You can update your book on Amazon KDP after publishing. KDP lets you re-upload a corrected manuscript, replace the cover, and edit most metadata (description, keywords, categories, pricing) at any time through your Bookshelf. Certain core details lock permanently, and existing ebook customers do not automatically receive your changes.
- What Can You Change After Publishing on KDP?
- Which Fields Are Permanently Locked?
- How Do You Update Your Manuscript on KDP?
- How Long Does a KDP Update Take to Go Live?
- Does Updating Your Book Affect Reviews or Sales Rank?
- How Do Existing Customers Get Your Updated Ebook?
- When Does an Update Become a New Edition?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Can You Change After Publishing on KDP?
KDP divides your book’s details into two groups: fields you can edit at any time and fields that lock permanently. The editable fields cover most of what authors need to change.
You can update your manuscript file (interior content) and book cover for both ebooks and print books by uploading new files through your KDP Bookshelf. You can also change your book description, backend keywords, BISAC categories, pricing, royalty plan, territories, contributors (other than the primary author), and publishing rights declarations. For ebooks specifically, you can toggle DRM settings and update the reading age range.
If you need guidance on rewriting your book description, see our guide on how to write an effective book description for Amazon KDP. For backend keywords, see what Amazon KDP backend keywords are and how to choose them.
Which Fields Are Permanently Locked?
Some book details cannot be changed after publishing, regardless of how minor the correction seems. For Kindle ebooks, the following fields lock the moment you click Publish: title, subtitle, edition number, primary author name, series name, series volume number, publication date, and language.
For paperback and hardcover books, KDP gives you a 72-hour grace period after initial publication. During those first 72 hours (once the book leaves “In Review” status), you can still edit the title, subtitle, and primary author name. After that window closes, those fields lock permanently. Print books also lock the ISBN, trim size, ink and paper type, and imprint immediately on publication with no grace period.
If you need to change any locked field, your only option is to unpublish the existing book and create a new title from scratch, which means starting with zero reviews and a new ASIN.
How Do You Update Your Manuscript on KDP?
The process for re-uploading a corrected manuscript is the same for ebooks and print books, with one extra step for print.
- Go to your KDP Bookshelf and find the book you want to update.
- Click the ellipsis button (“…”) next to the book title, then select “Edit eBook Content” or “Edit Paperback Content” (depending on format).
- In the Content section, click “Upload eBook Manuscript” (or “Upload Paperback Manuscript”) and select your revised file.
- Wait for the “Manuscript uploaded successfully” confirmation and the conversion process to complete.
- For print books, click “Launch Previewer” to review how the updated interior looks. KDP requires you to approve the preview before proceeding.
- Click “Save and Continue” through the remaining tabs.
- On the final tab, click “Publish” to submit the update.
Your book’s status will change to “In Review” while Amazon checks the new files. The existing listing stays live during the review; customers can still purchase the current version until the update goes through. If your print interior PDF gets rejected during review, see our guide on why PDF interior files get rejected by KDP and how to fix it.
To update the book cover, follow the same path but upload a new cover file instead of (or in addition to) the manuscript. Both can be updated in the same submission.
How Long Does a KDP Update Take to Go Live?
Amazon’s published timelines for updates are as follows. Metadata changes (description, keywords, categories, pricing) typically appear within 48 hours. Manuscript and cover updates take up to 72 hours (3 business days) for standard books. KDP’s timelines page notes that low-content books (journals, notebooks, planners) can take up to 10 business days for review.
After the update goes live in the store, additional propagation happens in the background. The “Look Inside” preview (Read Sample) updates within 7 business days of the change. Search result listings may take up to an additional 72 hours to reflect the new cover or title metadata.
During the review period, your book remains purchasable with the previous version. There is no downtime or “unavailable” period unless Amazon flags a content policy issue with the new files.
A common concern in author forums is that the Amazon listing has not updated even after clicking Publish. This is normal. The timelines above are maximums, not guarantees of instant change; many updates take the full window to propagate. If your changes have not appeared after the stated timeframe plus an extra 24 hours as a buffer, contact KDP Support with your ASIN and a description of the update you submitted. Reaching out before that window has elapsed will typically result in the same “please wait” guidance.
Does Updating Your Book Affect Reviews or Sales Rank?
Updating your manuscript, cover, or metadata does not remove existing customer reviews, and it does not reset your sales rank. As long as the book retains the same ASIN (which it does for any in-place update), all reviews, ratings, and sales history stay attached to the listing.
There is one nuance to be aware of: reviews that reference content you have since changed will remain visible. If a reviewer quoted a specific passage or pointed out a typo you have now fixed, that review stays as-is. Amazon does not retroactively edit or flag reviews based on content updates.
The practical takeaway is that updating your book carries no ranking penalty. The ASIN is the anchor; everything attached to it persists through updates.
How Do Existing Customers Get Your Updated Ebook?
