Imagine you’re sitting at your kitchen table with a story sizzling in your core and wondering, would anyone ever read what I have written? Ten years ago, you would have had to persuade a traditional publisher to take a chance on you — slush-pile rejection letters stacking up, months of anxious waiting, enormous hoops through which one might or might not jump. Today? You can upload your book to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and make it available in under 24 hours to all of Amazon’s international readers.
That’s the revolution that Amazon’s KDP platform lit the fuse for, and by 2025, it has turned into something even more potent and intricate. Self-publishing is no longer just the choice for writers rejected by the New York houses, but instead it’s now the first choice option among thousands of authors who want more control of their creative property and a larger piece of the profits. But there’s a catch: with more than 1.5 million new books inundating the platform every year, just tapping “publish” is no longer sufficient.
This ultimate guide covers every detail for KDP in 2025. Whether you are writing your first book, or your fiftieth, you’ll learn what’s changed, what’s working right now (and how to make money), below. No fluff, no outdated information—just tested strategies from the current reality of the self-publishing landscape.
What’s Really Different on KDP This Year
Amazon may be moving but KDP doesn’t stand still. The platform has introduced substantial changes that change how writers publish, market and make money from their books. If you had the last time looked at the platform six months ago, you’d be missing world-changing information.
The AI Content Disclosure Requirement
This is likely the largest policy change in KDP’s history. As of late 2024, Amazon mandates all publishers to attest whether their content is AI-created or AI-assisted. There’s now one of three boxes you tick during upload:
Not AI: You wrote all the things yourself
AI-aided writing: You used tools to draft, write or plan out content, but you did the text yourself
AI-generated content: The text was created using AI tools, even if you made changes to it afterwards
Why does this matter? Readers can now exclude AI-generated books from their reading lists, if they want human-written content. Early data indicates that books labeled as AI-generated receive 40 to 60 percent fewer clicks than comparable books labeled “human-written.” This is good for the industry, but it also means that using AI as a shortcut to crank out books is no longer a winning strategy.
Smart writers utilize AI as a tool, not a crutch. They might use ChatGPT to help brainstorm plot ideas or Grammarly to catch typos, but the writing itself — the voice, the heart, the unique point of view — is still irrefutably human. That’s what readers pay for.
Virtual Voice for Audiobooks Forever Changes What it Means to Read
KDP introduced a beta offering, Virtual Voice that provides audiobook narration by synthesizing an AI-generated voice. This may be alarming if you’re at the professional-narration end of things, but for authors, it’s revolutionary. Now you can easily produce audiobook versions of your books without any upfront investment and turn this into a completely new revenue-generating income line.
The AI narration isn’t flawless — it sometimes trips up on character voices or unusual pronunciations — but is shockingly good for non-fiction and straightforward fiction. Some authors rely on Virtual Voice for their backlist (older books), even as they hire a professional voice actor for the newer titles.
Here’s the money quote: on average audiobooks increase sales income by 25-35%. Some readers will never pick your book up if there isn’t an audiobook version. So now that Virtual Voice has helped to remove the severe financial barrier (professional narration costs $1,500-$3,000 per title before adding approximately 2 hours of your time) there are simply no reasons not to create audio versions of everything in your catalog.
Enhanced Advertising Dashboard and Tools
KDP’s Ads platform got a big old upgrade. It offers, it says, clearer data on which ads actually convert into sales — not just impressions or clicks. You can now see:
- What keywords lead to purchases vs just clicks
- Time-of-day performance for your ads
- Demographic breakdowns of people buying your books
- Competitor analysis of other books readers have bought that are like this one
- Auto Bids and Auto Bid Suggestions based on your profits margins
The platform also added “Sponsored Display” ads which show up on other author’s book pages (not just in search results). These ads are often controversial—no one likes looking at competitor’s ads on their own book pages!—but they’re hugely effective for authors who use them wisely.
Expanded International Marketplaces
KDP is now in 15 countries that didn’t have full marketplace access two years ago. Authors instantly connect to readers in India, Brazil, Mexico, Poland and dozens of other English-language markets.
