KDP do’s and dont’s

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I’m by no means an expert on KDP, but you can view their full terms and conditions here and their policies here. Please read them through thoroughly, but here are some of my musings based on my humble experience.

• DO create original content so you can’t be accused of adding duplicate content.
• DO put your own spin on any images you use, even if they have full POD and commercial usage policies. Each time you add something to the image, whether text or other images, you are changing it and making it a bit more unique. For example, you could have a nice background image that perhaps other people have also used. However, if you add your own text, some images in the foreground or in the sky (if it has one), you are changing it. The farther away you get from the original image, the more original it will be.
• DON’T use copyrighted terms in your titles, subtitle, keywords or description. For example, the term Bullet Journal is copyrighted so that term can’t be used. Use ‘dot grid journal’ instead.
• DO your research for copyrighted terms. It could save your KDP account!
• DO find examples of content you’d like to use. For example, I like to create planners and logbooks, so I look for ones similar to the one I want to make and use them for inspiration. I don’t copy them, I just use them to generate my own ideas. Canva and Creative Fabrica have planners and logbooks you can use but do change the colours, fonts and images (and the interior design if you are able) so you don’t end up using the same ones others have used.
• DO learn to draw,

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  either digitally or otherwise, so you can create your own, unique content. However, this is very time-consuming and obviously not for everyone, it’s just a great way to create your own content for things like colouring books and little journal doodles!
• DO make sure your covers are eye-catching and of good quality. I could link to some with poor quality covers, but feel that wouldn’t be fair. Just look at some covers you like for examples of what to do as well as what not to do. A few more minutes of tweaking your cover could make all of the difference. If you feel that creating covers is more trouble than it’s worth, try using a site like Fiverr instead. Follow this link to receive 10% off your first order.
• DO thoroughly research demand and keywords for whatever you want to create – these things could make all of the difference and are worth the extra time spent.

I’ll periodically update this post if I think of any other tips, but if you have your own, please feel to reply with them. 🙂