The 12-Point KDP Pre-Publish Checklist

How to use this list

Run it once the manuscript is final and the cover is approved, in order. Most of the twelve points take a few minutes. The ones that find a problem will save you a reupload, a delayed launch or a listing that quietly underperforms for months.

1. Manuscript formatting

• Consistent styles for body text, chapter headings and subheadings. Use styles, not manual formatting, so the ebook conversion keeps the structure.
• Chapter headings start on a new page via a page break, not a run of empty lines.
• No tabs or multiple spaces for indentation. Use paragraph settings.
• Fonts embedded in the print PDF. KDP’s help pages list the accepted file types per format.
• Images at print resolution for paperback, and compressed sensibly for the ebook to keep delivery cost down.

2. Front matter

• Title page with title, subtitle and author name matching the metadata exactly.
• Copyright page with year, your name and a rights statement.
• Dedication or epigraph if you want one, kept short so the sample reaches the real content.

Keep front matter lean in the ebook. Everything before chapter one eats into the sample and the Look Inside.

3. Back matter

• A clear call to action: review request, next book, mailing list, or all three in that order.
• About the author.
• For a series, the next book’s title and a link.
• An also-by list, kept current.

4. Table of contents

• A logical TOC for the ebook, built from heading styles so the reader’s device navigation works.
• An HTML TOC near the front for the ebook if your genre expects one.
• A page-numbered TOC for the paperback that matches the final pagination. Regenerate it after every edit.
• Fiction can keep the TOC minimal. Non-fiction benefits from a detailed one.

5. Previewer check on phone and tablet

Upload the manuscript to KDP and open the online previewer. Do not stop at the default view:

• Switch to the phone preview and read the first chapter and one chapter from the middle.
• Switch to the tablet preview and check images, tables and any wide elements.
• Look for missing page breaks, orphaned headings, broken lists and images that overflow.
• For the paperback, download the print-ready PDF proof from the previewer and check margins, gutter and the TOC page numbers.

If you can, order a printed proof copy for paperback. The previewer cannot show you a thin spine or a muddy cover.

6. Metadata

• Title and subtitle match the cover and the interior.
• Author name is the one you want on the record. Changing it later is awkward.
• Description is pasted and previewed, with supported HTML rendered correctly (see the book description formula).
• Series information is entered if applicable.
• Language, publication date and edition fields are correct.
• No claims, brand names or other authors’ names in any field that KDP’s metadata rules prohibit.

7. Keywords

• All seven slots used.
• No duplication of words already in the title, subtitle or categories.
• Phrases drawn from your research list rather than guesses; see the keyword research guide.
• Nothing that violates the metadata guidelines.

8. Categories

• Three categories selected at the deepest level available, for each format separately.
• A note of the additional categories you intend to request through support once the book is live, with full paths written down. Details in how to choose KDP categories.

9. Cover thumbnail

• Final ebook cover shrunk to thumbnail size and placed next to the top 20 in your category. Title readable, genre obvious.
• Paperback cover built on the KDP template for the final page count, with bleed and safe area respected and the barcode area clear. The cover brief guide covers the details.
• Cover title, subtitle and author name match the metadata character for character. Mismatches can hold up review.

10. Pricing

• Royalty option chosen deliberately, with the conditions for 70% checked if you selected it.
• Paperback price above the minimum with margin after printing cost, confirmed with the KDP calculator.
• Ebook price at least 20% below the paperback price if you want to keep 70%.
• International prices reviewed individually rather than left to automatic conversion.
• Territories set correctly for the rights you hold.

The reasoning behind each of these is in KDP royalties and pricing explained.

11. Look Inside sample

The Look Inside feature and the downloadable sample show roughly the first tenth of the ebook. Check what falls inside that window:

• Is the first real chapter visible, or is the sample all front matter?
• Does the sample end at a point that makes the reader want more?
• Is the formatting in the sample clean, since it is the first thing a careful buyer inspects?

Trim front matter or move it to the back if the sample is mostly preamble.

12. A+ content and author page

• A+ content. KDP allows A+ content modules (image and text blocks) on your product page. Prepare at least one module: a comparison chart for a series, a “what’s inside” graphic for non-fiction, or a mood board for fiction. It can be submitted once the book is live, but having assets ready means it goes up in the first week rather than never.
• Author Central. Claim your author page, add a photo and a short bio, and link the book. The page appears on your product listing and across all your titles.

After you click publish

Review can take up to a few days. Once the book is live, open the listing on a phone and check the description, categories, Look Inside and cover one more time. Then submit the category requests and A+ content you prepared.

If you would like a structured way to run this list, Black Box Review has a readiness-check tool and KDP prompt packs at /prompts/.

Next step

If any of the twelve points above needs more detail, the deepest one is usually the metadata. Start with the keyword research guide and work through the related guides from there.