Last reviewed by Robert Prime, 12 October 2026. Rules read that day on Amazon’s help pages for locked book details, manuscripts, covers, new editions, processing times and updated ebook content, and on the Nielsen ISBN Store FAQ.
Quick Answer: Fixing typos, uploading a corrected interior, changing the description, keywords or price, and swapping the cover are updates to the live book: change them on your Bookshelf and they go live within about 72 hours. Changing the title, primary author, trim size or ISBN, or changing the page count by more than 10%, means publishing a new edition. Past Kindle buyers get updated content automatically unless they’ve switched updates off.
Table of Contents
- What you can change, and what is locked
- Update or new edition? Amazon’s rules
- Does it need a new ISBN?
- How long updates take
- Do past Kindle buyers get the update?
- How to publish a new edition
- Edition notice template
- Frequently asked questions
What you can change, and what is locked
Amazon: “After publishing your book, certain book details are locked and can’t be changed. To update locked details, you’ll need to publish a new edition of your book” (KDP: update book details).
| Detail | Ebook | Paperback / hardcover |
|---|---|---|
| Description, keywords, categories | Editable | Editable |
| Price, territories | Editable | Editable |
| Contributors, reading age | Editable | Editable |
| Manuscript (corrections) | Re-upload | Re-upload |
| Cover | Re-upload | Re-upload |
| Ink and paper type | n/a | Only certain paper switches on black and white titles |
| Title, subtitle, primary author | Locked | Locked after 72 hours from first publishing |
| Edition number, language | Locked | Locked |
| Publication date, ISBN choice, imprint | n/a | Locked |
| Trim size, royalty rate | n/a | Locked |
| Low-content checkbox | n/a | Locked |
For print, the 72-hour window: “you can edit your book’s title, subtitle, or primary author name within 72 hours of your title’s initial publication date, after it is no longer In Review… After 72 hours, these fields are fully locked.”
On covers, Amazon says: “If your book has been published, your updated cover art must include the current title and author name” (KDP: update your cover).
Update or new edition? Amazon’s rules
From KDP: new editions and update your manuscript:
- “Small changes such as typos or capitalization fixes do not require a new edition number.”
- “If you are making changes that will change the page count of your book by more than 10%, you’ll need to create a new edition.”
- “For significant changes, such as new chapters, publish a new edition.”
- Changing a locked detail (title, primary author, ISBN, trim size) needs a new edition.
A contradiction to know about: Amazon’s new-editions page lists “cover” among the “core book details” whose change makes a new edition, while its cover page says “You can upload an updated cover file to change the cover art”. Our reading: a new cover design on the same book, with the same title and author, is an update you can upload; check the new-editions page again before you rely on that.
| Your change | Update or new edition? |
|---|---|
| Fix typos, layout errors | Update |
| Rewrite the description, change keywords | Update |
| New cover, same title and author | Update (see the contradiction above) |
| Add an author’s note, under 10% more pages | Update |
| Add new chapters | New edition |
| Page count up or down by more than 10% | New edition |
| New title or subtitle (after 72 hours) | New edition |
| New trim size | New edition |
| Switch from KDP’s free ISBN to your own | New edition |
Does it need a new ISBN?
KDP’s rules decide whether Amazon treats it as a new edition. The ISBN agencies decide whether it needs a new ISBN. In the UK that is Nielsen (Nielsen FAQ):
- “A change of cover design with no changes to the content of the book should not have a new ISBN.”
- “Changes in binding always require new ISBNs.”
- “All changes of format require new ISBNs.”
- “Price changes with no other changes do not require new ISBNs and indeed must not change the ISBN.”
- A straight reprint of “exactly the same product may be made using the same ISBN”, but “If you make any changes to the content or format of the product, a new ISBN should be allocated” (Nielsen, Important Notes for Publishers).
The International ISBN Agency adds that “A (substantial) change of text requires a new ISBN”, and that the revised edition’s ISBN should be printed on the reverse of the title page (ISBN assignment). Our ISBN guide explains free KDP ISBNs versus your own.
How long updates take
From KDP: processing times:
| Change | Time Amazon gives |
|---|---|
| Ebook manuscript or cover | 72 hours |
| Paperback or hardcover manuscript or cover | Up to 72 hours |
| Ebook list price | 24 hours |
| Print list price | 72 hours to 5 business days |
| Paperback “Read Sample” | 9-10 business days |
Amazon also warns: “Previously manufactured copies of your book may be sold if there is still inventory available, or if a third-party seller is offering it.” Order a fresh proof once the update is live (see proof copies and author copies).
Do past Kindle buyers get the update?
Yes, now automatically: “After you republish an updated version of your eBook, the updated content is automatically delivered to customers who previously purchased it.” Their place, highlights and notes are kept. Two catches: “Readers who have turned off ‘Automatic Book Update’ in their Kindle settings will not receive your updates automatically”, and Amazon says to “Allow a few days for delivery” (KDP: updated ebook content).
Amazon won’t push content that has “significant changes that warrant a new edition”. Those readers would need to buy the new edition.
How to publish a new edition
- Decide the new ISBN (your own, or KDP’s free one for print).
- Set it up on your Bookshelf as a new book. Amazon says a significantly changed manuscript “is considered a new edition and should be published as a new book”.
- Enter the edition number, and the new title or trim size if those are changing.
- Upload the revised interior and a cover sized for the new page count (the spine width calculator gives the spine).
- Publish, then link the formats and add it to your series if it has one (see KDP series pages).
- Unpublish the old edition if you don’t want both on sale (see how to unpublish on KDP).
Edition notice template
For the copyright page of the new edition:
Second edition published [Year] by [Imprint or your name].
First published [Year].
This edition revised and expanded, with [two new chapters / an updated introduction / corrections throughout].
ISBN [new ISBN] (paperback)Frequently asked questions
Can I change my book’s cover on KDP after publishing?
Yes: upload a new cover file. It must keep the current title and author name.
Can I change my book title on KDP?
For print, only within 72 hours of first publishing. After that, and always for ebooks, a new title means a new edition.
Will my reviews carry over to a new edition?
Amazon’s update and edition pages don’t say, so we won’t promise it.
Does fixing typos need a new ISBN?
No. Nielsen’s rule is new content or a new format; corrections and reprints keep the ISBN.
How long does a KDP manuscript update take?
Up to 72 hours for ebook and print.
Final thoughts
Most changes are updates: fix it, upload it, wait three days. Save new editions for real revisions, and give each one its own ISBN.
Related guides
— Robert publishing.co.uk