The earnings potential is significant. A thriller writer I know makes 20 percent of her income from Indian readers — she’s never targeted India, mind you. The algorithm at Amazon was newly recommending her books there and they went crazy. The global footprint of KDP now counts more than ever.
How to Make Money on KDP
Now, let’s get the elephant out of the room: most authors won’t earn a lot writing KDP books in the beginning. The success stories you read about—authors pulling in more than $10,000 per month—are legit, but they’re not the norm. Keeping the real economics in mind can help you to set realistic goals and avoid disappointment.
The Income Reality Check
| Publishing Timeline | Typical Monthly Profit | Book Catalog Size | What’s Happening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Months 1-6 | $0-$50 | 1-2 books | Building foundation, figuring platform out |
| Months 7-12 | $50-$300 | 2-4 books | First traction, audience starting to form |
| Year 2 | $300-$1,500 | 5-8 books | Momentum building and marketing getting better |
| Year 3 | $1,500-$5,000 | 10-15 books | Established catalog and loyal fans by now |
| Year 4+ | $5,000+ | 15+ books | Growing exponentially from your backlist & word-of-mouth referrals |
This is assuming that you are publishing regularly, publishing good stuff, and that you’re actively marketing. Some writers speed up more quickly by finding their niche position or going viral on social media. Others release 50 books and still don’t make $500/month because they’ve overlooked critical steps like professional editing or growing their audience.
The theme that runs through successful indie authors is they approach self-publishing as a business, not a lottery ticket. They’re investing in quality, being consistent with their publishing schedule, learning from data and playing a long game.
Where Your Money Really Comes From
Knowing KDP income streams helps you maximize profit:
Ebook Sales: For most genres, this will be your bread and butter. You will get a 35% or 70% royalty, depending on the list price:
- Books with a price of $2.99 – $9.99: 70% royalty
- Books priced below $2.99 or over $9.99: 35% royalty
- Delivery charges (subtracted from 70% royalty, usually around $0.10-$0.30 per book)
Kindle Unlimited page reads: Readers who are KU subscribers can read your book for free. This gives you about $0.004-$0.005 per page read out of Amazon’s global KU fund. A 300-page novel that is read all the way through nets you about $1.20-$1.50.
Paperback and Hardcover Sales: Physical books cost more to make, but they also command higher prices. A typical paperback will cost you $3.50 to print and sell for $12.99, that’s about a $3-$4 profit to you after Amazon takes its cut. At $19.99-$29.99 prices and profit margins, hardcovers rule the day!
Audiobook: If you use ACX for the feature, you get $3-6 per sale. Which is money you didn’t spend to make and so, outside of marketing expenses, pure profit when all is said and done with a cost-free product such as Virtual Voice.
For a lot of authors, KU fills 60-70% (or more) of their total revenue, especially for fiction genres where readers go through many books a month. One romance writer described to me what she makes on KU page reads: $8,000 a month, the income from her actual book sales trailing in the distance.
The Upfront Payment No One Else Will Disclose
Good books cost money to make. Writers who skimp on these investments usually have trouble gaining momentum since readers will home in fast on amateur work.
Editing costs: Estimate $500 to $2,000 depending on the length of your book and level of editing required. Developmental editing (structure and story) is more expensive than copyediting (grammar and typos). Most books need both.
Cover design: Doing covers professionally will cost $100-$500. Technically, you can design your own on Canva for about $15 — but reader psychology is cruel, based on bruising firsthand experience: ugly covers = no sale. The cover is like a billboard for your book. If you were driving on the highway would you notice a flimsy billboard?
Formatting: Good ebook and print formatting can cost $50-$200. Bad formatting equals unhappy readers and more returns. Amazon’s previewer tool will catch any glaring errors but subtle formatting problems often slip through and irritate the reader.
Marketing: Budget $300-$1,000 for your launch campaign. This includes Amazon ads, newsletter swaps, and maybe even paid services such as BookFunnel or Written Word Media.
Here’s the mindset shift: these are not expenses — they’re investments that pay you back over years. A professionally edited and designed book is on sale always, for all times. Take the cheap route on production value, and you are undermining your own success.
