Last reviewed by Robert Prime, July 2026
A proof copy is a pre-publication test print of your book — it carries a "Not for Resale" watermark on the cover and a placeholder barcode instead of your ISBN, and it exists purely so you can check the physical book before readers ever see it. An author copy is the real, finished article: a copy of your live book that Amazon sells you at print cost, with no watermark, which you're free to give away or sell yourself. Both cost print cost plus delivery, neither earns a royalty, and neither appears in your sales reports.
If you're deciding which to order and when: order a proof before you publish (that's the only window you can), and order author copies after your book goes live, for events, review copies and direct sales. Here's the full picture, including the checks worth doing on a proof that most first-time authors skip.
TL;DR — Key Takeaways
- Proof copy = before publishing. Watermarked "Not for Resale", placeholder barcode (no ISBN), maximum of 5 per order. It reflects your latest uploaded files, even unpublished changes.
- Author copy = after publishing. The finished retail book at print cost + delivery, up to 999 per order (and you can order again). You may resell or give these away.
- No royalties, no reports. Neither type generates a royalty or shows in your KDP sales dashboard — you're the customer, not the seller.
- Order proofs from your own marketplace. UK authors order via Amazon.co.uk so the book prints locally — watch the delivery and any taxes at checkout, which can outweigh the print cost itself.
- A proof is a QA tool. Check spine alignment, margins, cover colour, paper feel and page numbering against your on-screen expectations before you approve anything.
What exactly is a KDP proof copy?
When your paperback or hardcover files are uploaded but not yet published, KDP lets you order a printed proof from the "Request printed proofs" option on your book's setup page. Amazon prints whatever your most recently uploaded files contain — including changes you haven't published yet — which is exactly what you want: it's a dress rehearsal for the finished book.
Proofs are deliberately marked so they can't masquerade as retail stock: a "Not for Resale" band on the cover and a unique barcode where your ISBN barcode will eventually sit. You can order up to five in a single order, and you pay the print cost for your book plus delivery.
One cost warning that trips people up: the print cost is usually modest, but delivery (and any taxes added at checkout) can cost more than the book. KDP only shows you the full landed cost when you proceed to checkout, so don't judge the price until you've seen that screen. If you want to understand what drives the print cost itself — page count, trim, ink — our KDP margin calculator breaks the formula down.
What exactly is an author copy?
Once your book is live, the "Order author copies" option lets you buy the actual retail edition at print cost rather than list price. No watermark, real ISBN barcode, identical to the copy a reader would receive — because it is the copy a reader would receive, minus the retail markup.
You can order up to 999 copies in one order, and place further orders if you need more. Two things author copies don't do: they don't pay you a royalty (you're buying at cost, there's no margin to pay a royalty from), and they don't count as sales in your reports or your sales rank.
What they're for:
| Use | Why author copies fit |
|---|---|
| Direct sales at events, fairs, launches | Buy at print cost, sell at your chosen price — often a better per-copy margin than the KDP royalty on that sale |
| Review and press copies | Physical ARCs for local press, bookshops, reviewers |
| Consignment with local bookshops | Most indie shops take stock sale-or-return; author copies are your inventory |
| Family, friends, contributors | Cheaper than everyone buying retail |
If getting stocked by shops is the goal, note that bookshops normally expect trade discounts and returns, which author copies alone don't solve — our guide to getting your book into UK bookshops covers the realistic routes.
Which should I order — and when?
Always order at least one proof before you first publish a print book. It's the only stage at which a physical mistake is free to fix. The on-screen previewer is good, but it cannot tell you how the spine text sits when the book is actually bound, whether your cover's dark background reveals a sliver of white at the trim edge, or how cream paper makes your serif face feel.
Order author copies after publication whenever you need physical stock. If you've just made changes to a live book, remember author copies print the live published files — if you want to check pending changes physically, that's a proof's job (available again whenever you have un-published file changes in progress).
What should I check on my proof? (The 10-minute QA pass)
Go through this with the physical book in hand and your interior PDF open beside it:
- Spine — is the title centred and level? Spine misalignment of a millimetre or two is within print tolerance; text too close to the spine edges will drift over it on some copies. Our spine width calculator shows the maths.
- Cover colour and finish — screens show RGB, printers use CMYK; rich blues and reds usually print darker and duller than the screen version.
- Trim and bleed — background art should run to the very edge with no white slivers; nothing important should sit within the outer 6mm or so.
- Margins and gutter — open the book flat-ish at the middle: does inner text curve into the binding? That's a gutter margin problem, and it's the most common physical-copy complaint.
- First pages of several chapters — consistent drop, consistent header/footer behaviour, page numbers restarting where they should.
- Front matter order and page numbering — roman numerals through the front matter, arabic numerals from the first chapter (see our guide to front and back matter order).
- Paper choice — white vs cream reads very differently in hand than on screen.
- Random middle spread — hold it at arm's length; are the facing pages' baselines level with each other?
- Image quality — anything under 300 DPI that looked "fine" on screen will look soft in print; blurry images are a top rejection and complaint cause.
- Read ten pages. Typos survive every screen pass and die in print. Nobody knows why. Take advantage.
If the proof surfaces margin, gutter or consistency problems in the interior, that's fixable in a day: our formatting service produces a print-ready PDF (and Kindle EPUB) from £69, with revisions included — cheaper than a second round of trial-and-error proofs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do KDP proof copies cost money?
Yes. You pay the print cost of your book plus delivery (and any applicable taxes) — Amazon doesn't do free proofs. The print cost is typically a few pounds for a standard black-and-white paperback; delivery is often the larger line item, and you only see the full total at checkout.
Can I sell my KDP author copies?
Yes. Amazon explicitly allows you to resell or give away author copies — at events, direct from your website, or to local shops. You cannot resell proof copies: they're watermarked "Not for Resale" and carry no ISBN barcode. Note that direct sales of author copies don't affect your Amazon sales rank or generate royalties.
How many proof and author copies can I order?
Up to 5 proof copies per order, and up to 999 author copies per order — and you can place repeat orders for author copies if you need more than 999.
Why can't I order a proof copy right now?
Proofs are only available when your latest uploaded files are in a pre-publication state — either the book has never been published or you have file changes in review/draft. Once a book is live with no pending changes, order author copies instead; they're the same printed product as the retail edition.
Do author copies count towards my sales rank or bestseller status?
No. Author copies (and proofs) are printed at cost, generate no royalty, don't appear in your KDP reports, and have no effect on sales rank. Only retail purchases through Amazon's store count.
About the Author
Robert Prime is a self-published author, veteran e-commerce strategist, and the founder of publishing.co.uk. With over 25 years in digital business — including running the Amazon advertising agency MrPrime.com, he brings a practical, numbers-first perspective to self-publishing. After navigating the formatting and marketing of his own book, Google. Panic. Repeat., he built publishing.co.uk to help UK authors avoid the same pitfalls. He is co-owner of the LoveReading.co.uk network and a member of the Forbes Business Council.
