In this blog I will explain how to publish a photography book through Amazon KDP (kindle direct publishing) by sharing my experience. I will show how I organized my photo book, and then share the steps I took to get it accepted on Amazon KDP. Though I include a few hints for using Adobe InDesign, this is not an instructional blog for that application.
Why I chose to publish a photography book through Amazon KDP
- There is no charge to use their publishing software
- KDP provides an ISBN number free of charge (vs. buying one for $125)
- Amazon is the largest seller of books in the US and worldwide.
- You can create a paperback, hardback, or e-book.
- The KDP website offers lots of helpful information plus real-person assistance.
- You get high-quality photo prints as long as you select Premium Color Interior with white paper.
- Inexpensive way to gift photo books, plus sell them on-line.
Cons to publishing through Amazon KDP
- They don’t offer photo paper – paper is not thick and glossy like you can get through a premium photo book company
- Royalites are so-so (paperback royalties are 60% of list price, minus the printing costs)
- Your book will only be available through Amazon (though you can order author copies and sell those privately).
First Step: Organize Photos
I gathered my best digital photos of Shoreline Park and divided them into categories/albums. I didn’t want to divide them into the typical areas of seasons, or bird/animal classifications. Instead, I chose to organize photographs by the feelings they provoked in me. In other words, their sentiments.
Began Writing Introduction to Photography Book
I wrote in Google Docs, but you can use any application (or paper!) as long as you save it for future edits and reference.
Answer some or all of who, what, when, where, why.
This was critical for answering these basic questions: where the photo location was, what was its importance, and why it interested me. Later, I wrote a book description for Amazon that also explained what I hoped readers would get from this book. (Who – the author, Karen Gough: “She hopes readers will be inspired to go outside and find their own place of natural wonders.”)
Wrote (and re-wrote!) Introductory Prose For Each Chapter.
I kept a nature journal and chose my favorite bits of prose. Also wrote on-the-spot. You can quote other writers too, but obviously you need to give them credit.
Here is an example of the introductory prose to my chapter, Relationships (note that this is a screen shot of the prose. It prints better than what you see below):
And here is a sample of prose from my Power chapter:
Decided How To Format Photography Book
I chose two of my favorite photo and illustration books and used those for inspiration. I chose the book size I wanted and checked Amazon KDP to see if they could print that size in paperback (8.5 by 8.5).
Then I decided on the type of cover I wanted (a wrap-around photo), and how I wanted to present my photos (this changed after a sample printing from Amazon).
I took note and copied the order of things like the title page, copyright & ISBN number, personal quote, dedication, contents, and introduction. I wrote all this down in Google docs so I could refer to it, or copy and paste as needed into Adobe InDesign.
Note that Amazon KDP requires you to upload your cover and manuscript as a PDF. You can use an application like Word or Adobe InDesign to produce that PDF. I chose to use Adobe InDesign.
Began Using Adobe InDesign
Warning – I signed up for an ANNUAL subscription even though you pay monthly. I did not realize this at the time. I thought I was paying month to month and could cancel at any time. However, if you cancel before the year is up, they charge you a fee that is nearly as high as what you would pay to keep the subscription. They don’t make this obvious in their ad. Read the fine print.
After I was done publishing my book,I wanted to cancel Adobe InDesign, because I no longer needed it. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way how much it would cost to cancel. So instead, I changed my current plan to something cheaper–Lightroom online. Then a couple of months later I canceled that. I still had to pay a cancellation fee, but it was less.
Why Choose Adobe InDesign?
- Web-based subscription (my old computer could access it online)
- Powerful tools
- Can export final product as a PDF (required by Amazon KDP)
Learn Adobe InDesign by watching YouTube videos.
Hint: Just search “how to blah blah blah adobe indesign”
Here are some YouTube Videos to get you started:
InDesign How-To: Set Up a Book Cover (Video Tutorial)
How to Create and Export a Book Cover in Adobe InDesign
Placing and Formatting Images in InDesign Tutorial
How to Add Page Numbers in InDesign
How to Fix Can’t See Page Numbers in Adobe Indesign
Exporting Finished Document as a PDF for Amazon KDP – a few hints
The Cover
- Do a separate document for the cover.
- Choose High Quality Print and export as Spreads
- Marks and Bleeds: just check the “Use Document Bleed Settings” box. Leave other boxes blank.
The Manuscript
- Choose High Quality Print and export as Pages (Amazon KDP won’t accept spreads for a manuscript).
- Marks and Bleeds: just check the “Use Document Bleed Settings” box. Leave other boxes blank. (The first time, I mistakenly checked crop marks and bleed marks. This left crop marks on the amazon PDF and messed up the format of my pages)
Create Your Book in Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)
Go to https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/ (or google Amazon KDP) and sign in through your Amazon account, or Create a new account.
