Publish Setup · Topic 2 of 17
Paperback, Hardcover, or Ebook
What to do
Decide which format, or formats, you want to publish: paperback, hardcover, ebook, or a combination.
Why it matters
KDP treats each format as its own product setup with its own file requirements, trim size options, and pricing rules. Knowing which ones you're doing before you start keeps you from redoing work.
Step-by-step
- From your KDP Bookshelf, click Create, then choose Kindle eBook, Paperback, or Hardcover to start a new title.
- Most authors publish an ebook and a paperback together, since KDP lets you link them into one product page once both exist.
- Hardcover is optional and adds its own setup (a different cover template and page count limits); many authors add it later after the paperback and ebook are live.
- If you're doing more than one format, you'll repeat the details, description, and keyword steps for each one; KDP does not automatically copy them between formats.
- Expand the information section below for the exact order KDP, IngramSpark, and Draft2Digital ask for information when you start a brand-new title on each.
More information
Click a heading to expand more information.
Starting a new title on KDP
- Sign in at kdp.amazon.com and go to your Bookshelf.
- Click the orange "+ Create" button, then pick Kindle eBook, Paperback, or Hardcover. Each format starts its own separate title-setup flow with three tabs across the top: Details, Content, and Pricing.
- The Details tab asks first: language, title/subtitle, series info, edition number, author/contributor names, description, publishing rights, keywords, categories, and age/grade range (if applicable) — roughly in that top-to-bottom order on the page.
- Click Save and Continue to move to the Content tab, where you upload your manuscript/interior file and cover, and choose ISBN, then to Pricing, where you set list price, royalty option, and (for paperback) distribution.
- You don't have to finish in one sitting — KDP saves your progress automatically and the title sits as a draft on your Bookshelf until you publish it.
Starting a new title on IngramSpark
- Sign in at ingramspark.com and go to your title dashboard.
- Click "Add New Title," then choose the format: paperback, hardcover, or ebook. IngramSpark's flow is presented as a numbered checklist of steps down the left side rather than a few tabs, typically: Title Information, ISBN, Contributors, Description/Keywords/Categories, Trim/Binding/Paper specs, File Upload, Pricing, and Distribution.
- The very first screen asks for the basics needed to even create the title record: title, subtitle, contributor names, and ISBN (or a request for a free one) — you can't move to later steps like file upload until this core information is entered.
- Because IngramSpark charges a per-title setup fee, the title isn't just a free draft the way KDP's is — check the current fee on IngramSpark's own pricing page before starting, since starting a title here is more of a financial commitment than it is on KDP.
Starting a new title on Draft2Digital
- Sign in at draft2digital.com and go to your Bookshelf/dashboard.
- Click "Add Book" (or the equivalent "+" / "New Book" button). D2D asks for book information first — title, subtitle, series, author/contributor names, and description — before it asks for your manuscript file.
- After the basic info, D2D moves you to the manuscript upload step (where it converts a Word/RTF/ODT/TXT file into an ebook, or accepts your own EPUB), then to Distribution (which retailers to send it to), then Pricing.
- D2D Print (the optional print-on-demand add-on) is a separate step you opt into after the ebook setup, with its own file-upload and trim/pricing screens, covered in the D2D Print topic in this stage.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming a paperback and hardcover automatically share one detail page. You link them together, but you still fill in details separately for each.
- Starting with hardcover before confirming your interior file works for paperback trim sizes; paperback is the more common starting point.
- Assuming the three platforms ask for information in the same order — they don't, and starting a title on one doesn't create or fill anything in on the others.
Completion checklist
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Troubleshooting
Can I add a format later instead of doing everything now?
Yes. You can publish a paperback first and add an ebook (or hardcover) months later. KDP will offer to link the new format to your existing book once it detects a matching title.