KDP Rejected Your Book? Here's Exactly How to Fix It

There are few things more frustrating for an author than hitting the “Publish” button on Amazon KDP, waiting 72 hours, and receiving an email with the subject line: Action Required: Please review your KDP title.

KDP’s automated review system is designed to catch printing errors before they happen. While the emails can be cryptic, the underlying issues are usually straightforward to fix. Here is exactly how to resolve the three most common KDP formatting rejections.

Error 1: “Text is outside the margins”

This is by far the most common reason for a manuscript to be rejected. KDP requires a minimum safe zone for all text to ensure it isn’t accidentally trimmed off during the printing process.

The KDP Email Says:

“Please check your interior file. We found text outside the margins. Text must be at least 0.25" (6.4 mm) from the edge of the page.”

How to Fix It:

1. Open your source document (Word, Pages, etc.).
2. Check your page margins. Ensure your top, bottom, and outside margins are at least 0.25 inches.
3. The Hidden Culprit: Often, the main text is fine, but a page number, header, footer, or an image caption has drifted into the margin. Check your header and footer settings specifically.
4. If your book has bleed (images that go to the edge), ensure that only the images extend into the bleed zone. Text overlaid on those images must still respect the 0.25" safe zone.

Error 2: “Insufficient Gutter Margin”

The gutter is the inside margin where the pages are bound together. If your gutter is too small, the text will disappear into the spine of the book.

The KDP Email Says:

“Based on your page count, your inside margin (gutter) is too small. Please increase your inside margin and upload a new file.”

How to Fix It: The required gutter size scales with the length of your book.

1. Check your final PDF page count.
2. Adjust your gutter margin according to KDP’s scale:
   • Up to 150 pages: 0.375" (9.6 mm)
   • 151 to 300 pages: 0.5" (12.7 mm)
   • 301 to 500 pages: 0.625" (15.9 mm)
   • Over 500 pages: 0.75" (19.1 mm)
3. Remember that adding to the gutter will shift your text and increase your overall page count, which may require you to adjust the gutter again.

Error 3: “Fonts are not embedded”

When a font is not embedded in your PDF, KDP’s printers don’t know how to draw the letters. They will substitute a default font, which changes the size of the text and ruins your pagination.

The KDP Email Says:

“We found unembedded fonts in your interior file. Please embed all fonts and upload a new file.”

How to Fix It: If you are using Microsoft Word:

1. Go to File > Options > Save.
2. Under “Preserve fidelity when sharing this document,” check the box for “Embed fonts in the file.”
3. Leave “Do not embed common system fonts” unchecked to be safe.
4. When exporting to PDF, select “Options” and ensure “PDF/A compliant” is checked.

If you are using a Mac (Pages): macOS automatically embeds fonts when you select File > Export To > PDF. If you are getting this error from a Mac, you may be using an OTF font with restricted licensing. Try switching to a standard TTF or system font.

The “Never Get Rejected Again” Method

Fixing these errors manually requires trial and error, and every time you upload a new file, you have to wait up to 72 hours for KDP to review it again.

At publishing.co.uk, we built our formatting engine specifically to eliminate this problem. Every PDF generated by our system is automatically audited against KDP’s current specifications before it is delivered to you.

We guarantee our files will be accepted by KDP, or we’ll refund your money in full.