What this error means
KDP's content quality checker runs string matches against a list of common placeholder phrases and dummy text patterns. If it finds Lorem ipsum, "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet", "Insert text here", "[Chapter title]", "TK" (used by journalists meaning "to come"), or repeated nonsense paragraphs, the book is rejected with "Your manuscript contains placeholder or dummy text."
This is a content quality rule, not a formatting rule. KDP introduced it because of a wave of low-quality and AI-generated books that left placeholders in. Even a single line of Lorem ipsum on the copyright page or in a footer triggers it.
It's separate from the AI-content disclosure rule (which asks you to declare AI-assisted content during upload). Placeholder detection is automatic and unambiguous — you can't disclose your way out of it.
Why it happens
Template residue. Vellum, Atticus, Word, and Canva all ship templates with Lorem ipsum demo text. Authors customise the chapters but miss the copyright page, dedication, or author bio.
"Fill in later" sections. Authors planning their book put "[Add anecdote here]" or "TK insert quote" markers in the draft, then forget to fix them before export.
Designer placeholder names. Cover or front-matter designs from freelancers sometimes include "Author Name" or "Book Title" placeholders that didn't get swapped for the real ones.
Reused chapter templates where the first paragraph is dummy text serving as a layout reference.
AI-generated drafts often retain "[Insert example]" instructions from the prompt, especially in non-fiction outlines.
Word's "Insert Sample Text" feature (=lorem(2,3)) generates Lorem ipsum on demand. Authors use it for layout testing and never remove it.
The fix
Step 1: Run a systematic text search. Open your manuscript and search for each of these:
- "Lorem ipsum"
- "dolor sit amet"
- "consectetur"
- "Insert"
- "[Insert"
- "TK"
- "tktk"
- "TODO"
- "FIXME"
- "Placeholder"
- "Author Name" (if it's not actually your name)
- "Book Title" (if it's not actually your title)
- "Chapter X" (where X is a literal X, not a number)
- "[Add" or "[Write"
- "xxx" (sometimes used as a placeholder)
Step 2: Replace each hit with real content. Even a single occurrence triggers rejection.
Step 3 (Word): Use Find and Replace (Ctrl+H). Tick "Match case" off to catch variants. Tick "Use wildcards" off unless you know what you're doing.
Step 4 (Vellum / Atticus): Both have project-wide search. Run each search term and click through every match.
Step 5: Check the front matter especially carefully. Title page, copyright page, dedication, and acknowledgements are where placeholders survive. Open them one by one.
Step 6: Check footers and headers. Microsoft Word "running heads" sometimes contain placeholder text that doesn't appear in the main body. View → Header and Footer → scan every section.
Step 7: Check image alt-text and metadata. Acrobat → Properties → Description tab → check Title, Author, Subject, Keywords. Placeholder text here counts.
Step 8: Re-export your PDF (or EPUB) once everything's clean. Re-upload.
How to pre-flight it
Our free KDP Readiness Score runs a placeholder sweep across your PDF or EPUB body text, footers, headers, and metadata. We flag every match with page and line numbers. We also check the 30+ other KDP rules in one pass so you fix everything in one round.
Related errors
FAQ
Does KDP reject for the word "TK" if it's part of a name (e.g. TK Maxx)? Context matters. KDP's checker looks for standalone "TK" as a marker. "TK Maxx" or "Mr Tkachenko" should not trigger it — but to be safe, search and confirm each one.
What if Lorem ipsum is intentionally part of my book (e.g. a typography reference)? You'll need to flag this in your upload notes, and may still face manual review. Consider replacing it with English filler text that serves the same purpose.
Does the rule apply to ebooks too? Yes — KDP checks Kindle uploads the same way. Same fix.
My book is published — can KDP retroactively reject for placeholders? Yes. KDP periodically re-scans the catalogue. If a placeholder is detected later, the book is removed pending fix.