This is one of the most misunderstood parts of the KDP update process. When you re-upload an updated ebook manuscript and publish the change, new buyers automatically receive the latest version. However, customers who already purchased the ebook keep the original version they downloaded. The update is not pushed to them automatically.
If you have corrected significant quality issues (missing chapters, widespread typos, broken formatting), you can request that Amazon send the update to existing customers. To do this, contact KDP Support and provide the book’s ASIN, detailed examples of the corrections you made, and the Kindle location numbers where the errors appeared.
Amazon reviews the request within 7 business days. They approve update pushes only for corrections that fix genuine quality problems that detract from the reading experience. Cosmetic changes, minor rewording, or added bonus content typically do not qualify.
When Amazon approves a push for major corrections, they email customers who own the book. Those customers can then choose to download the updated version from their “Manage Your Content and Devices” page. There is an important caveat: receiving the update may erase highlights, notes, and bookmarks the reader saved in the original version. Amazon warns customers about this, which is why they restrict pushes to cases where the quality improvement outweighs the annotation loss.
For minor corrections (a handful of typos, small formatting tweaks), the standard approach is to simply update the files and let new buyers get the corrected version. Existing customers who want the update can delete and re-download the book from their library, though they will lose their annotations.
When Does an Update Become a New Edition?
KDP treats an update as a simple file swap as long as the changes stay within certain bounds. Once you cross those bounds, you need to create a new edition, which means publishing a separate listing with its own ASIN.
The clearest trigger is page count: if your manuscript changes alter the print book’s page count by more than 10%, KDP considers this a significant revision and requires a new edition. Adding or removing entire chapters, restructuring the book’s organisation, or substantially rewriting large sections all fall into this category.
You also need a new edition if you need to change any of the permanently locked fields: title, subtitle, primary author, ISBN, trim size, or ink and paper type. Since these cannot be edited in place, the only path is to create a fresh title entry on your Bookshelf.
The distinction matters because a new edition starts with zero reviews and a new ASIN. It does not inherit the sales history, ranking, or customer reviews from the original listing. For authors who have built up reviews, this is a significant trade-off. The general guideline: if your changes are corrections and improvements to the existing content (fixing errors, updating outdated information, improving formatting), update in place. If your changes fundamentally alter what the book is (new title, reorganised structure, significantly different page count), publish a new edition.
For a deeper look at when a revised edition needs its own ISBN, see the KDP Books Titles and Editions help page. Note that you cannot reuse the same ISBN for a new edition. Since KDP treats a new edition as a new book record, you will need a new ISBN: either a new free KDP ISBN (which Amazon will assign during the setup process) or a new purchased ISBN from Bowker (US), Nielsen (UK), or your national ISBN agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you change a book title on Amazon after publishing?
For Kindle ebooks, no. The title locks permanently the moment you publish. For paperback and hardcover books, you have a 72-hour window after initial publication to edit the title, subtitle, and primary author name. After that window closes, the title is locked. If you need to change a locked title, you must unpublish the book and create a new listing from scratch.
Does updating a book on KDP remove your reviews?
No. In-place updates to your manuscript, cover, or metadata do not affect existing customer reviews or your sales rank. Reviews are tied to the ASIN, which stays the same through any update. Only publishing a completely new edition (with a new ASIN) starts you over with zero reviews.
How do you send an updated ebook to customers who already bought it?
Contact KDP Support with your book’s ASIN, specific examples of the corrections, and the Kindle location numbers where the errors appeared. Amazon reviews the request within 7 business days and approves pushes only for significant quality issues (widespread typos, missing content, broken formatting). If approved, Amazon emails existing customers and gives them the option to download the updated version, though their highlights and notes may be erased.
What is the difference between updating a book and publishing a new edition on KDP?
An update replaces the manuscript or cover files on your existing listing; your ASIN, reviews, and sales rank all stay intact. A new edition is a separate listing with its own ASIN that starts with zero reviews. KDP requires a new edition when changes alter the page count by more than 10%, or when you need to change locked fields like the title, ISBN, or trim size.
How long does it take for a KDP book update to appear on Amazon?
Metadata changes (description, keywords, categories) typically appear within 48 hours. Manuscript and cover file updates take up to 72 hours for standard books and up to 10 business days for low-content books like journals or notebooks. The “Look Inside” preview updates within 7 business days after the new files go live. If your changes have not appeared after the stated timeframe plus an extra 24 hours, contact KDP Support with your ASIN and a description of the update.
Updating a published book on KDP is straightforward for most changes: upload the corrected files, wait for the review, and the listing updates in place with all reviews and ranking intact. The key limitations to remember are the locked fields (especially the title for ebooks, which locks immediately), the 10% page count threshold for new editions, and the fact that existing ebook customers need a manual push from Amazon to receive your corrections. For anything beyond a simple content fix, weigh whether the change warrants a new edition or can be handled as an in-place update.
