Resources for Writers
Decoding the Ridiculous Questions on KDP's Publishing Platform
(A gentle guide for writers who stare at those forms and wonder if the moon is in retrograde.)
1. Do you want to enable "Look Inside?"
What they really mean:
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Do you want readers to preview your book before buying? (It does not affect proofs, printing, or your timeline.)
2. “Are your informative images accessible?”
What they think they’re asking:
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Have you provided alt text for instructional diagrams?
Most writers actually have zero images — and still have to answer the question. This arises on amazon with e-books. There's no way to say 'My book has no images.'
If your book contains no images, choose “None” or “None of my informative images include alt text and/or extended descriptions” as long as the spirit is correct.
It will not delay or reject your book.
3. “Do you want to
enroll in KDP Select?”
What the question hides:
This is an exclusivity contract.
If you click yes, you cannot publish your ebook anywhere but Amazon for 90 days.
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What writers need to know:
Select has good royalties, good Kindle perks
However, it also restricts access to those who use Nook, Kobo, etc., so weigh the options.
4. “Spelling errors detected”
Oftentimes, the spelling errors their automation detects are not errors at all. I got a flag that said I had eight spelling errors in my ebook. 😳
They show you what got flagged, and you can 'dismiss' anything that you want to keep.
The thing to know is that the spelling errors are often:
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email addresses
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foreign names
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anything not in their dictionary
Bottom line:
This is a spellchecker, not a judge.
Don’t panic.
5. “Set your pricing in foreign markets”
A classic. The system tries to “translate” your USD price into other currencies
and sometimes miscalculates, producing a negative number such as:
-£1.54
—which then triggers the error: “Price must not go below 1.00.”
What you need to know:
You do not have to translate your price into foreign currencies. Amazon will do that. If the system gives you the above error message and there are negative numbers in the foreign currencies section, just backspace over them to leave the space blank.
6. "Select a publication date"
What they don't tell you:
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You can publish 'now' even if you chose a future date on Bowker when you got your ISBN.
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You can order proofs only when the status is “live”
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It doesn't matter if the publication date you enter on Amazon doesn't match the pub date in your ISBN registration. Plus, you can go back and change the ISBN info later if you like.
7. “Territory rights: worldwide or individual territories?”
They should just say:
“Do you want your book available everywhere or only in some countries?”
99% of authors choose worldwide.
8. “Primary marketplace”
What they mean:
“Where do you expect most of your readers to buy your book?” (Why don't they just say that!?)
Most U.S. authors choose Amazon.com.
9. “Low content?” “Large print?” “Adult content?”
Interpretation:
Low content = coloring books / journals
Large print = 16-point or bigger
Adult content = explicit wording, photos, etc.
