How to publish an AI-illustrated children’s book on Amazon KDP

What do you need?

• A finished, proofread story with a picture for each spread.
• A KDP account at kdp.amazon.com (free), with your tax and payment details.
• Two PDF files: the interior (the pages) and the cover (back, spine and front in one image).
• A title, a short description, keywords and categories for the listing.

Step by step

1. Finish the story. Read every page aloud. Fix the words, redraw any picture that isn’t right, and make sure the characters look the same throughout. A printed book can’t be patched later without republishing.
2. Choose the format. Most picture books are paperbacks in the 8.5″ × 8.5″ square size with premium color ink. Hardcovers need more pages; KDP sets the minimum for each format.
3. Export the interior. Picture books need bleed (the art runs past the trim and is cut off), safe margins and a binding gutter. Front matter (title page, copyright, dedication) comes before the story.
4. Export the cover. One wrap-around image: back cover, spine, front cover. The spine width depends on the page count and paper, so make the cover after the interior is final.
5. Create the paperback in KDP. On your Bookshelf, create a new paperback and enter the title, author, a description, up to 7 keywords and categories.
6. Choose an ISBN and print options. KDP can assign a free ISBN, or you can use your own. Choose the ink and paper, the trim size and bleed to match your files.
7. Upload and declare AI content. Upload the interior and cover. KDP’s content guidelines require you to tell Amazon about AI-generated text, images or translations when you publish. Answer honestly.
8. Preview and order a proof. Check every page in KDP’s Print Previewer, then order a proof copy. Proofs are marked “Not for Resale”; hold one before you publish.
9. Set the price and publish. Choose territories and a list price. For paperbacks sold on Amazon, KDP pays 50% or 60% of the list price, depending on the price, minus printing costs. Then publish; Amazon reviews the book before it goes live.

Tips for a picture book that sells

• Know your reader. Set the age range in KDP to match the story’s words, and say who it is for in the description.
• Write the description for parents. What happens, what the child will love, and what it is about underneath (friendship, bravery, bedtime).
• Use all 7 keywords. Phrases a parent would type, such as “bedtime story for toddlers”, not single words.
• Think in series. A character who returns in a second and third book builds readers who come back.
• Review the proof on paper. Colors print darker than they look on screen, and text near the edge is easy to miss until it is printed.

How does InkStak help?

InkStak’s KDP export builds both files for you: the interior with bleed, margins and KDP’s page order, and the wrap-around cover with the spine worked out from your page count, in any KDP trim size. It also writes a setup sheet with a title and subtitle, a description, 7 keywords, 3 suggested categories and the answers to KDP’s AI-content questions. KDP export is on the Creator (1 a month) and Publisher (3 picture books a month, plus unlimited chapter books) plans.