Amazon KDP Changes
OfficialEffective July 7, 2026
70% ebook royalty band expanded to $2.99–$12.99
What changed
- The 70% royalty ceiling was raised for the first time since 2007 — the eligible price band is now $2.99–$12.99, up from the old $9.99 ceiling.
- Price above $12.99 and your royalty drops to 35%.
- Existing books already priced over $9.99 stay on the 35% rate until you manually switch pricing — Amazon does not auto-migrate you to 70%.
- Delivery fees still apply on top of the royalty math.
- Audiobook virtual-voice price bands are unchanged by this update.
Who it hits
Any KDP author with an ebook currently priced above $9.99, or planning to price a new title between $9.99 and $12.99.
What to do this week
Check Bookshelf → Rights & Pricing for every title priced above $9.99. If it's still showing 35%, that's expected — you have to switch it yourself. Before you do, run the box-set/bundle math at $10.99–$12.99 against your real page count and delivery fee; for some short or single titles, staying at $9.99 still wins on conversion even though the royalty rate is technically lower.
Still unknown
Amazon has not published a specific reason for why the ceiling was raised now, or whether further band changes are planned.
OfficialEffective Ongoing (checked October 7, 2026)
KDP Select Fund: monthly announcement and the 15th KENP finalization (September 2026 fund not confirmed as of October 7)
What changed
- Amazon says it reviews the KDP Select Global Fund monthly and announces it in the community forum.
- Author earnings are determined by their share of total pages read.
- Amazon says monthly KENP numbers may change and are finalized near the 15th of the following month.
- As of October 7, 2026, a September 2026 fund announcement was not confirmed, so no fund figure is quoted.
Who it hits
Authors with ebooks enrolled in KDP Select who earn from Kindle Unlimited page reads.
What to do this week
Note your KENP Read total now, then compare it after the 15th when numbers are finalized, and read the fund post in the KDP community forum yourself.
Still unknown
The September 2026 fund amount, its posting day, and total pages read for the month.
OfficialEffective September 29, 2026
Smashwords Store now takes ebook preorders (related marketplace)
What changed
- Authors can list ebook preorders at the Smashwords Store up to 12 months ahead of release.
- Preorders can be listed without the final manuscript or cover art, but assets are due at least 10 business days before release.
- All accumulated preorders are credited to the book's sales rank on release day, and customers aren't charged until release.
- Smashwords Presales are a separate option and require the final manuscript and cover art.
Who it hits
Authors who publish wide, or who are deciding between exclusive-to-Amazon and going wide.
What to do this week
If you're wide and planning a launch, compare the file deadlines: KDP wants the final file more than 72 hours before release, Smashwords wants assets at least 10 business days before.
Still unknown
Whether the other retailers Draft2Digital distributes to change their own preorder rules.
OfficialEffective September 2, 2026
Kindle pre-order window extended to 18 months
What changed
- New Kindle ebook pre-orders created on or after September 2, 2026 can sit up to 18 months out — up from the old 12-month cap.
- Pre-orders created before September 2, 2026 keep the old 12-month limit — the cap is set by creation date, not retroactive.
- Postponements: 1 free postpone (up to 30 days past the current date) for pre-Sep-2 listings, vs. up to 2 free postpones (within 6 months of the original date) for new ones.
- Missed-deadline penalty is softer: the first miss or cancel is now a courtesy (privileges stay), the second costs 6 months (was a full 1-year ban) and then auto-restores.
- Unchanged: Kindle ebook only, no paperback/hardcover pre-order, 10 active pre-orders at a time, final manuscript still due more than 72 hours before release.
Who it hits
Any author considering a Kindle pre-order, especially series authors and anyone with a launch date already owed to readers or a course/talk.
What to do this week
Don't assume 18 months is the right choice by default — it mainly earns its place for series infrastructure, a date already owed, or rank that drips in early. A first book with no list usually doesn't need one at all.
Still unknown
How Amazon will treat pre-orders that span the transition period long-term, and whether further cap changes are planned.
OfficialEffective September 21, 2026
KDP limits new titles to 2 per format per week: one cap for creating, one for submitting
What changed
- You can create up to 2 new titles per book format each week, and submit up to 2 new titles per book format each week.
- A title counts toward the submission limit the first time you submit it for publication, including titles previously saved as drafts.
- Updates to titles you've already submitted do not count against the weekly submission limit.
- The two limits are separate, apply separately to ebook, paperback, and hardcover, and reset every Sunday at 12:00 AM UTC.