The Genres and Niches That Are Selling
Not all genres are created equally on KDP. Some are overcrowded goldmines, some are underserved wilderness, and there are ones that just plain don’t sell well as ebooks.
Top-Performing Fiction Categories
Romance: The undoubted king of self-publishing. Romance readers read very swiftly (typically 10-20 books a month), subscribe to Kindle Unlimited in droves, and are hungry for new authors. The competition is fierce, but the audience appetite is ravenous.
Successful romance authors turn out books quickly — at least 3-4 a year, sometimes 6-8. They write in series to pull readers into multiple books at a time. Most romance series don’t make much on book 1 ($0.99 – $2.99), and make a good amount of money on books 2-5 when the readers get invested in the characters!
Mystery and Thriller fare well, with cozy mysteries and psychological thrillers doing particularly well. Readers like intricate storylines and series with repeated detectives or investigators. KDP is built to service the airport thriller market—those fast, easy reads.
Fantasy and Science Fiction have a captive audience of readers over long books. Epic fantasy can run to 8-12 books which could have huge earning potential once you get readers hooked. It’s an incredibly difficult and rewarding genre to write, as you need deep worldbuilding complexity for it.
Non-Fiction Goldmines
How-To and Self-Help books sell well when they solve particular problems. Generic advice books tank, but a book called “How to Start a Profitable Dog-Walking Business in Suburban Neighborhoods” reaches people who are, at that moment, seeking precisely that information.
Business and Finance literature does best when it has to do with actionable tactics. Side hustles, passive income, real estate investing and entrepreneurship books have ready audiences of those who are willing to pay top dollar for valuable information.
Health and Fitness books do best when marketed to niche markets. Instead of “How to Lose Weight,” consider “Weight Loss for Women Over 50 with Thyroid Issues” or “Strength Training for Busy Dads With Only 30 Minutes a Day.”
Categories to Steer Clear Of (Or Treat With Caution)
Poetry sells for very little on KDP, with few exceptions. The market is fussy and squirrelly, readers won’t pay much, and discovery is almost impossible. Publish poetry for the sake of art, not the money.
Short Story Collections struggle unless you’re already famous (or you write romance/erotica). Readers overwhelmingly want full novels or comprehensive non-fiction, not collections of shorter pieces.
Literary Fiction: KDP is an uphill battle. There’s an audience, but they buy from traditional publishers or from independent bookstores — not by browsing Amazon. That also means that literary fiction spreads more slowly through reviews and word-of-mouth than genre fiction.
Cracking Amazon’s Algorithm in 2025
Amazon recommendation algorithms are responsible for 60-70% of the transactions on Amazon. By knowing how this platform works, you gain a massive edge over the authors who simply put their content online and hope for the best.
The 30-Day Launch Window That Dictates Everything
For around 30 days it’s very special how Amazon handles new releases. While all this is happening, the algorithm observes how readers are responding to your book:
- Sales velocity: Are you having consistent sales or is it few and far between?
- Conversion rate: When people click onto your book page, do they buy?
- Review accumulation: Are people finishing and reviewing your book at a high rate?
- Also-bought patterns: Who buys your book and what else do they buy?
High performing books at the outset indicate to the algorithm your book is connecting with readers. Amazon then pushes it wider with “Customers also bought,” “You might like” and “Recommended for you” placements. These algorithmic recommendations are pure gold — free marketing that drives compounding sales.
Poor performance out of the gate basically tells Amazon that your book isn’t connecting with anyone. It backs off recommendations, and you fight to recover.
That’s why successful authors coordinate their launches. They pre-establish email lists to promote day-one sales. They also line up advance reviews from ARC (advance review copy) readers. They do promotions to reach visibility. No, it’s not gaming the system — it’s showing the algorithm what readers think of your book.
Category Selection Strategy
Amazon allows you to select two categories at upload, but you can email KDP support to add up to 8 additional. More categories also mean more chances to rank as a bestseller and get those precious orange “#1 Bestseller” or “#1 New Release” badges.
Research category competition before publishing. 500+ sales per day may be required to rank #1 in some categories, while niche markets could require only 10-15 daily sales. Get a bestseller badge in those niche categories, and the credibility translates into sales in more competitive genres as well.
