it means publishing on Apple Books never costs you the right to sell elsewhere.
Publishing wide, on Amazon and Apple Books together, matters more than it used to. No single store owns your career, readers are spread across platforms, and every additional storefront is another door into your book that costs you nothing to open.
Pricing Your Book With the Shelf in View
Price is a message. Too low and readers may assume the book is slight. Too high and they may hesitate to take a chance on an unknown author. The most reliable method is to look at the books your readers already buy.
- Browse your category. Note the price range of the bestselling ebooks and paperbacks in your genre.
- Match your length. A short book priced like a long one invites disappointment.
- Mind the royalty band. On Amazon, staying inside the 70 percent price band protects your earnings per sale.
- Plan your print price. Printing costs come out of your paperback royalty, so a thicker book needs a higher list price to earn the same amount per copy.
- Revisit later. Prices are not permanent. You can adjust after launch once you see how readers respond.
Metadata That Sells: Description, Categories, and Keywords
Metadata is everything about your book that is not the book itself, and on a store page it does most of the selling.
The description. Open with a hook that works even if the reader sees only the first two lines. State what the book offers, who it is for, and why it matters. For fiction, lead with character and conflict. For non fiction, lead with the problem you solve and the outcome the reader can expect. Avoid long blocks of unbroken text.
Categories. Choose the places your book genuinely belongs. A narrow, accurate category often outperforms a crowded general one, because readers browsing there are exactly the people most likely to buy.
Keywords. Use the phrases a reader would actually type. Mix genre terms, themes, and the type of reader. Avoid repeating words that are already in your title or categories, since the stores already read those.
Your author name and bio. A short, human bio builds trust. Say who you are and why you wrote this book.
What Authors Usually Get Wrong
The common mistakes are not technical, they are sequencing mistakes. Publishing before editing, because the upload button was right there. Choosing categories for size instead of fit. Writing the description in thirty seconds, then wondering why a good book does not sell. Setting a price without looking at the shelf the book will sit on. And the most expensive mistake of all: signing with a vanity press to avoid learning these steps, and paying thousands of dollars, plus the rights to the book, for a process that was always within reach.
Vanity Press Versus Publishing With Folio
If the paperwork has ever tempted you toward a package deal, this comparison is worth a minute.
| Feature | Typical vanity press | Folio Authors |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Often thousands of dollars | Free to start, 150 dollars one time for the Standard plan |
| Your rights | May be shared or signed away | You keep 100 percent of your rights and royalties |
| Where your book is sold | Often the same stores you could reach yourself | Major retailers including Amazon and Apple Books, in print and ebook |
| Surprises later | Add on fees can appear later | The price you saw on day one |
How Folio Handles This Step for You
Inside Folio Authors, publishing is step five of one dashboard, after assessment, editing, formatting, and cover design have already prepared everything this guide describes. The publishing tool sends your book straight to major retailers like Amazon and Apple Books, in both print and ebook, with the details handled inside the flow. You keep 100 percent of your rights and your royalties, and the price of the whole pipeline is the price you saw on day one: free to start, 150 dollars one time for the Standard plan, no surprises later.
And publishing is not where Folio stops. Your audiobook and your marketing launch live in the same dashboard, because going live is the beginning of a book's life, not the end of your work.
What stays with you are the decisions only an author can make: your price, your description, and the story you want to tell about your book. Folio carries the technical weight so you can spend your attention there.
After You Click Publish
Going live is the start of the launch, not the end of the work. A few habits help in the first weeks.
- Check every listing. Look at each store page as a reader would: cover, description, price, and the preview of the first pages.
- Order a print proof or read the digital preview. Catch any last formatting issue while changes are still quick.
- Tell your first readers. Friends, family, newsletter subscribers, and social followers are your launch audience.
- Ask for honest reviews. Reviews help new readers decide, and a polite request in your back matter often works.
- Plan your next steps. An audiobook edition and a marketing launch can extend the life of your book well beyond launch week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it cost money to publish on Amazon KDP?
No. Amazon charges nothing to publish through Kindle Direct Publishing; it earns when you sell. Setting up your KDP account, including author, bank and tax information, is a one time and free step.
What royalty does Amazon KDP pay?
For Kindle ebooks, Amazon pays a 70 percent royalty on list prices from 2.99 to 12.99 dollars on Amazon.com, after a delivery cost based on file size, and 35 percent outside that band. Paperback royalties are a percentage of the list price, 60 percent at 9.99 dollars and above and 50 percent below, minus printing costs. These terms change from time to time, so check KDP's pricing page before you set your price.
How long does Amazon take to review a new book?
After you click publish, your book enters Amazon's review process, which typically completes within 24 to 72 hours. Then it is live, searchable and buyable.
What royalty does Apple Books pay?
Apple Books pays a flat 70 percent on ebook sales regardless of price, with no delivery fees and no exclusivity requirement. Confirm current terms in Apple's publishing portal when you set up your account.
Should I enroll in KDP Select or publish wide?
It depends on your strategy. KDP Select requires 90 day exclusivity for your ebook in exchange for Kindle Unlimited and promotional tools. Publishing wide places your book on several stores at once. Folio sends your book to major retailers including Amazon and Apple Books.
Do I keep my rights when publishing with Folio?
Yes. You keep 100 percent of your rights and your royalties. Folio is free to start, with the Standard plan at 150 dollars one time.
Do I need an ISBN?
Not for Kindle ebooks. For print books, Amazon can assign a free ISBN or you can supply your own. Check Apple's current guidance in its publishing portal for Apple Books.
Your Book, on the Shelf, at Last
Every author who has ever searched how to publish a book was really asking one question: can someone like me actually do this? The answer, step by step, is yes. Prepare the book properly, follow the steps, and the biggest bookstores in the world will shelve your work beside anyone's.
Start where every Folio author starts: with a free assessment of your opening pages at folioauthors.com. Then walk the seven steps, and let your book meet its readers.
Folio Authors: Publishing Software to Replace all Vanity Press. Save time. Save money. Keep every right.