Who it hits
Authors who launch several books or formats in the same week, and anyone holding a stack of saved drafts.
What to do this week
Count your formats, check how many drafts you plan to submit, and stagger launches across weeks around the Sunday UTC reset.
Still unknown
What happens to drafts that are created but never submitted, and whether Amazon will offer any exception path.
OfficialEffective Enrollment open since May 26, 2026; legacy model discontinued by end of 2026
ACX retires its legacy royalty model by year-end: 50% exclusive, 30% non-exclusive
What changed
- By the end of the year the legacy royalty model will be discontinued; creators must enroll titles in the new model or discontinue distribution.
- New rates: 50% exclusive (was 40%) and 30% non-exclusive (was 25%).
- Membership royalties equal Member Value (the price of a listener's monthly plan minus taxes and fees) multiplied by your contractual royalty rate.
- Creators in the new model can opt titles into the All-You-Can-Listen catalog in the Premium plan.
Who it hits
Anyone with an audiobook distributed through ACX, or planning one before year-end.
What to do this week
Open ACX, look for the blue Enroll titles banner on My Projects, and decide on exclusive or non-exclusive distribution.
Still unknown
Real per-sale earnings under Member Value, and whether the year-end deadline will move.
OfficialEffective Enforcement tightened 2026
AI disclosure is enforced, not theoretical
What changed
- KDP requires disclosure of AI-generated text, images/covers, and translations. AI-assisted work (grammar help, brainstorming, outline-then-you-write) generally does not need disclosure.
- The disclosure checkbox is internal — there is no public 'AI book' badge shown to shoppers.
- Editing AI-generated output does not change its classification as AI-generated.
- Enforcement tightened in 2026, with self-help, business, and medical categories called out as hot zones.
- Penalties for non-disclosure include title removal, withheld royalties, and account risk on repeat offenses.
- Retroactive disclosure on older titles is accepted. Upload velocity limits exist, though reported daily/weekly caps vary by source.
Who it hits
Any author using AI for generated text, cover art, or translations — not authors only using AI for grammar/brainstorming assistance.
What to do this week
Review your backlist honestly against the generated-vs-assisted line above. If a title needs disclosure and doesn't have it, KDP accepts retroactive disclosure — do it before it's found for you.
Still unknown
Amazon has not published the exact upload velocity caps, or a single public number for how enforcement is actually detected.
Source: KDP Help — AI Content Guidelines (exact deep link needed before publish)
OfficialEffective June 2025 (still widely misunderstood in 2026)
Print royalty cut under $9.99 — a 2025 rule people still miss
What changed
- Paperbacks/hardcovers priced under $9.99 pay 50% minus print cost, not the 60% many authors still assume.
- Books priced $9.99 and above still earn 60%.
- Many existing catalogs were never repriced after this rule took effect.
Who it hits
Any author with a print title priced under $9.99.
What to do this week
Run real per-page print-cost math for your 200/300/400-page B&W titles at $8.99, $9.99, and $14.99 before assuming your current price point is still the right one.
Still unknown
Amazon has not indicated any plan to revisit this print threshold alongside the 2026 ebook royalty band change.
Source: KDP Help — Print Royalty (exact deep link needed before publish)
OfficialEffective 2026
New print options: standard color and groundwood paper
What changed
- Standard color is now available, cheaper than premium color.
- Groundwood/recycled-fiber paper is available for black & white interiors only, roughly 5% cheaper per page.
Who it hits
Print authors with long nonfiction titles where per-page cost adds up.
What to do this week
Check KDP's own pricing calculator for your specific page count and trim size — confirm the real rate before assuming the 5% figure applies exactly to your book.
Still unknown
Print rates move; treat any specific percentage as directional, not fixed, and re-check against the live calculator.
Source: KDP Help — Print Options (exact deep link needed before publish)
Community (unverified)Effective 2026
A large wave of new categories, and what's actually locked after publish
What changed
- The US store added a large wave of new categories — community sources cite roughly 958, though Amazon has not published an official count.
- Many new categories are thin, low-traffic 'ghost' shelves.
- Category changes can take about 72 hours to reflect.
- Ebook title/subtitle locks on publish with no grace window; print titles get a 72-hour grace window before locking.
- Updating manuscript, cover, description, or keywords in place does not wipe existing reviews. A brand-new title creates a new ASIN and starts review count over from zero.
Who it hits
Any author choosing categories for a new title, or considering a title change on an existing one.
What to do this week
Before picking a new 'ghost' category for the sake of a top-10 badge, check whether it actually gets real search traffic — a rank badge in an empty category doesn't sell books.
