I see this question asked a lot “out there,” especially for Canada. You see, as I’ve mentioned in other posts, Amazon.ca is a scaled down version of Amazon.com. If you want to publish to the Kindle and go to Amazon.ca, you won’t find what you’re looking for.
To publish to the Kindle, you must use Amazon’s DTP Platform. If you have an Amazon account, you’re already registered. If not, it’s easy to sign up.
Read the Get Started and FAQs sections. If you run into a problem, check the forums, which contain useful information.
The process goes something like this:
- You provide your publisher information (name, address, how you want to be paid, etc.).
- You provide information about your book. If the print version of your book is available at Amazon, enter its ISBN in the ISBN field. Do not enter a new ISBN. Amazon uses the ISBN you enter to link your Kindle book to the print book.
- You upload your book. Amazon says it prefers HTML, but it will also take other file types: Word (.doc), MOBI, PDF, TXT. Unless you upload a MOBI file, it will convert your file to a format the Kindle can use. You can look at the results of the conversion and tweak, if necessary. You’ll find guidance in the FAQs and forums if you need help. If you upload a MOBI file, you’re not offered the chance to tweak since no conversion is necessary, so make sure it looks all right before you upload it.
- It’ll say that your book will go live in 48-72 hours, but it can take longer. You’ll probably receive an email from Amazon asking you to verify that you have the rights to sell the book. Your book won’t go live until you provide the information they requested.
- Your book is live!
Happy Kindle publishing!
Thank you and BIG hugs
Exactly what U was looking for
steve
Good to hear!
Is there a choice for how to get paid? It seems like a check is the only option with an $8 fee per check? Maybe I’m missing something?
Dale
If you’re in the US, you can be paid by direct deposit. I’m not sure about the UK. Elsewhere, cheque is the only option, and I believe the per cheque fee is waived when there’s no other choice.
The community forums and help documents at the Amazon DTP site will have the latest information about payment options.
My book has gone to the printer as a big PDF file, created using InDesign. It is fully formatted with chapter headings, pictures with captions on several separate pages throughout the book. Will Kindle Publishing take it as a PDF file or do I have to convert it back to a Word file and reformat everything all over again? Thanks, Giles
You can upload the PDF file, but it’s not advisable. Amazon’s page on supported formats lists the reasons for why PDF files don’t convert well.
https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help/ref=hp_kdp_formats_navbox?topicId=A2V645S25NG1WN
Also, when dealing with eBooks, you have to throw the concept of “pages” out the window. A book formatted for print isn’t really suitable for eBooks. The reader will have a less than ideal reading experience, to put it mildly.
Follow the instructions on the Amazon page under the PDF section, but with your original Word file, not by converting your PDF to Word. Alternatively, hire someone to do the conversion for you and give them your original Word file.
Thanks, Sarah – although that is not good news obviously. Don’t understand why they say that you can convert from PDF’s on one page and then contradict that saying you need to convert to a Word file on the next page. My question would be what to do with the photos. Many of my photos occupy a quarter page and are grouped 4 to a page. Blowing them up to a full page each will not be pretty. I guess I can put four photos on one page in a Word document, with captions, but I am not sure how stable they will be. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.
This may be a naive question but can you go straight from an InDesign file into an e-Book?
Thanks again, Giles
I’ve never converted a document with photos, so I can’t offer you any advice on that subject. You might want to ask on the Amazon DTP forums.
I’m not aware of a way to go from an InDesign file to a Kindle file. There’s an InDesign plugin that will convert a file to an ePub file (if you have InDesign CS4 or greater), but nothing that converts to the Kindle format.
presently i have a few files in pdf, i have a friend who can transfer them to epub and then just upload them as an epub i would figure.
1 Should that work?
2Are there any greater advantages to publishing on dot.com than .ca. like is there more traffic on .com
3 if publishing on .com they hold 30 per cent for taxes, could one donate that 30 per cent to a non profit charitable organization in the Usa.
1. PDF isn’t the best format to start with. It’s much better to start with the source file for the PDF, like the Word file. But if all you have is the PDFs, then you can convert them to ePub, but you’ll definitely have to tweak the results before uploading. Otherwise Amazon will probably receive complaints about the formatting of your Kindle books.
Note that you can only upload files if you own the copyright for those files, or if they’re in the public domain (and if you downloaded them from the Internet, that doesn’t mean they’re in the public domain. Most stuff on the Internet is under copyright). If they’re PLR files, Amazon probably won’t accept them. So if you didn’t write whatever is in those PDF files, make sure you can legally upload them. Chances are, you can’t.
2. You can’t upload to .ca. There is no .ca Kindle Store. Canadians buy Kindle books from Amazon.com.
3. I’m not a tax expert, so I can’t offer any tax advice. The IRS won’t withhold 30% if you get an ITIN and file the appropriate form with Amazon. Details here:
http://selfpublishingadventure.com/how-to-obtain-an-itin/