This is the landing page for my Amazon KDP (showing a book on my bookshelf):
You would click on the yellow Create tab.
Then click on the type of book you want. There are more sizes available in paperback than hardback.
Here is the page you see after choosing the type of book (in this case, a hardback):
Scrolling down you’ll see this. Be sure to spend some time writing a good description. This is the equivalent to what you would read on the inside cover or back of a book you might pick up to buy.
I won’t post screen shots of everything that comes next, because Amazon KDP will walk you though adding book details such as categories, key words, etc. However, this next step is important.
Schedule My Book’s Release
When you choose a scheduling date for your book to be published, give yourself plenty of time to make changes to your original PDF. I went out over a month ahead of time. This gives you time to change your original manuscript, book details, and even the release date. Amazon KDP allows these kinds of changes up to five days before the release date.
ISBN and Print Options
An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number used for identifying your unique book. It is a product identifier used by authors, book sellers, libraries, and more.
This part of the page is where you can choose to get an Amazon ISBN or purchase your own. If you choose to get one through Amazon, you will be restricted to distributing your book through Amazon (unless you buy author copies and sell those privately). Amazon will pay the cost of your ISBN – right now that is $125 per book.
If you want to purchase your own ISBN, you’ll need to go to an ISBN website, such as Bowker. Purchasing your own ISBN allows you to sell your book through sites beyond Amazon.
Also on the above photo, you will see print options. For a photo book, make sure to choose Premium color interior with white paper. Choose this even if your photos are black & white. This is the best paper Amazon offers. Your photos won’t look nearly as good if you choose the other two types. Note that this is not photo paper. Amazon KDP does not offer photo paper.
Upload Cover and Manuscript
After filling out the details of your book, you will save the book page as a draft. Then come back in and upload your cover and manuscript. This can be done in any order. If you are not ready to upload, just save as Draft and come back to your Bookshelf on the KDP page later.
This is what the page looks like after you have successfully uploaded your cover and manuscript (from your previously created PDFs).
Book Preview
After uploading your cover and/or manuscript you should definitely click on Launch Previewer. This will show whether there are errors in your pdf that need to be fixed before the book can be printed. I had to go back to Adobe InDesign and fix some errors in my original cover and manuscript. I then re-exported a new PDF and uploaded this to Amazon KDP. Then I’d Launch Previewer and hope for the best. Unfortunately, I had to repeat this process several times. It takes patience and persistence to do it right!
Pricing
Once your book has been uploaded, it is time to set the price. I priced mine for the US market; Amazon then automatically filled in the pricing for their international markets. You can adjust these if you want. The KDP website explains how they do royalties. For my paperback book it was 60% of the list price, minus printing costs.
Request Proof
Your last step after completing manuscript and cover uploads and pricing is to Request a proof copy. Do not click on Publish Your Book. Instead, Save Draft and Request Proof. Why? Because you can’t tell how your book will really look until you get a physical copy. I found that my original idea of formatting photographs did not look good in print. I had to go back and reformat the entire thing. Then when I received my second proof, I found that my margins were unacceptable. I changed those. Finally, the third proof looked good.
Also note that proof copies are not free. You must pay printing and shipping costs.
Last Step – Publish Your Book
After you click on Publish Your Book, Amazon will take 72 hours to review it. They will send an email letting you know whether you need to make further changes or whether your book has been accepted and is good to go.
Finalizing your Amazon KDP product can be frustrating.
The WYSIWYG process between Adobe InDesign and Amazon KDP can be frustrating. Due to both user-error and post-processing issues, it can take a while to get true “what you see is what you get.” Even when my last proof looked right to me, KDP said they could not publish it without additional formatting changes–mostly regarding margins.
But take heart, Amazon KDP gives you the option of talking to a live person for help. I found the help teams to be knowledgeable, friendly, and patient.
At the bottom of the Book Preview page, click on Contact Us.
- Choose your help topic.
- Read their advice.
- Click on “I Still need help,”
- Choose “Call Us” or “Start Chat.”
The Final Product
I was so happy to receive my final Amazon KDP self-published photography book. It looked and felt great. Though the photos were not printed on actual heavy-weight photo paper, the colors printed true, and the photos looked wonderful. Printing on Premium Color Interior With White Paper is the best Amazon KDP offers, and it does keep the price down. I am able to sell my book at a wide range of prices and still make a small royalty.
I chose to sell my book for $22.95. It contains 85 photos and is a handy 8.5 by 8.5 paperback size. If you’d like to buy a copy for yourself, it’s available on Amazon.
I hope this blog helps you to publish your own photography book on Amazon KDP.