Still unknown
The exact new-category count is a community estimate, not an Amazon-published figure.
Source: Community reporting (community cites ~958 new categories) — needs an official KDP confirmation before treating the exact count as fact
OfficialEffective August 1, 2026
Payment Service Provider (PSP) / KYC requirements expanded
What changed
- PSP bank accounts must now be with a participating PSP that has completed KYC (Know Your Customer) verification, or royalties and publishing can freeze.
- EUR check payments also changed in August 2026.
Who it hits
Any author paid via a Payment Service Provider rather than direct bank transfer, especially those on EUR check payments.
What to do this week
If your August royalties are late, check your PSP's KYC status before assuming it's a sales problem.
Still unknown
The full list of which PSPs currently qualify as 'participating' is not consolidated in one place yet.
Source: KDP Help — Payments (exact deep link needed before publish)
OfficialEffective January 2026 (titles published after ~Dec 9, 2025)
DRM-free Kindle titles can now download as EPUB/PDF
What changed
- Readers can download no-DRM ebooks as EPUB/PDF directly from Manage Your Content, for titles published after roughly December 9, 2025.
- DRM-protected books remain locked as before.
- Separately, Kindle Oasis firmware hardened DRM, and the Libby airplane-mode 'keep the loan' workaround stopped working in August 2026.
- Pre-2012 Kindles lost store access entirely on May 20, 2026.
Who it hits
Authors deciding whether to leave DRM on or off for a given title, and anyone with readers still on very old Kindle devices.
What to do this week
Decide DRM on a per-title basis: off tends to make sense for wide readers or course extras, on tends to make sense for higher-piracy-risk genres.
Still unknown
Amazon hasn't clarified whether the EPUB/PDF download option will ever extend to titles published before December 2025.
Source: KDP Help — DRM (exact deep link needed before publish)
OfficialEffective October 1, 2026 (base Kindle available now; Paperwhite and Colorsoft on preorder)
Amazon refreshes its Kindle lineup: edge-to-edge color and a $34.99 page-turn remote
What changed
- Amazon announced a redesigned base Kindle ($149.99), Kindle Paperwhite (from $199.99), and Kindle Colorsoft (from $289.99), with a flush-front display and edge-to-edge color across the family.
- The base Kindle is available from October 1; the Paperwhite and Colorsoft are on preorder on a rolling basis (trade coverage reports an October 28 ship date).
- Kindle Click, a $34.99 Bluetooth page-turn remote, works with all new Kindles and any Kindle from 2024 or later.
- Amazon says Kindle has seen double-digit growth globally for three consecutive years, with more than 720 billion pages read in 2025.
Who it hits
Ebook authors whose readers use Kindles, especially anyone with color covers or color interior images.
What to do this week
Preview your ebook and cover in KDP's preview tools. No file changes are required.
Still unknown
Whether Amazon will confirm the October 28 ship date on its own pages, and whether KDP will change Kindle preview or file guidance.
OfficialEffective 2026, ongoing beta
Kindle Translate (invite-only beta)
What changed
- English can be paired with Spanish, German, French, Italian, or Portuguese (Brazil).
- Amazon reports a 4+ star average on these translated editions; translated editions are labeled for readers, with the same royalty terms as the English original.
- Translations generate in hours and go live in roughly 72 hours.
- Kindle Translate output counts as AI-generated and must be disclosed if you publish it yourself — Amazon's own tool is the official path.
Who it hits
Authors considering a foreign-language edition without commissioning a human translation.
What to do this week
If you're invited to the beta, remember the disclosure requirement applies to translated output the same as any other AI-generated content.
Still unknown
Which additional languages are coming next, and when the beta opens beyond invite-only.
Source: KDP Help — Kindle Translate (exact deep link needed before publish)
OfficialEffective July 2026 (floats monthly)
KU fund and per-page rate — July 2026 numbers
What changed
- KDP's own Select page shows July 2026 author earnings of $71.0 million.
- Independent trackers estimate the Global Fund around $67.6M and the US per-page rate near $0.004221 for July.
- All-Stars bonuses still sit on top of standard page-read pay.
Who it hits
Any author enrolled in KDP Select, especially those tracking page-read revenue month to month.
What to do this week
Don't assume last month's per-page rate holds — it floats monthly, so re-check before projecting revenue.
Still unknown
The exact reconciliation between Amazon's own reported figure and independent trackers' estimates.
Source: KDP Select page — Fund size (exact deep link needed before publish)
