Last reviewed by Robert Prime, 12 October 2026. Every rule below was checked that day on Amazon’s own help pages: Start a Book Series, Set the reading order, Series page and Metadata Guidelines.
Quick Answer: Go to your KDP Bookshelf, click + Create new title or series, then Create series page. Name the series, choose ordered or unordered, and add your books (or use the … menu next to any book and pick Add to series). Ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers can all be in it, and linked formats join automatically. Amazon says the series page appears within 72 hours once a book in it is live.
Table of Contents
- Why a series page matters
- How to create a series on KDP, step by step
- Ordered or unordered?
- Main content and related content
- Naming rules
- What KDP doesn’t allow
- Series page not showing? Checklist
- Frequently asked questions
Why a series page matters
A series page gathers every book in the series on one Amazon page, so a reader who finishes book one can find book two without searching. It shows on Amazon.co.uk among other marketplaces (KDP: series page). For the wider strategy, such as when to release and how to price book one, see series strategy for self-published authors.
How to create a series on KDP, step by step
- Open your Bookshelf. Click + Create new title or series and select Create series page (KDP: start a book series).
- Name the series and add a short description.
- Choose ordered or unordered (see below).
- Add books. Or, from the Bookshelf, click the ellipsis ("…") next to a book and click Add to series.
- Link formats first. Link your ebook, paperback and hardcover on the Bookshelf, then add any one of them: Amazon says “Any linked format will be automatically added to your series.”
- Set the order of your main titles.
- Wait. “If your series has live titles, the series page will appear within 72 hours.”
You don’t have to finish the series first: “you don’t need to have all books in your series complete before creating one. Books can be added or removed from a series at any time.”
Ordered or unordered?
| Type | Amazon’s description | Example Amazon gives |
|---|---|---|
| Ordered | One storyline throughout multiple books, should be read in order | Harry Potter |
| Unordered | Books with the same characteristics, but don’t need to be read in order | Sherlock Holmes |
| Not a series | Books by the same author, but unrelated | (don’t create one) |
Source: KDP: set the reading order. You can edit the order of main content later. Related content shows “in the order it was added to the series”, so add it in the order you want readers to see it.
Main content and related content
Main content is the numbered books. Related content is everything else Amazon lets you attach: “prequels, novellas, boxsets, etc.” (series page).
Box sets have their own rules:
- “You can add your Kindle boxsets to your series as related content.”
- “We currently don’t offer a way to create a bundled or boxed set for paperback books.”
- For series box sets in ebook, “books must appear in sequential series order” (KDP: boxed and bundled editions).
More on whether to bundle at all: box set strategy.
Naming rules
- The title field “should contain only the actual title of your book as it appears on your book cover” (metadata guidelines). Use the series fields for the series, not the title field.
- “The Series title must adhere to the Book title guidelines.”
- “The title, subtitle, author name, and series information on your cover should match the corresponding metadata fields.” If your cover says “[Series name], Book 2”, the series fields should say the same.
A clean template for the cover and metadata to match:
Title: [Book title]
Series name: [Series name]
Series number: [2]
Cover line: [Series name] · Book [2]What KDP doesn’t allow
From Start a Book Series:
- “Public domain and low-content books, such as notebooks and journals, are not eligible for creating a series.”
- “Currently, discounts are not available for series.”
- Multiple authors: “Contact us to create or update your series with multiple authors.”
- On Amazon Japan, “Series that contain paperback or hardcover books are not available on Amazon.co.jp” (series page).
Series page not showing? Checklist
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Is at least one main title live? | The page appears within 72 hours of live titles being in it |
| Has it been 72 hours? | That is Amazon’s stated time |
| Are the formats linked on the Bookshelf? | Linked formats join automatically; unlinked ones don’t |
| Is a book low-content or public domain? | Those can’t be in a series |
| Is there a co-author? | Multiple-author series need KDP support |
| Do cover and series fields match? | Amazon says they should |
If all six are fine, contact KDP support from the Help page and give them the series name and every ASIN.
Frequently asked questions
Can paperbacks be in a KDP series?
Yes. Amazon says you can start a series “with any book format (i.e. eBook, paperback, or hardcover)”.
Can I add a book to a series after publishing?
Yes. Books can be added or removed from a series at any time.
Can I put a box set in my series?
A Kindle box set, yes, as related content. KDP has no way to make a paperback box set.
Can I discount the whole series at once?
No. Amazon says discounts are not currently available for series.
How many books do I need to create a series?
Amazon’s help pages don’t give a minimum, and you can create the series before the other books exist.
Final thoughts
Set the series up the day book two goes on pre-order, link every format, and make the cover match the series fields. Then the series page does the selling between books for you.
Related guides
- Series strategy for self-published authors
- Box set strategy
- Amazon Author Central UK
- A+ Content modules for books
— Robert publishing.co.uk
