How to Publish a Book on Amazon KDP from India

Amazon KDP has quietly become the simplest way for an Indian author to put a book in front of readers across the world. No printing press, no distributor deals, no upfront inventory. If you want to publish a book on Amazon KDP from India, the process is genuinely doable on your own, provided you know the steps and the few places people get stuck. This guide walks through all of it, from account setup to hitting publish.

What KDP actually is

KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. It's Amazon's free self-publishing platform. You upload your manuscript and cover, set a price, and Amazon handles the rest: listing the book, taking payments, delivering eBooks instantly, and printing paperbacks on demand when someone orders. You get paid a royalty on every sale.

Two formats matter for most authors:

• eBook (Kindle): delivered digitally, available in minutes, global reach.
• Paperback (print on demand): printed only when ordered, so you never hold stock or lose money on unsold copies.

You can publish either or both. If you're unsure which to lead with, our breakdown of eBook versus paperback versus audiobook helps you decide.

Step 1: Set up your KDP account

Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with your existing Amazon account or create one. Then complete two sections that trip up a lot of Indian authors:

Tax information

KDP will ask you to complete a tax interview because Amazon is a US company. As an Indian author, you'll declare that you're not a US person and claim treaty benefits under the India-US tax treaty. Doing this correctly reduces US tax withholding on your royalties from 30% to 15%. You'll need your PAN for this. Don't skip it or rush it, it directly affects how much you keep.

Bank and payment details

Add an Indian bank account so Amazon can pay your royalties directly in INR via electronic transfer. Enter your account number and IFSC code carefully. Payments arrive monthly once you cross the minimum threshold.

Step 2: Get your manuscript ready

Your writing needs to be clean and properly formatted before it goes anywhere near KDP. If you're still drafting, start with our guide on how to write a book while working full time.

For formatting:

• eBook: Amazon accepts a formatted Word document (.doc/.docx) or an ePub file. Keep formatting simple. Use proper heading styles for chapters, insert page breaks between chapters, and avoid fancy fonts. Amazon's free Kindle Create tool can help you format and preview.
• Paperback: you'll need a PDF sized to your chosen trim (5x8 inch and 6x9 inch are common), with correct margins and a title page, copyright page, and table of contents. Page count affects your spine width, so finalise the interior before designing the cover.

Proofread properly, or better, get a professional edit. Typos in a published book quietly damage the authority you're trying to build.

Step 3: Handle your ISBN

Amazon offers a free ISBN for your paperback, and Kindle eBooks don't require one at all. That free ISBN works fine if you only ever plan to sell through Amazon.

But if you want to distribute more widely later or list yourself as the publisher of record, you may want your own ISBN, which is free for Indian authors through the government portal. We explain the trade-offs in detail in what an ISBN is and whether you really need one. For a first book sold mainly on Amazon, the free KDP ISBN is usually enough.

Step 4: Create your book listing

Inside KDP, click "Create" and fill in the details:

• Title and subtitle: the subtitle is prime keyword real estate for non-fiction. A strong one tells readers exactly what they'll get. See our guide on choosing a book title that sells.
• Author name: how you want to be credited.
• Description: your sales pitch. Lead with the reader's problem, then your promise. You can use basic HTML for bold and line breaks.
• Keywords: seven slots. Use phrases real readers would search, not just single words.
• Categories: choose carefully. Picking a well-fitted, less crowded category makes it far easier to become a bestseller in it.

Step 5: Upload files and set pricing

Upload your manuscript and cover, then use Amazon's online previewer to check every page renders correctly. This step catches formatting problems before readers ever see them.

Pricing and royalties

For Kindle eBooks, Amazon offers two royalty options:

• 70% royalty for books priced roughly between ₹99 and higher within Amazon's range.
• 35% royalty for prices outside that band.

Most authors choose the 70% tier. For paperbacks, your royalty is the list price minus Amazon's printing cost and their cut. We cover the full maths in Amazon KDP royalties explained for Indian authors. Price for readership and authority, not just per-copy profit. For most professionals, the book is a marketing asset, not the main revenue line.

Step 6: Hit publish and wait for review

Once you submit, Amazon reviews the book, usually within 72 hours. eBooks often go live faster. When it's approved, your book appears on Amazon and is available for readers to buy anywhere Amazon operates.

Then the real work starts: telling people it exists. A book that nobody knows about doesn't build authority. If you want a structured approach, our 30-day book launch plan gives you a day-by-day roadmap.

When you'd rather not do all this yourself

The KDP process is learnable, but it's also fiddly, and one wrong setting in the tax interview or cover file can cost you time and money. Plenty of professionals would rather spend their hours serving clients than wrestling with trim sizes and royalty tiers.

That's the whole reason we built our core publishing package at ₹19,999. We handle KDP publishing, ISBN registration, and global eBook distribution, and your book goes from manuscript to live in 7 to 10 days, with you keeping 100% of rights and royalties. We've done this for 50+ authors at a 4.9 out of 5 rating, so the setup pitfalls are already solved.

Whether you go the DIY route or hand it off, the important thing is that your expertise ends up in readers' hands. If you'd like help deciding, book a free strategy call and we'll walk you through your options.