Kader Gómez

Co-Founder of Alavante, Book Marketing Specialist & Senior Developer.

Published on 6 de julio de 2025

Ready to Self-Publish? Everything You Need Before Uploading Your Book to Amazon KDP (2025)

Do you have a story, experience, or knowledge you’d like to share in a book? Are you wondering if you can publish and sell on Amazon even if you’re not a professional writer?
If you answered yes to either question, this article is for you.

Here I share a clear, step-by-step guide with everything you need to prepare before uploading your book to Amazon KDP in 2025. No empty promises or magic formulas. I focus on sharing resources, free tools, and practical examples so you can publish without overspending and avoid common mistakes.

Publishing a book is no longer just for established writers. Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) remains in 2025 one of the best options for indie authors and people who want to share their ideas or stories, earn passive income, and reach readers worldwide.
Key fact: Digital book sales in Spanish grew by 13% in the US alone in 2024, opening real opportunities for Spanish-speaking authors.

This article is the first in a practical series. At the end, you can download a checklist and complete guide to make sure you don’t miss any important step.

Stay until the end to download your free checklist.

1. Basic Practical and Technical Requirements (2025)

Where to start?
Before publishing, you need to make sure you have these key elements ready. Think of them as the foundation of your self-publishing project:

• Finished manuscript: Your final text, revised, proofread, and ready to publish.
• Cover: Choose or design an attractive cover. You can create one for free with tools like KDP Cover Creator or Canva.
• Amazon KDP account and banking details: Necessary to register your books and receive royalties.
• ISBN: Optional, but useful if you want more editorial control. Amazon provides a free one or you can use your own.

Recommended formats and sizes:

Quick visual glossary:

• Bleed: Extra space for images that go to the edge.
• Margin: White space around the text.
• Spine: The side of the book where the title appears (minimum 79 pages for it to be visible).

2. Free Tools for Every Stage

How to make the process easier?
You don’t have to spend a lot to self-publish a quality book. There are free tools and online resources that make every step easier, from writing to market research.

💡 My tip: All these tools have free versions and are recommended by hundreds of indie authors on forums and social media.
In future articles, I’ll explain step by step how to get the most out of each.

3. Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Where do new authors usually fail?
Many issues that block publication are common and can be easily avoided if you pay attention to these technical details:

One tip I see often in author forums: if in doubt, always check the official KDP templates and tools first. That will solve most formatting problems.

4. Real Advice from Authors Who Have Self-Published

Is it worth learning from others’ experience?
Absolutely. The best advice often comes from authors who have published, made mistakes, and shared what they learned in communities like Reddit. Here are real recommendations, with references, so you can make more informed decisions:

1. Optimize your cover and description before spending on ads:

“For new authors, the only place you should spend money is on your cover, blurb, and editing. It's a mistake to spend marketing money if you only have one book out.” ¹⁰

2. You don’t need ads to sell, if your content is good:

“Yes I used ads for the first year or so on kdp. But for the last two years I have not run any. I get a few sales each week with no ads.” ¹¹

“Same, I average around 12 sales a month with no marketing or ads.” ¹¹

3. Invest in a professional cover that fits your niche:

“If you actually want to sell books, you need a great book, with a great cover, and it’s got to offer something different.” ¹²

“You should definitely take inspiration from other books in your genre… Your cover is one of your main marketing tools.” ¹³

4. Build community and organic presence for the long term:

“Successful self‑published authors are doing a combination of the following: create a social media presence… engage with your audience… collaborate.” ¹⁴

Note: These quotes come from real Reddit conversations. They are not sponsored or commercially related to Alavante.
I invite you to explore these forums to find more advice, experiences, and common mistakes.

5. Practical Tips and Myths

What are the most common questions?
Some questions come up again and again for those taking their first steps with KDP. Here are quick answers to help you move forward with confidence:

• Do I have to pay anything? Uploading your book is free. You’ll only pay if you choose external services (design, editing, etc.).
• Can I correct mistakes later? Yes, especially easy with ebooks.
• Is the cover final? You can update it, but print updates take longer to approve.

6. What Happens After Publishing? (Coming up in the Series)

What’s next after uploading your book?
In the next article, I’ll show you, step by step, how to upload your book to KDP, optimize your metadata, and start attracting readers from day one.

7. Wrap Up & Free Download

Publishing on Amazon KDP can be simple and affordable if you know what you need and how to do it.
Download your free checklist “Ready to Publish on KDP?” (includes error table, direct links, and handy templates).

Have questions or want something explained in more depth? Fill out the contact form or write to me on X (@alavante_x) or Instagram (@alavante_ig). The idea is to support each other every step of the way.

References

¹ Grammarly Free
² Kindle Create
³ KDP Templates
⁴ Cover Creator (KDP)
⁵ Canva
⁶ Kindle Previewer
⁷ KDP Cover Calculator
⁸ Google Trends
⁹ Kindlepreneur tools
¹⁰ Reddit: Tips for New Publishers
¹¹ Reddit: KDP - Sales Without Ads
¹² Reddit: Cover Importance in Self Publishing
¹³ Reddit: Book Marketing Advice

Ready to launch your book? Download the checklist, share your experience, and join the Alavante community!

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