The Complete Beginner's Guide to Publishing Books on KDP & Selling Digital Copies
This simple guide explains everything about book publishing - from understanding basic terms to formatting and selling your book, without confusing technical language.
Complete Guide Contents
1. Understanding Bleed vs No Bleed
With Bleed
- What Bleed Means: To prevent white edges during printing and cutting, you need to design your pages 0.125 inches larger than the final size.
- Example: Final trimmed size: 8.5x11 inches | Design size with bleed: 8.625x11.25 inches (0.125 inches larger on all sides)
- Cutting process: After printing, 0.125 inches is cut off from all sides (Top, Bottom, Left, Right) to reach the final 8.5x11 inch size.
- Best for: Coloring books, children's books, cookbooks.
No Bleed
- What No Bleed Means: No extra space is added - you design at the exact final size, just following standard margins (0.25-0.5 inches).
- Cutting process: Since there is no bleed, there is no extra cutting, only the extra part of the page (if there is misalignment) may be slightly trimmed during printing. | The final size is the size of the design (e.g. 8.5x11 inches).
- Best for: Novels, textbooks, books with mostly text
Bleed vs No Bleed: Summary
| Feature | With Bleed | No Bleed |
|---|---|---|
| Extra Area (Bleed) | 0.125 inches (all sides) | None |
| Final Size (After Cutting) | 8.5x11 inches | 8.5x11 inches (unchanged) |
| Cutting Process | 0.125 inches trimmed from all sides | Only extra edges (if any) are trimmed |
✔ Pro Tips: For bleed books, extend images to the bleed line. For no-bleed books, keep content within margins.
Inside margin is the margin on the binding side of the book, so we will take the left side. | The outside margin is the remaining 3 sides: top, bottom, and right side. (The side of the book that will not be binding.)
2. Paperback vs Hardcover: Which is Better?
Paperback Books
- Cost: Cheaper to produce
- Best for: First-time authors, low-cost books
- KDP choice: Select this if unsure
Hardcover Books
- Cost: More expensive
- Best for: Special editions, gift books
- KDP choice: Only use for premium books
Our Recommendation: Start with paperback - it's cheaper for readers and easier to sell.
3. Setting Margins in Canva (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Create Your Document
- Log in to Canva and click "Custom Size"
- Set units to inches
- Enter dimensions:
- With Bleed: 8.625" x 11.25"
- No Bleed: 8.5" x 11"
Step 2: Set Margins Using Guides
- Click File → Settings (gear icon)
- Enable "Show rulers and guides"
- Drag guidelines from the left/top edges:
-
Example: Pages Size- With Bleed, Size- 8.625x11.25 and 250 Number of pages!
- Left (Inside) margin: 0.5" for 250-page books
- Other margins (Top/Bottom/Right): 0.375"
- Lock it as a template (right-click → "Lock element")
- Pro Tip: The ruler shows measurements like "0.500" for 0.5 inches
Alternative Method: Rectangle Shapes
- Go to Elements → Shapes and add a rectangle
- Resize it to leave:
- 0.5" space on left
- 0.375" space on other sides
4. The Complete Beginner's Guide to Spiral Bound Book Design & Printing
This simple guide explains exactly how to prepare your book for spiral binding - from choosing the right size to setting perfect margins, all in plain language anyone can understand.
(i). Best Sizes for Spiral Binding
Most Popular Spiral Bound Sizes:
- A5 (5.83" x 8.27"): Perfect for notebooks, workbooks - fits neatly in bags
- A4 (8.5" x 11"): Best for activity books, cookbooks - gives more space
- KDP Sizes (6"x9", 8.625"x11.25"): Good if you might publish on Amazon later
💡 Money-Saving Tip: A5 size saves paper - you can print two books from one A4 sheet!
(ii). Spiral Binding Margin Settings
How to Calculate Your Margins:
| Book Type | Left Margin | Other Margins | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spiral Bound | 1.125" | 0.25" | Extra space for spiral coils |
| KDP Paperback | 0.375" | 0.375" | Standard book binding |
Step-by-Step Margin Setup:
- Start with your chosen book size (e.g. 8.625x11".25") and page of contain: 150
- Left Side: Add 0.75" to KDP's inside margin (0.375" + 0.75" = 1.125") | Leave space for the holes for the spiral binding.
