If you are looking for information about KDP publishing it can be difficult to find definitive answers. We understand that some of you may want the minimum and maximum KDP word count, pages and file sizes explained, so we have done the research for you.
We will look at word counts, number of pages and the size of files allowed by KDP. We’ll also examine the limitations for print and ebooks.
Minimum And Maximum Word Count
There is no minimum or maximum word count for books published on KDP. Instead there is a restriction on the number of pages that can be included in the book. This applies to both ebooks and printed books.
In 2013 KDP said it would remove any titles which had fewer than 2,500 words. But considering that 500 words single spaced typically covers one page this seems reasonable as it would amount to just five pages.
There is no longer any mention of this restriction in KDP help.
File Sizes
One of the first restrictions you will encounter is the size of your PDF file. Regarding book cover files for print books, KDP says that files larger than 650 MB won’t convert.
PDFs should be optimized as this reduces the file size and allows for higher performance when transferring, uploading, viewing and printing.
It is assumed that this limit would likewise apply to interior files if they have lots of images.
Number Of Pages
The minimum and maximum number of pages for a book published in KDP depends on the physical size or dimensions of the book. It will also depend on the type of paper and ink used.
For example, a 5” x 8” print book on white paper using black ink has a minimum number of 24 pages. The maximum number of pages for this size and using the same paper and ink is 828.
The same size book on cream paper using black ink still has a minimum of 24 pages but a maximum of 776. When using standard color ink and white paper a 5” x 8” book will have a minimum of 72 pages and a maximum of 600 pages.
Using premium color ink and white paper the minimum number of pages for a 5” x 8” print book would revert to 24. The maximum number is 828.
As a contrast a 8.5” x 8.5” print book with black ink on white paper has a minimum of 24 pages like the smaller 5” x 8” but a maximum of 590 pages. This is considerably less than the 828 page maximum of the 5” x 8” book.
On cream paper with black ink the 8.5” x 8.5” book has the same minimum of 24 but a slightly lower maximum of 550 pages. Standard color ink on white paper remains the same at a minimum of 72 and a maximum of 600.
For premium color ink on white paper the minimum stays at 24 pages but the maximum drops to 590 compared to the 828 of the smaller 5” x 8” book.
So as we have seen, the minimum and maximum number of pages depends on the dimensions of the book, the paper that it is printed on and the ink that is used. In total there are 16 sizes of print books with four different variations of paper and ink choices.
Limitations For Print Books
The absolute minimum number of pages for print books is 24 pages and the maximum is 828 depending on the size and type of ink. For estimating the word count it isn’t a straightforward process as it depends on the size of the font used.
However there are apps available online which you can use to calculate the number of words per page. It allows you to choose the type and size of font you are using as well as your preferred line spacing, margin sizes and page format.
Ebook Limitations
As noted previously KDP had put a limit of 650 MB on print book covers. It seems that this same limitation also applied to ebook manuscript files particularly when the files contained images.
It also suggested that you should use high definition images for the best results as these were automatically recompressed as JPEG files during conversion.
KDP also noted that it supported files of 650 MB or under and 8,000 pages or less. Files larger than this would not convert. These limits on the file size and number of pages for ebooks are no longer mentioned on the KDP help page.
However there is a note on the current help page relating to author earnings. This states that royalties are determined by the total pages read up to 3,000 pages per customer per title.
Although this doesn’t infer that KDP puts a limit on the number of pages for ebooks. It just means that ebooks with 3,000 pages or above won’t earn royalties for any pages above the limit on Kindle Unlimited.
Can A Book Be Too Short Or Too Long For KDP?
If you are intending to publish a print book then it will need to be longer than 24 pages as this is the minimum and cannot be longer than 828 pages which is the maximum.
For publishing ebooks the answer is not as straightforward. Although we do know that a book can be too short. If the book is less than the minimum of 2,500 words it may be considered below the minimum. As of 2013 Amazon has removed books shorter than this.
Despite not overtly stating this fact it is a sensible guide when considering the length of your ebook.
For books that may be too long KDP has stated that it supports files of 8,000 pages or fewer. But to be honest, who is going to write a book that is 8,000 pages long? More to the point, who would read it?!
When enrolling a book with Kindle Unlimited it should have fewer than 3,000 pages. Above this and you will not be earning any royalties on the additional pages read.
If you are not enrolled in Kindle Unlimited then there isn’t a restriction on the number of pages or the word count. Unless of course you go beyond the 8,000 page limit.
In relation to royalties the file size of your ebook can impact the royalties payment from Amazon. Depending on the country you live in, this cost varies.
In the US it is 15 cents per MB. Although it doesn’t look like a lot, consider that a standard text ebook with standard cover is 2 MB this cost will immediately double.
For this reason you should limit the amount of images in your ebook as these add substantially to your file size.
Final Thoughts
Getting to grips with the word count, page numbers and file sizes on KDP can be difficult. A lot of the information is not readily available or deeply embedded in the terms and conditions.
We hope this guide has shed some light on the issue and has been helpful.
