Uploading to KDP - the 10-minute walkthrough

You have interior.pdf and cover.pdf from this toolkit, and a checked metadata.json. Here is the upload, with the traps marked.

1. Start the book

kdp.amazon.com > Bookshelf > Create > Paperback (or Kindle eBook).
Paste title, subtitle, author from metadata.json exactly. KDP is picky about matching the cover - the title on your cover file must match what you type here.

Upload interior.pdf. Wait for the processing spinner to finish completely before clicking anything else. If you upload a second file while the first is still processing, it can fail silently - reload the page between uploads.
Print options: pick the trim size, ink, and paper you told the toolkit (--trim, --ink-paper). Mismatches here are the #1 reason covers get rejected.
Bleed: "Bleed (PDF only)" only if you built with --bleed.
Upload cover.pdf. If KDP complains about the size, run kdp validate cover.pdf --cover --pages N again - the page count you gave the cover must be the FINAL page count of the interior.
Open the online Previewer. Flip through every page. This is where you catch margin and layout issues - the toolkit checks the file, the previewer shows you the book.

Spine text: KDP prints it only on books over 79 pages. The toolkit already skips it below that.
Barcode: KDP stamps its barcode bottom-right on your back cover. Keep that 2 x 1.2 inch area clear of anything important (--guides shows you the zone).
AI content: if any text or images in the book are AI-generated, KDP requires you to say Yes to the AI-generated content question. Not disclosing can get your account in trouble.
ISBN: the free KDP ISBN is fine for paperbacks sold on Amazon. You only need your own ISBN if you want your own imprint name.

kdp royalty <price> --print --pages N shows your exact printing cost, the 50%/60% tier boundary, and the lowest price KDP allows.
Paperbacks priced under $9.99 (US) earn 50%, not 60% - sometimes pricing at $9.99 earns you MORE per sale than $8.99.
eBooks: the 70% band is $2.99-$12.99. Outside it you get 35%.

Sales and royalties land in Reports. Download the "Prior Months' Royalties" Excel file and run kdp report royalties.xlsx for a summary by title and marketplace.
Ready to advertise: kdp ads --title "My Book" --price 9.99 --pages N writes a starter plan and a keyword CSV for the Amazon Ads console.