5 Things To Know About Your Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Dashboard

How to change your book price, order author copies, and more!

But First... The Kindle Direct Publishing Publishing (KDP Dashboard)

Log into your KDP account by going to www.kdp.com. This is the "author" side of Amazon, where you'll find all of your book information. At the top of the page you'll see four main sections:

Bookshelf: the control center for authors to manage their published books and unpublished drafts.

Reports: where authors can access detailed sales and royalty reports for their published books.

Community: serves as a platform for authors to engage with one another, share experiences, ask questions, and access valuable resources. 

Marketing: various marketing and promotional tools that authors can utilize to increase the visibility and sales of their books, including KDP Select, Amazon Ads, Author Central, A+ Content, and Price Promotions. 

1. How to Update Your Book Description on Amazon

To change your book description in Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), follow these steps:

1. Log in to your KDP account: Go to the KDP website and sign in using your credentials.

2. Go to your Bookshelf: Once logged in, you'll see a dashboard with all your published books and drafts. 

3. Navigate to the "Book Details" tab: Beside the book you'd like to update the description on, click on the "..." button. From the dropdown menu, select "Edit Paperback Content" or "Edit eBook Content" depending on the format of your book.

4. Edit the book description: Scroll down to the section where you can edit your book's details, including the description. Click on the description field to make changes or updates.

5. Make your changes: Revise or update the book description as needed. You can add new information, improve the wording, or make any other adjustments to better describe your book to potential readers.

6. Save your changes: Once you've made the desired changes to the book description, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Save and Continue" button to save your changes. 

7. Publish your changes: If you're satisfied with the updated book description, proceed to publish your changes by following the prompts provided by KDP. Your changes will typically be reflected on the Amazon website within a few hours.

By following these steps, you can easily change the description of your book in Kindle Direct Publishing and ensure that it effectively captures the essence of your book to attract potential readers.

2. How to Change the Price of Your Book (In "Bookshelf")

To change the price of your book in Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), follow these steps:

1. Log in to your KDP account: Go to the KDP website and sign in using your credentials.

2. Go to your Bookshelf: Once logged in, you'll see a dashboard with all your published books and drafts. Click on the book whose price you want to change.

3. Navigate to the "Edit Book Pricing" section: Beside each book format you've published, you'll see three dots (...). Click the three dots and then select "eBook Pricing" to go to the Book Pricing page. 

4. Choose the territories: Under the "Pricing, royalty, and distribution" section, you'll see options to set the price for different territories or marketplaces. Click into the price field next to the marketplace (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, etc.) where you want to change the price.

5. Enter the new price: In the pricing window, you can set the new list price for your book. After you update the price, you'll notice an updated "Royalty" amount under the Royalty column. This is how much you'll be paid per book sale. You'll want to maximize your royalty return, so be sure to choose the highest royalty plan (35% or 70%). 

6. Publish Your Book: Once you've entered the new price, scroll down and click the yellow "Publish Your Book" button to update the price for your book in the selected marketplace(s).

7. Wait for updates to reflect: It can take up to 72 hours for the changes to reflect on the Amazon website and for the new price to become visible to customers. Be patient, and check back later to confirm that the price has been updated successfully.

That's it! You've successfully changed the price of your book in KDP. Remember that you can adjust the price of your book at any time, so feel free to experiment with different pricing strategies to find what works best for your book and your target audience.

3. How to See Book Sales / Royalty Reports

To check how much your book has made in sales on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), you can access the sales reports. Here's how:

1. Log in to your KDP account: Go to the KDP website and sign in using your credentials.

2. Navigate to the "Reports" tab: At the top of the page, click the "Reports" tab.

3. Select the sales report: Under the "Reports" tab, you'll find various report options. To check your book's sales, click on "Orders" or "KENP Read."

4. Choose the date range: In the sales report section, you can select the date range for which you want to view sales data. You can choose preset options like "Last 30 Days" or customize the date range.

5. View the sales data: Once you've selected the date range, the report will display information such as total units sold, royalties earned, sales trends, and geographic distribution.

6. Download the report: If you want to analyze the data further or keep a record, you can download the sales report in CSV format by clicking on the "Download" button.

7. Review the data: Take some time to review the sales data to understand how your book is performing, identify trends, and track your earnings.

By following these steps, you can easily check how much your book has made in sales on KDP. It's a good practice to regularly monitor your sales reports to track the performance of your book and make informed decisions about marketing and promotional strategies.

4. How to Order Author or Proof Copies

Author Copies

Ordering author copies through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) allows you to purchase physical copies of your own book at cost price for personal use or for distribution outside of Amazon's sales channels. Here's how to order author copies on KDP:

1. Log in to your KDP account: Go to the KDP website and sign in using your credentials.

2. Go to your Bookshelf: Once logged in, you'll see a dashboard with all your published books and drafts. Click on the three dots (...) beside the book for which you want to order author copies.

3. Click on "Order author copies": This will bring you to an order page. 

4. Select the marketplace and quantity: In the "Order Author Copies" section, choose the marketplace where you want to order copies (e.g., Amazon.com, Amazon Europe). Then, enter the quantity of copies you wish to order. Click Add to Cart. 

5. Review printing and shipping costs: KDP will display the printing and shipping costs for the author copies based on your selection. Review the total cost before proceeding.

6. Enter shipping address and payment method: Provide the shipping address where you want the author copies to be delivered. You'll also need to select a payment method and enter payment details.

7. Place your order: Once you've reviewed the order details and entered the necessary information, click on the "Place Order" button to confirm your order. 

By following these steps, you can easily order author copies of your book through Kindle Direct Publishing. Keep in mind that printing and shipping times may vary depending on your location and the selected marketplace.

Proof Copies

Ordering proof copies through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) allows you to review a physical copy of your book before it's made available for sale. Here's how to order proof copies inside KDP:

1. Log in to your KDP account: Go to the KDP website and sign in using your credentials.

2. Click the three dots (...) to the right of your book: From the dropdown menu, select "Request Printed Proofs."

3. Select the marketplace and quantity: In the "Request Proof Copies" section, choose the marketplace where you want to order proof copies (e.g., Amazon.com, Amazon Europe). Then, enter the quantity of proof copies you wish to order. 

4. Place your order: Once you've reviewed the order details and entered the necessary information, click on the "Submit Proof Request" button to confirm your order.

5. Confirm order via email: Within 4 hours of submitting your request, you will receive an email with a link to complete your proof order. Complete your purchase within 24 hours of receiving this email.

6. Receive and review your proof copies: Once the proof copies are printed and shipped, they will be delivered to the shipping address you provided. Upon receiving them, you can review the physical copies of your book to check for any formatting or printing errors before approving it for distribution.

By following these steps, you can easily order proof copies of your book through Kindle Direct Publishing and ensure that your book meets your quality standards before making it available for sale.

5. How to Market My Book In Kindle Direct Publishing

Within Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), there are several tools and features you can use to market your book directly on the Amazon platform. Start off by logging into your KDP account and clicking on "Marketing".