Please note that all regional catalogs must be done on the SAQA KDP account - contact info@saqa.com for login information once you have reviewed these instructions.
Introduction
When making a regional catalog or portfolio, you will first design your catalog files offline, then upload the files to the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) site. After going through the process, the catalogs will be available for anyone to purchase through Amazon, and the author of the catalog can purchase additional copies at a lower cost (for example if you wish to sell them at an opening).
After going through these tips, please reach out to Shannon Conley (la.emperatriz@gmail.com) if you have any questions!
Getting started
KDP requires you to upload two PDF files, one for all of the internal catalog pages and one for the cover. Before you start designing the catalog, go to the KPD website and pick a trim size for your catalog. It is easiest to pick one of the standard KDP sizes for your catalog. However, if you have already made your book a non-standard size, that's fine too, KDP is pretty flexible with book sizes for paperbacks.
To view more details about formatting, please review the KDP help page.
Making the Internal catalog pages
The final catalog pages need to be uploaded as one PDF. You can hire a graphic designer to build your catalog or find a volunteer to do it. The most common programs for building a catalog include Adobe InDesign, but you can also utilize other programs that can save as PDFs, including Microsoft PowerPoint. One key is to make sure your images are 300 DPI in the catalog, it is important to have sufficient resolution for optimal print quality, and sometimes KDP will give errors if pictures are low quality.
Making the cover file
To make the cover file, the easiest thing is to download a template from KDP and then use it to make your cover. This way the cover is exactly the right size for the number of pages in your book. The cover file size will vary depending on the number of pages in your book to account for the binding width. KDP requires that the title of the book that you enter into the online site be the same as what’s written on the cover of the book, so make sure they match.
You can download the cover template here: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/cover-templates
Uploading your files and setting up your book
Once you have your PDF files ready, you can log into the SAQA KDP account to upload your files. Just as a heads up, if you are logged into your personal Amazon account, you will need to log out and log back in with the SAQA account. Do not use your personal account. When you are ready to upload your files, e-mail info@saqa.com to get the SAQA KDP login and password. Sometimes when a new user logs into the account it asks for a one-time-password (for security). If you get this message, email info@saqa.com and they’ll help you get in.
Here is the ink to login to KDP: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/
Once you get logged in, you can click "paperback" under "create new title". That will start you on a series of pages where you fill out info and upload the files. Once they are uploaded, you will be asked to do an online quality control step called “Launch Previewer” where you page through a version of the catalog online. It will highlight errors in your PDF that you have to fix; common ones include text outside the safe area of the page and images for which the resolution is too low (less than 300 dpi will often cause a flag).
Pricing
KDP will tell you the price for author copies of the book. They will also tell you the minimum allowed retail price for the book which will be a few dollars higher than the author copy price. You can set your retail book price to be whatever you want above the set minimum from KDP. SAQA (your region) will then get a percentage (as a royalty) of whatever the price difference is between the minimum price and the price you set.
If you want an estimate of what the royalties would be you can click here to use the KDP royalty calculator: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GSQF43YAMUPFTMSP
After publishing the book, you can purchase as many copies as you want at the author/minimum price. For example, if you want to buy some copies to sell at a booth or museum you can do that. You will have to be signed in with the SAQA account at KDP to order author copies but you can come back and do that at any time.
Ordering an author proof and publishing your book
After you go through the quality control and pricing steps, you will have the option to order an author proof. This will be a print copy you will physically receive in the mail. The link to order an author proof before publishing is fairly small on the page, it says “Request printed proofs of this book” and is right above the big yellow button that says “Publish your paperback book”
If you choose to order an author proof (always a good idea as a final check), it will be put into the SAQA Amazon cart, and you can go to the cart and check out to purchase the proof (at the author copy price).
After you have received your author proof and are ready to publish the catalog to Amazon, you will go back into KDP and find your book on the main bookshelf. You will see the option to publish your book. After that final step, it will appear on Amazon in a couple of days.