What this error means
KDP's metadata reviewer runs OCR over your cover image, finds the title and subtitle, and compares against what you typed in the dashboard's Title and Subtitle fields. Any meaningful difference triggers rejection with "The title on your book cover does not match the title you have entered."
The rule is strict in spirit, lenient on micro-detail. Differences that matter:
- Different words entirely
- Subtitle on cover but no subtitle in dashboard (or vice versa)
- Series name on cover but not in dashboard
- "& Co" on cover vs "and Co" in dashboard
- "The Truth About X" vs "Truth About X"
Differences that usually don't:
- Capitalisation (cover often uses ALL CAPS for style)
- Hyphenation in compound words
- Em-dash vs en-dash
When in doubt, match exactly.
Why it happens
Series titles. Author types "The Quiet War: Book One" on cover but only "The Quiet War" in dashboard. Rejected. Or the cover shows the book title only but the dashboard has "Book Title: A Subtitle".
Subtitle creep. Designer adds a long subtitle for marketing ("The Indispensable Guide to UK Tax Self-Assessment for the Self-Employed") but the dashboard has a short version.
Author name discrepancy. Same rule applies to author. Cover says "Robert James Prime", dashboard says "Robert Prime". Counted as mismatch.
Pen name confusion. Author uses a pen name on the cover but enters real name in the dashboard "Author" field.
Edition naming. "Second Edition" on cover, no edition in the dashboard title.
Translated titles. A French translation lists the French title on the cover but the English original in the dashboard.
The fix
Step 1: Open your KDP dashboard and find the listing for this book.
Step 2: Note exactly what you typed in:
- Book Title field
- Subtitle field (often blank)
- Series field
- Edition Number field
- Author / Contributors field
Step 3: Open your cover image at full size. Read every word of text on the front and spine.
Step 4: Identify every difference between cover and dashboard. List them.
Step 5: Decide which side to change. Two options:
Update dashboard to match cover — easier (no file changes). Edit the dashboard fields to reflect what's printed on the cover exactly.
Update cover to match dashboard — needed if the dashboard reflects what's printed inside the book (on the title page) and you want consistency throughout.
Step 6 (dashboard fix): Open the listing → edit Book Title → make it match exactly. Same for Subtitle. Save. KDP re-runs the check.
Step 7 (cover fix): Open the cover design → update the offending text → re-export as flattened PDF/X-1a → re-upload cover. KDP re-runs the check.
Step 8: Confirm consistency at the title page inside the book too. If your interior PDF's title page says "Robert James Prime" but the cover says "Robert Prime", that's an internal contradiction even if both match the dashboard. Fix the interior title page to match the cover.
Step 9: For pen names: the dashboard "Author" field should be the public pen name (what appears on the cover and in customer listings). KDP has a separate "Contributor" field for legal name purposes if needed.
Step 10: For series: include the series and book number in the Series fields, not embedded in the title. Customers can then browse the series in Kindle store.
How to pre-flight it
Our free KDP Readiness Score runs OCR on your cover and compares the extracted title and author against what you'll enter in the dashboard. Mismatches are flagged before you upload. Plus 30+ other KDP rules.
Related errors
FAQ
Does capitalisation matter? Generally no — "The Quiet War" and "THE QUIET WAR" are considered the same. But to be safe, match exactly.
What about the author name — do middle names matter? Yes — "Robert Prime" and "Robert J. Prime" are treated as different. Match exactly across cover, interior title page, dashboard, and copyright page.
Can I add an edition number later? Yes — second editions need a new ISBN, but the dashboard title can stay the same if you don't put "Second Edition" on the cover. If your cover advertises the edition, the dashboard must too.
My cover says 'A Novel' as a subtitle — should I include that in the dashboard? Yes — "A Novel" on the cover should appear in the Subtitle field. KDP treats subtitle as a discoverable field that helps readers find your book.
