KDP Formatting

Common KDP Rejection Reasons and Fixes — Interactive Troubleshooting Tool

The publishing.co.uk Team 21 March 2026 1 min read Updated 21 Mar 2026

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

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Formatting Checklist

Complete pre-upload checklist to avoid rejections

[Margin Calculator](/guides/kdp-margin-calculator/)

Most rejections are margin-related — check yours

Cover Formatting Guide

Get exact cover dimensions to avoid cover rejections

Robert Prime

The publishing.co.uk Team

Robert Prime is a best-selling self-published author, veteran eCommerce strategist, and the founder of publishing.co.uk.

Robert Prime — Founder of publishing.co.uk

About the Author

Robert Prime

Robert Prime is a best-selling self-published author, veteran eCommerce strategist, and the founder of publishing.co.uk. With over 25 years of experience in digital business he brings a battle-tested perspective to the publishing industry. After experiencing firsthand the archaic, headache-inducing process of formatting a KDP-compliant book for his own best-seller, Google. Panic. Repeat., Robert built publishing.co.uk to solve the problem for other authors. He is also a co-owner of the LoveReading.co.uk network (the UK's leading book discovery platforms), founder of the Amazon growth agency MrPrime.com, and a member of the Forbes Business Council.

KDP Formatting Troubleshooting Rejection Self-Publishing

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