For example, a time-travel romance works within these categories:
- Romance > Science Fiction
- Science Fiction > Time Travel
- Romance > Contemporary
- Fiction > Alternative History
- Fantasy > Paranormal & Urban
Every category results in more visibility and it opens up paths for readers to find your book.
Keywords That Actually Drive Traffic
There are seven keyword boxes to fill in when uploading but few authors bother to use all of them. These keywords dictate when your book shows up in search results, but too many authors squander them on obvious, cutthroat terms.
Poor keyword strategy: “romance,” “love story,” “fiction”
Smart keyword strategy: “enemies to lovers small town” “billionaire romance forced proximity” “second chance romance reunion”
Notice the difference? The smart keywords are those that cater to reader preferences with a healthy search volume and reasonable competition. You’ll want to use a tool such as Publisher Rocket or simply scour Amazon’s own search suggestions to find these long-tail keywords.
Amazon’s search algorithm accounts for your keywords heavily in the first 60 days, then falls more onto also-bought patterns and reader behavior. Put your best keywords up front during upload to optimize your launch window exposure.
What Marketing Strategies Work Now
The publishing landscape shifts constantly. The marketing moves that crushed it in 2022 might flop in 2025. Here’s what’s working best for authors today.
Short-Form Video Is Now a Must-Have
BookTok (TikTok’s book community) and Instagram Reels have emerged as the dominant platforms for discovering books, especially among readers under 40. Videos recommending books, describing reading experiences or highlighting authors often go viral and lead to huge sales bumps.
Professional equipment and editing skills aren’t required. The most successful BookTok creators film on their smartphones, shoot in natural lighting and prioritize authenticity over production value. A video of you crying while writing an emotional scene, or breaking down why you made a controversial character choice, is more compelling than slick marketing copy.
The algorithm likes to see that you’re posting on a regular basis — every day is ideal, but at least 3-4 times a week. Consistency matters more than perfection. You could post dozens of videos that get 100 views, then one randomly lands 50,000 views and sells 200 books in a single weekend. It’s unpredictable but powerful.
Email Lists Still Reign Supreme
A social media platform can ban your account or adjust an algorithm overnight. Your email list is yours for life. Successful authors will tell you that building your list should be at the top of your to-do list from day one.
Give visitors a reason to sign up: free novella, exclusive short story, worldbuilding guide or the first chapter of an upcoming release. Make signing up a clear win for the reader.
And now actually talk to your list. Of course, send updates when you release new books, but also share your writing journey, behind the scenes content, character artwork or just interesting thoughts that are relevant to your genre. Think of subscribers as friends who care about your work, not ATMs to withdraw money from.
List members of 5,000+ can cause new books to launch with hundreds of sales (200-500) without any help from an Amazon algorithm. That instant sales velocity then, in turn, causes the Amazon algorithm to recommend it — a potent combo.
Amazon Ads Demand Testing and Patience
Amazon’s ad platform is very easy to understand, but the results are generally terrible for most newbies because they give up too soon. Good ads need to be tested, the data analyzed and optimization be done over weeks or months.
Begin with Sponsored Product ads for keywords relevant to your book. Set a low daily budget ($10-$20) and run for at least 2 weeks, then look at only the keywords which have converted into sales. Kill the underperformers, raise bids on what’s profitable and keep testing.
The highest performing advertising strategy many authors find: targeting other books in your genre, not keywords! For anyone watching a bestselling thriller, your ad pops up with another thriller likewise. These readers are currently in shopping mode and more likely to make a purchase.
Don’t expect profitability immediately. Early ads often lose money, as you gather information on what resonates with readers. Once you know some winning combinations, you can start to spend with confidence.
The Quality Standards You Must Adhere To In Your Content
Reader expectations have skyrocketed. A book that could easily have been four-star quality five years ago may not clear three stars today. Quality is no longer a choice — it’s now the minimum requirement to compete.
Professional Editing Is Non-Negotiable
The Number One Reason Books Fail on KDP: They’re Not Edited! Typos, grammar mistakes, plot holes, pacing problems, bad dialogue—those issues scream “amateur” and destroy reader trust.