- Other Sides (The remaining 3 sides (top, bottom and right sides): Use 0.25" for safety during hand-cutting
(iii). Bleed vs No Bleed: When to Use Each
| Feature | With Bleed | No Bleed |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Coloring books, photo books | Novels, text books |
| Page Size | 8.625" x 11.25" (A4 with bleed) | 8.5" x 11" (exact A4) |
| Extra Space | 0.125" on edges for cutting | No extra space |
How Bleed Works:
Imagine printing a family photo to frame:
- With Bleed: You print slightly bigger than the frame, then trim to fit perfectly
- No Bleed: You print exactly the frame size, leaving white borders if not perfectly centered
- Note: Bleed does not mean original size ( e.g. original size : 8.5x11) Adding bleed will make it 8.625x11.25. ( Example: 8.625 bleed means "right side" → 8.5+0.125= 8.625. Only one side, no bleed on the left side, because that is the binding side. and 11.25 bleed "up+down" → 11+0.125+0.125=11.25).
- The 0.125" bleed will be cut off during printing (the cut will leave a no bleed 8.5" x 11" section). This 0.125 bleed has 3 sides: top, bottom and right.
(iv). Safe Zones for Important Content
The 0.25" Safety Rule:
No Bleed for books (8.5" x 11"):
- Left Side: 1.125" (0.375" KDP Inside + 0.75" Spiral)
- Other Sides: Right/Top/Bottom: 0.25"
- Left Side: Start content at 1.375" (1.125" margin + 0.25" safety)
- Other Sides: Keep content within 0.5" from edges (0.25" margin + 0.25" safety)
Margins:
Safe Zone (content storage):
For books with Bleed (8.625" x 11.25"):
- Left Side: 1.125" (0.375" KDP Inside + 0.75" Spiral)
- Other Sides: Right/Top/Bottom: 0.25" (but 0.125" extra will be cut for bleed)
- Left Side: Start at 1.375" (1.125" + 0.25")
- Right: Indent 0.375" (0.25" margin + 0.125" bleed cut)
- Top/Bottom:: Indent 0.375" (0.25" margin + 0.125" bleed cut)
Margins:
Safe Zone (content storage):
Important Explanation:
1. Bleed (0.125" extra) only the part cut during printing:Example:
💡 Design Tip: Use light guide lines in Canva or Word to mark these safe zones before adding content.
(v). What to Tell Your Print Shop
For Books With Bleed:
"Please print this 8.625" x 11.25" book with:
- 1.125" left margin for spiral coils
- Trim 0.125" from top, bottom, and right edges"
For Books Without Bleed:
"Please print this 8.5" x 11" book with:
- 1.125" left margin for spiral coils
- No trimming needed on other sides"
(vi). Why Customers Love Spiral Bound Books
- Lays flat when open - great for cookbooks/coloring
- More durable than glued binding
- Easier to photocopy pages
- Professional look for workbooks
5. Simple Formatting for All Book Types
Fiction Books Formatting
- Use 11-12pt easy-to-read fonts like Times New Roman
- 1.5 line spacing for comfortable reading
- Start each chapter on right-hand page
Non-Fiction Books Formatting
- Use clear headings and subheadings
- Add space around images/diagrams
- Include page numbers and table of contents
6. How to Promote Books Without Ads
- Social Media: Share book pages on Facebook/Instagram
- Email List: Build a free list using Mailchimp
- Book Sites: Submit to Goodreads
- Local Stores: Ask to sell your physical copies
- Blogging: Write about your book's topic
7. Free Alternatives to KDP
| Platform | Best For | vs KDP |
|---|---|---|
| Lulu | Print-on-demand | More format options |
| Barnes & Noble Press | US bookstore sales | Better US store presence |
| Kobo Writing Life | International sales | Better outside Amazon |
8. KDP Publishing Checklist
- Choose between paperback or hardcover
- Pick correct size (6"x9" most popular)
- Set proper margins (see section 3)
- Create cover that matches KDP template
- Upload files and preview carefully
- Set price (KDP takes 40-60% royalty)
- Publish and wait 72 hours for approval
Important Rules:
- No copyrighted material
- Minimum 24 pages
- Must have readable text
9. Most Popular Book Types
Fiction Books
- Romance novels
- Mystery stories
- Science fiction
- Children's picture books
Non-Fiction Books
- Self-help books
- Cookbooks
- How-to guides
- Coloring books
- Academic workbooks
10. Essential Free Tools
- Canva - For book covers and layouts
- Grammarly - Checks spelling/grammar
- Scribus - Free book formatting software
- KDP Cover Calculator - Get exact cover sizes
Need more help? Visit Amazon KDP or ask in author communities.
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