Amazon KDP review (2026): is it any good?
Amazon's free self-publishing for ebooks and print-on-demand books
Amazon KDP report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for publishing ebooks and paperbacks on Amazon
Kindle Direct Publishing puts your ebook or paperback on Amazon, and it costs nothing to join. Amazon keeps the printing cost and a share of each sale, and royalties through Expanded Distribution drop to 40%.
Who Amazon KDP is for
- Fits if you want to publish on Amazon with no upfront cost
- Makes sense if you sell mainly ebooks and want a 70% royalty option
Who Amazon KDP is not for
- Watch out: Expanded Distribution pays 40% of list price minus printing cost, and royalties arrive about 30 days after the month ends
- Tight if you price low: a minimum list price applies so the royalty covers printing
- Not for you if you want per-page-read income without KDP Select, as Kindle+ needs ebook enrolment
- Skip it if you also use IngramSpark, as the two should not both distribute the same title
Why Amazon KDP gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyNo fee, but Amazon's cut is the price: up to 70% on ebooks and 60% on print, with the printing cost taken off. Its own example is $5.00 for a 333-page black-and-white paperback.
- BFree plan and trialJoining and publishing are free, with no trial needed, and one author could live on that. The costs come out of each sale.
- BFeaturesEbooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, a royalty calculator, KDP Select and Expanded Distribution. The listing shows no gap in the core job of publishing a book.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You still format the manuscript and cover and set prices that clear the minimum.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with no API or integrations on the listing.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Amazon's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/kdp#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/kdp.svg" alt="Amazon KDP: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Amazon KDP stands among print-on-demand and dropshipping services
Amazon KDP's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 11 of the 30 other print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 20 of 30) and worst on value for money (C, above 0).
Amazon KDP has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 31 print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Amazon KDP’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 0 of 30, level with 18
- BFree plan and trialAbove 10 of 30, level with 9
- BFeaturesAbove 20 of 30, level with 9
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 30, level with 30
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 30, level with 5
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 31 print-on-demand and dropshipping services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Amazon KDP, or make your own?
Keep it
Amazon KDP is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could make
- Digital downloads: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Printers that make and ship each order.
- Data from Amazon's seller tools and years of sales estimates.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Amazon KDP’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Amazon KDP?
Kindle Direct Publishing is Amazon's self-publishing service for ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers. Authors upload a manuscript and cover, set a list price, and Amazon prints paperbacks and hardcovers when a customer orders them. There is no sign-up fee; Amazon takes a share of each sale and deducts the printing cost on print books.
Worth knowing
- Printing cost comes off each print sale: KDP's own example is $5.00 for a 333-page black-ink paperback sold on the US marketplace.
- Sales through Expanded Distribution pay a lower 40% rate, and those royalties appear about 30 days after the month ends.
- A minimum list price applies so that the royalty always covers printing cost.
- Per-page-read royalties through Kindle+ require enrolling the ebook in KDP Select.
Key features
- Ebooks and print books
- One account publishes Kindle ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, and KDP says books appear on Amazon stores in more than 10 countries within 72 hours.
- Printed when ordered
- Paperbacks and hardcovers are printed when a customer orders them and shipped by Amazon, so there is no inventory to hold.
- Royalty options
- Ebooks offer a 70% or 35% royalty depending on content and country. Paperbacks pay 50% or 60% of list price, set by price and marketplace, less printing cost.
- Printing cost and royalty calculator
- KDP provides a calculator for estimating printing cost and royalty. Printing cost depends on the marketplace, page count and ink type, not on trim size or cover finish.
- KDP Select
- Enrolling an ebook in KDP Select makes it eligible for Kindle+ and earns royalties for pages read.
- Expanded Distribution
- Paperbacks can be offered through other channels, with a royalty of 40% of the list price in that channel minus printing cost. Japanese-language paperbacks cannot join.
Amazon KDP pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Amazon KDP is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- Free to join and publish. Amazon pays a royalty on each sale: up to 70% on ebooks and up to 60% on print books, with printing cost deducted on print.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| KDP (royalty-based) | $0 | No fee to publish. Ebooks earn a 70% or 35% royalty; paperbacks earn 50% or 60% of the list price minus printing cost, and 40% minus printing cost through Expanded Distribution. |
Read from kdp.amazon.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Amazon KDP before you buy.
Amazon KDP alternatives
Common questions
Does Amazon KDP have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Amazon KDP is listed for Web.
Does Amazon KDP have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Amazon KDP is listed for Web.
Is Amazon KDP open source?
Amazon KDP is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.