You cannot objectively edit your own book. You are too close to the material. Your brain autocorrects your mistakes without you ever realizing it. You need outside eyes — ideally, professional editors who are well-versed in your genre conventions and reader expectations.
Even if you’re short on cash, budget for at least copyediting (grammar, typos and consistency). Preferably also invest in developmental editing (story structure, character and plot development, pacing) before copyediting. Both levels make your book better, and significantly so.
Many authors run their work through critique groups or exchange manuscripts with other writers to get free feedback before hiring a professional editor for the final polish. This cuts costs whilst maintaining quality.
Cover Design Psychology
Your cover does two things: It has to get their attention in the first place as a thumbnail, and it has to communicate your genre right away. Readers judge books by their covers in a fraction of a second, so this is your most critical marketing decision.
All genres come with visual cues that alert readers what kind of story they can expect:
- Romance: lovers embracing, flowers and roses, bold fonts
- Thriller: brooding colors, chunky typography, dark and mysterious imagery
- Fantasy: illustrated people, medieval flair, magical details
- Business: sans-serif, professional photos, clean lines
Study bestsellers in your category. Observe similarities in color palettes, typography, image types, and layout. Your cover should look familiar enough to fit in, yet stand out enough to get noticed.
Employ professional designers of your genre. Give them similar titles and tell them why your story is different. A great designer transforms your vision into images that sell.
Description Copy That Sells Browsers to Buyers
Your book blurb isn’t a summary, it’s promotional copy. All it’s intended to do is get browsers to click “Buy Now” or “Read for Free” (if you offer in Kindle Unlimited).
Follow this proven structure:
Hook (1-2 sentences): Draw the reader in with your strongest selling point—conflict, mystery, intriguing premise, transformative promise.
Expand (3-4 sentences): Give context and stakes. What’s the main character’s problem? What happens if they fail? Why should readers care?
Social Proof (1 sentence): If you have awesome testimonials, awards, or qualifications put a short statement to that effect.
Call to Action (1 sentence): “Scroll up and click the buy button to read now” or other direct call to action.
Write in short paragraphs, use bold sparingly for key terms and don’t spoil anything. A description should tantalize enough to excite, not too much to spoil.
Building a Sustainable Author Career
One-hit wonders do happen — but only strategy and work over years allow for a writing career.
The Power of Series Publishing
A single standalone book can stand on its own, but series take your earning potential to the next level (literally an exponential increase). Readers who reach the end of book one, and enjoy it, almost always purchase books 2, 3, 4 — typically in one fell swoop. This results in a sales funnel where each and every book sells your whole backlist.
Outline the series before book one is published. Outline a minimum of three books to make sure you have enough story to sustain several volumes. End with the right hooks between books—wrap up immediate plot while leaving big questions dangling.
Most successful authors will price cheaply ($0.99-$2.99) or even free, the opener of a series. They make their money at the back end. This kind of loss leader model maximizes reader acquisition and gets profit from later books (which are sold at full price).
Publishing Velocity Matters
Amazon’s algorithm favors active authors. When you publish every 3-6 months your name stays in front of people and the algorithm gets new signals that you’re still actively using the platform.
This does not mean getting stuff out the door haphazardly. It means figuring out how to write faster or publish shorter if that’s what it takes (novellas sell well in some genres). It means treating writing like a job rather than something you wait for inspiration to happen in.
Indie authors writing full-time typically release a book every 4-8 months. A part-time writer might handle one to three books per year. Identify a steady-state pace for you that combines quality & quantity.
Diversification Beyond Amazon
KDP often covers most of the sales initially but successful authors spread out and diversify their revenue over time:
Direct sales: When you sell ebooks directly from your website, 100% of everything you earn stays with you (minus any payment processing fees).
Patreon/Subscriptions: Superfans pay for exclusive content, early access, and to be part of the community.
Translation rights: Selling the right to republish your books with foreign publishers as translations.
Audio rights: Sell audio book rights to established audio publishers.
Merchandise: You might want to get some themed merchandise for your most devoted followers!
