What KDP Actually Is
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon's self-publishing platform. It lets authors upload their book files and list them for sale on Amazon's global marketplace — in two formats: digital (Kindle) and print (paperback, via KDP Print).
When a reader buys your book on Amazon, they pay Amazon. Amazon deducts a distribution fee and a printing cost (for print copies), and pays you the remainder — called your royalty. You do not handle production, shipping, or customer service. Amazon does all of that.
This is different from listing your book with us. On the 1toInfinity platform, you set your own price, we handle production, and your margin is your price minus our production cost. Amazon sets the rules of the royalty structure — you work within it.
KDP is a distribution channel, not a replacement for a production partner. Many authors use both: they produce with us for their Nigerian audience and list on Amazon for global reach.
Setting Up Your KDP Account
Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with an existing Amazon account, or create one. If you already buy from Amazon, use that account.
Tax information
Amazon will ask for tax information before you can publish. As a Nigerian author, select "Individual" and your country as Nigeria. You will be asked to complete a W-8BEN form — this is a standard US tax form for non-US persons earning income from US sources.
The W-8BEN tells Amazon you are not a US taxpayer and determines your withholding rate. Complete it carefully. If you enter incorrect information, Amazon will withhold 30% of your royalties. With a completed W-8BEN and a tax treaty in place, the rate reduces significantly — Nigeria currently has no tax treaty with the US, so some withholding will apply, but completing the form correctly keeps it at the minimum.
Author / Publisher information
Enter your name as it will appear on your books. This is your publisher name unless you have registered a publishing imprint — if you have, use that instead. Most self-publishing authors in Nigeria publish under their own name. That is fine.
Do not skip the tax interview. Your account will be held and royalties withheld at the maximum rate until it is completed.
Receiving Money in Nigeria
This is where most Nigerian authors hit their first real friction. Amazon pays royalties by bank transfer, cheque, or Amazon gift card. Bank transfer is the only practical option — but it requires a bank account that can receive US dollar wire transfers.
Your options
A foreign currency account held at a Nigerian bank — GTBank, Access, Zenith, and First Bank all offer these. You open it in USD. Amazon can wire directly to it. The main friction is the paperwork and the minimum balance requirements some banks impose.
Payoneer is a payment platform that gives you a US-based receiving account. Amazon pays into your Payoneer account. You then withdraw from Payoneer to your Nigerian naira account. This is the most common route for Nigerian KDP authors — setup is straightforward, fees are reasonable, and it works reliably.
Fintech apps that provide virtual USD accounts. Acceptance on Amazon varies — check current compatibility before relying on these.
Our recommendation: Payoneer for most authors starting out. DOM account if you are publishing at volume and want to keep USD rather than converting immediately.
ISBNs and KDP
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique identifier for your book. For Amazon KDP, you have three options:
Amazon provides a free ISBN for your book. The publisher of record becomes "Independently published." The ISBN is tied to Amazon and cannot be used elsewhere.
You purchase an ISBN from your country's ISBN agency. In Nigeria, ISBNs are issued by the National Library of Nigeria. This makes you the publisher of record — the ISBN belongs to your book and can be used across platforms.
Digital books on Kindle use an ASIN (Amazon's own identifier), not an ISBN. If you are publishing Kindle only, you do not need an ISBN.
If you plan to distribute your book beyond Amazon — through bookshops, our platform, or other retailers — get your own ISBN. The free KDP ISBN limits your flexibility.
Preparing Your Files
KDP accepts two types of files: interior (the content of the book) and cover. Both must meet specific technical requirements.
Interior file
KDP accepts PDF, Word (.docx), and several other formats. PDF is strongly recommended — it preserves your layout exactly as designed. If you are using our interior design service, we deliver a print-ready PDF to KDP specification as standard.
Your interior PDF must be: the correct trim size, with correct margins (KDP has minimum margin requirements based on page count), fonts embedded, and no crop marks or bleed marks (KDP adds its own).
Cover file
KDP Print requires a full wrap cover — front, spine, and back — as a single PDF. The spine width depends on your page count and paper type. Use the KDP Cover Calculator (on kdp.amazon.com) to get the exact dimensions before briefing your designer.
If you designed your cover with us, ask for a KDP-spec cover export when placing your brief. We produce these alongside the standard cover exports as part of the same job.
Kindle file
If you want a Kindle edition, KDP accepts EPUB, MOBI, and DOCX. EPUB is the standard. Our interior design service includes an EPUB export as standard — it is already in your delivery package.
Listing and Pricing Your Book
Once your files are uploaded and approved, you set your price. For KDP Print, Amazon pays a royalty of 60% of the list price, minus the printing cost. For Kindle, you choose between 35% and 70% royalty — the 70% rate applies to books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, with some delivery fee deductions.
How to price
Use KDP's royalty calculator (available during listing setup) to see exactly what you will earn at different price points after Amazon deducts its cut and printing costs. For a typical 200-page paperback, the printing cost is usually between $4 and $6 depending on page count and colour.
A practical starting point for a Nigerian author pricing for a global market: price your paperback between $12 and $18 for a standard non-fiction or fiction title. This puts you in a competitive range while leaving room for a reasonable royalty after printing costs.
Distribution territories
KDP distributes to Amazon's global marketplaces — US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, Japan, and others. When you list, you set a price for each territory. You can let Amazon auto-price the other territories based on your US price, or set them manually.
Note: KDP Print is not currently available for Nigerian customers on Amazon. Your book will be available globally but Nigerian readers ordering through Amazon will pay import/shipping costs. For your Nigerian audience, your 1toInfinity book page is the better-served channel.
What KDP Cannot Do
KDP is excellent at global distribution and passive sales. It is not good at:
Amazon has no significant presence in Nigeria. Your Nigerian readers will not find you on Amazon the way they would find you through your own book page or direct sharing.
Amazon does not give you buyer data. You do not know who bought your book. You cannot follow up, build a list, or create a reader community from Amazon sales data.
KDP review takes 24–72 hours. Changes to files or prices require additional review cycles. Your 1toInfinity book page can be updated immediately.
KDP Print is a volume operation. The quality is acceptable and consistent — but it is not the same as a locally managed production run where we handle every QC checkpoint ourselves.
In Summary
KDP is worth setting up if you want global reach and passive income over time. It is not a substitute for a Nigerian distribution strategy — it is a complement to one. Set it up properly, price it correctly, and let it run in the background while you focus on the audience you can actually build a relationship with.
If you have questions specific to your book or situation, our 10-minute call is the right place to work through them.