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How KDP Print Formats Are Changing
KDP print offers paperbacks and hardcovers in several trim sizes and interior types. A look at how independent authors can use those formats.
Trade publishing has long centered on a few standard formats, chiefly the trade paperback and the hardcover. Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) print gives independent authors more than one format to work with.
Beyond the Pages: The Rise of Custom Print Formats
KDP print offers paperbacks and hardcovers in a range of trim sizes, with black-and-white, standard color and premium color interiors. Authors use those options for journals, workbooks, planners and illustrated books as well as novels.
Authors can use these formats for companion workbooks, planners and regional editions.
The Commercial Imperative for Indie Authors
Print-on-demand lets authors add formats without paying for inventory. KDP prints each copy when it is ordered, deducts the printing cost from the royalty and pays royalties about 60 days after the end of the month in which sales are reported.
Printing costs depend on page count and ink type, so interior and trim choices affect both list price and royalty. Authors weighing new formats can model those costs with KDP's printing cost calculator before publishing.