None of these are substitutes for KDP as your primary platform, but collectively they do create financial independence that doesn’t rely solely on Amazon’s whims.
Mistakes That Kill Book Sales
You save yourself time, money and heartache by learning from the failures of others. Here are the errors I see frequently.
Publishing Too Soon
The opportunity to see your book live is more compelling than common sense. You’re too eager to upload before you get feedback from beta readers, pass on getting professional editing done and scrimp and save, or rush through cover design. The result: a book that makes you cringe and receives one-star reviews.
Take time. Get objective feedback. Invest in quality. You get a single chance to launch, and it is exponentially more difficult to recover from a bad launch than it is to simply get an on-target launch right the first time.
Ignoring Data and Analytics
Amazon gives you some amazing detail about your sales, ads and readers’ behavior, but nearly all authors ignore this information. They have no clue what keywords actually sell books, or when readers are purchasing their novels — and which marketing efforts are leading to actual sales.
Spend 30 minutes a week with your reports. Notice patterns. Test hypotheses. For example, if sales spike on Wednesdays, run a promotion on Wednesdays. Use more keywords like the ones converting well. If ad campaigns are losing money, tweak or kill them.
As a self-published author, you must look at your writing career from the perspective of running a business… and that means getting to know your numbers.
Giving Up Too Early
The most common mistake: giving up when one or two books fail to become automatic bestsellers. Self-publishing is a compounding game, where each book increases the value of your backlist.
Book one teaches you the platform. Book two refines your process. Book three starts building audience. By book five or six, you should have some idea of what works for your niche and audience. That’s when substantial income comes into play.
Few authors hit it big with a first book. The winners remain in the game long enough to allow their efforts to benefit from compounded effort.
Future Trends Shaping KDP
The self-publishing landscape continues evolving. Keeping up with trends allows you to position yourself for success as opposed to trying to play catch up.
AI as Creative Assistant, Not the Enemy
The technology surrounding artificial intelligence will continue to evolve, leading to new tools that help writers write faster, edit better, and market smarter. The authors that win will leverage AI as a creative assistant, helping to deal with the heavy lifting, leaving creators to do the things machines can never replace humans for: emotional depth, identity of voice, individual thought processes and connection with reader.
AI can’t write a book that makes someone cry because it was so true to their life. It can’t pick up the cultural specificity of what it’s like to grow up in your hometown. It can’t tap into your own experiences of pain and learning to create characters who feel achingly real.
Brainstorm with AI, edit more efficiently or produce ad copy variants with AI. But write your real books yourself if you want readers who care very, very much about them.
Subscription Models Changing Reader Behavior
Kindle Unlimited taught millions of readers to think of books as something more akin to a service rather than a product. This will only grow as an increasing number of subscription options are available across platforms.
For writers, this has the implication that building a loyal readership is more important than selling copies of any given book. It’s not enough for a reader to buy a book from you — they should subscribe to your entire catalog or Patreon. Focus on turning customers into fans.
Audio-First Reading Growing Rapidly
Audio consumption keeps exploding as people multitask while “reading” on commutes, workouts or household chores. Books that do not have audiobook versions get overlooked by large swaths of potential readers more and more.
Since Virtual Voice takes care of production costs, there is no excuse not to make audio versions of everything. And the incremental revenue from audiobook sales often constitutes 25-35% of all book-generated earnings.
Your KDP Success Formula
Theory is beautiful, only when you put it into practice. This is your pragmatic guide to building a successful KDP publishing business.
Month 1-2: Foundation
- Write or finish your manuscript
- Participate in your genre communities of authors
- Study bestsellers in your category
- Start growing your email list with a basic website
Month 3-4: Production
- Hire professional editors
- Commission cover design
- Format your book properly
- Write your book’s description, and fill in keywords
Month 5: Pre-Launch
- Set up Amazon Author Central account
- Set up social media accounts in your genre
- Establish an advance reader team for reviews
- Plan your launch week promotions
Month 6: Launch and Beyond
- Release it for sale at the right price
- Run ads on Amazon with a small budget
- Connect with those readers who review or message you
- Immediately begin to write your next book
Months 7-12: Growth
- Publish your second book
- Interpret the performance data of your first book
- Change your tactics based around what did the trick
- Scale up the marketing that was returning investment
The key: consistency over perfection. You can never beat imperfect action with perfect planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money can I make on KDP?
