Common KDP Rejection Reasons and Fixes — Interactive Troubleshooting Tool

Select your rejection reason below to get specific, step-by-step fix instructions. You can also search by keyword.

Prevention Checklist

Before submitting to KDP, run through these checks to avoid the most common rejections:

1. Margins — Use our Margin Calculator to verify gutter and outside margins
2. Cover dimensions — Use our Cover Formatting Guide for exact dimensions
3. Page count — Ensure an even number of pages (add a blank page if odd)
4. Fonts — Embed all fonts in your PDF
5. Images — 300 DPI minimum, no upscaled low-resolution images
6. ISBN — If using your own ISBN, ensure it matches exactly in metadata and copyright page
7. Content — No placeholder text, no "lorem ipsum", no blank chapters
8. File format — PDF for paperback interior, EPUB for Kindle eBook
9. Bleed — If enabled, content must extend 0.125" beyond trim on all edges
10. Preview — Always check the KDP online previewer before submitting

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common reason KDP rejects a book?

Margins being too small is the single most common rejection, followed by incorrect cover dimensions and ISBN mismatches between metadata, copyright page, and cover.

Does KDP let me upload a Word document for my paperback?

No — KDP only accepts PDF for paperback interiors. Word (DOCX) files are accepted for Kindle eBooks alongside EPUB and KPF, but never for paperback uploads.

How do I confirm all fonts are embedded in my PDF before resubmitting?

Open the PDF in Adobe Reader and go to File → Properties → Fonts. Every font listed should say "Embedded" or "Embedded Subset" — if any do not, re-export with font embedding enabled.

Can I publish a KDP paperback with under 79 pages and spine text?

No. KDP requires at least 79 pages (around 0.2 inches of spine width) before any text is allowed on the spine. Books thinner than that must leave the spine area blank.

Further reading from official sources

• KDP — Content guidelines — the official rules KDP reviewers apply.
• KDP — Quality issues and how to fix them — Amazon's quality-flag documentation.

Related Tools

Specific error pages

Each of these covers one common KDP rejection cause — what triggers it, why it happens, the exact fix, and how to pre-flight it before resubmitting. Use the free KDP Readiness Score to catch all of them at once.

Margin, gutter & page-count issues

• Margin too small (gutter or outside)
• Odd page count
• Under minimum pages (<24)
• Over maximum pages (>828)
• Page-count rules

Image & DPI issues

• Low image DPI (<300)
• Embedded images too large
• Blurry images on KDP

Font & typography

• Font not embedded in PDF
• Transparency not flattened

Cover & trim issues

• Cover dimensions don't match interior trim
• Low-res cover (<2560×1600)
• Cover text in bleed zone
• Bleed misconfigured
• Crop marks present
• Spine too narrow for text
• CMYK colour-space

ISBN & metadata

• ISBN mismatch (metadata vs copyright page)
• Metadata title mismatch (cover vs dashboard)

EPUB & Kindle

• EPUB validation failed
• ToC broken links
• Kindle fixed-layout metadata missing
• Right-to-left flag missing (Arabic / Hebrew)

Content & quality

• Lorem ipsum / placeholder text detected
• Blank chapter
• Over maximum file size (>650MB)
• Content-quality flag (AI content not disclosed)