Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): Amazon's Self-Publishing Platform

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon's platform for self-publishing ebooks and print-on-demand books directly to the Kindle Store. It launched in November 2007 as the \"Digital Text Platform\" alongside the first Kindle device and was later renamed. Royalty structure: the original split gave authors 35 percent. In 2010, to compete with Apple's entry into ebooks, Amazon introduced a 70 percent royalty tier available when conditions are met (a price typically between roughly $2.99 and $9.99, among other terms), with a 35 percent tier otherwise. Authors can set list prices in a wide band (roughly $0.99 to $200). The 70 percent tier is subject to per-megabyte delivery (download) fees, while the 35 percent tier is not. KDP offers an optional program, KDP Select, which requires digital exclusivity in exchange for inclusion in Kindle Unlimited and the borrowing programs, plus access to promotional tools. Enrollment runs in 90-day, auto-renewing terms. Plain KDP without Select is non-exclusive. KDP has become the dominant route for independent authors: well over a million self-published titles are released through it annually, and Amazon commands a large majority of US ebook sales. The platform has drawn criticism over plagiarism and low-quality or AI-generated content flooding the store, and over opaque account terminations with limited appeal. See KDP Select Exclusivity: What Enrolling Locks You Out Of and Kindle Unlimited: Amazon's Ebook Subscription and the Pages-Read Royalty Model.