The reality is, most authors make less than $500 a month in their first year. Authors who continue to publish and promote consistently will hit $1,000-$3,000 per month by year two or three. Top earners bring in $10k+ per month, but generally with 15+ books and by treating publishing as a serious business. Your mileage varies according to genre, quality, marketing muscle and stick-to-itiveness.
Do I have to write in a popular genre if I want to succeed?
Mainstream genres attract larger crowds but also more competition. Niche genres may have smaller followings but they also have less competition and more devoted fans. Write the genre that you can write the most honestly and in volume. Readers notice when writers chase trends rather than writing from the heart, and your attitude leaks through in the quality of your work.
How long should my book be?
Ebook length varies by genre. Romances typically run 50,000-90,000 words. Thrillers hit 70,000-100,000 words. Fantasy epics tend to be over 120k words. Non-fiction business books do well between 30,000-50,000 words. Look at what is normal in your category and give readers what they have come to expect.
Should I enroll in KDP Select or go wide?
KDP Select (which comes with Kindle Unlimited integration) means you’re giving Amazon exclusivity but in return can tap into a massive readership. For fiction authors—particularly in romance, mystery and fantasy—KU often amounts to 60-80% of their income. For non-fiction authors who are trying to build a platform outside of Amazon, going wide to all platforms could be more advantageous for you. Test both systems with various books and see which one is best for you.
Can I update the price of my book once published?
Yes, you can adjust prices whenever. A lot of writers play around with pricing in an effort to discover their optimal price point, or to mount short-term sales. Don’t forget that books priced over or under $2.99-$9.99 make 35% royalties, not 70%.
How important is book formatting?
Very important. Bad formatting annoys readers and generates books being returned. Get professional formatting or use tools like Vellum or Atticus if you won’t do it yourself. The experience of reading your story is as important as the story itself.
What if I get bad reviews?
Every book gets some negative reviews — even bestsellers with an average of 4.5 stars have one-star reviews. Concentrate on gaining more total reviews than being troubled by the odd negative review. If several reviewers have a problem with something (poor editing, muddy plot, etc.) take that as critique and work to improve.
Do I have to have a large social media presence in order to be successful?
No. There are hordes of successful authors who have very little social media presence but either huge email lists or active Amazon ads. Social media is helpful, but not required. Concentrate on building your platform in places where you are comfortable and your ideal readers actually congregate.
Making Your Publishing Dreams Real
Self-publishing through KDP is an honest way to make money in 2025 if you know how to leverage the system and you are willing to work hard at it. Yes, the competition is intense. Yes, it takes money to invest in quality and advertising. Yes, overnight success is rare. But the prospect of touching thousands of readers around the world with your stories or expertise is real — and it can be done.
The authors in the current boom aren’t necessarily the most gifted writers; they’re the hardest-working students. They experiment with strategies, evaluate outcomes and adjust course, keep publishing in the face of defeats. They treat their author career like a business that adds up over time (rather than a lottery ticket that hits or not).
Your first book isn’t likely to make you rich. Your second book will do better, because you’ll have learned from mistakes. Your fifth book gains from bringing your entire backlist into play. By your 10th book, you know your audience really well and can reliably produce content they adore.
Start where you are. Write the best book you can. Invest in professional quality. Market consistently. Publish regularly. Learn from data. Stay patient. Adapt as the platform evolves. Connect authentically with readers.
The democratization of publishing that KDP has brought on is revolutionary. In other words, anyone with a compelling story to tell and the discipline to tell it well can build an audience and even earn enough from their work that would have been virtually impossible until this technology existed. That opportunity is worth pursuing.
Your stories matter. Readers are waiting for them. The platform, the tools and the audience all exist already. The only question is whether you’re going to do the work necessary to put your words in front of the people who need to read them. Let 2025 be the year you finally quit talking about publishing and actually become an author.
