Does GPSR apply to self-published books?

Printed books are consumer products, so the regulation can apply when they are sold to readers in the EU. Who carries the duties depends on how the book reaches the reader. Trade guides say Amazon handles it for KDP-printed copies, while an author who posts copies to EU readers directly is generally expected to have an EU responsible person. Guidance is thin and sources disagree, so check before relying on it.

Do I need an EU responsible person for my KDP paperbacks?

The Alliance of Independent Authors reports that KDP authors do not need to act, because Amazon adds its own EU contact details and a note reading Printed by Amazon on behalf of the author to the listing. Open your paperback on Amazon.de or Amazon.fr and look for that wording to confirm.

What do I need to print on a book to comply with GPSR?

The guides agree on four items: a unique identifier such as the ISBN, batch or traceability information, the manufacturer's name and address, and the EU responsible person's contact details where one is needed. They should be clearly marked on the book or its packaging.

Does GPSR apply to ebooks?

Most guides treat GPSR as a rule for physical goods, so ebooks are outside it, although some readers dispute this. VAT is a separate matter and does apply to ebooks sold direct, so check both.

GPSR for indie authors: what to check before you post a paperback to the EU

If you sell paperbacks to readers in the EU, a rule that came into force on 13 December 2024 may apply to you. It is the EU General Product Safety Regulation, usually shortened to GPSR, and its core demand is simple: a consumer product sold in the EU needs a named business, based in the EU, that is responsible for it. Printed books count as products. What is less clear is who that business is for an indie author, and the answer changes with how your paperbacks reach the reader.

This is not legal advice. The official guidance is thin, the trade guides disagree with each other on some points, and the rules can change. Treat this as a map of the problem and check the current position before you rely on it.

If your paperbacks are printed and sold by Amazon KDP

This is the easy case. The Alliance of Independent Authors reports that KDP authors do not need to take any action, and that Amazon adds a line reading "Printed by Amazon on behalf of the author", together with its own EU contact details, to the listing. You can check this yourself by opening your paperback on Amazon.de or Amazon.fr and looking for that wording. If it is there, Amazon is carrying the EU-facing duties for those copies.

If another printer handles your orders

Print-on-demand services differ. Bookvault, for example, says it has appointed an EU responsible person and added traceability details for the books it prints and ships into the EU. If you use a printer other than KDP, ask them two plain questions in writing: whether they have an EU responsible person, and whether their details will appear on your books or parcels. If you spread orders across several printers, you may need to cover each one, or appoint a responsible person of your own.

If you post copies to EU readers yourself

This is the case most trade guides treat as the one that bites. When you sell a paperback from your own site, at an event or through a shop such as Etsy, and send it to an EU address, you are the one placing it on the market. A UK publishing guide says you then need an EU responsible person, with their details on the book or in the parcel. If you sell through the Indie Author Toolchest, you are the seller of record for your physical copies, so this sits with you and not with the platform.

What the details need to include

A unique identifier for the book, which for most authors is the ISBN.
Batch or other traceability information, so a specific print run can be identified.
The name and postal or email address of the manufacturer.
The name and contact details of the EU responsible person, where one is needed.

These should be clearly marked on the book or its packaging. Many authors put them on the copyright page. Exactly where they must sit, and how much detail counts as enough, is one of the points the guides leave open.

Ebooks

Most of the guides treat GPSR as a rule for physical goods, so ebooks are outside it. Some readers of those guides dispute that, so if you sell digital files only, the safe course is to confirm with someone qualified. Note that this is separate from VAT, which does apply to ebooks sold direct.

How worried should you be?

The guides we read found no case of an EU authority penalising an indie author for a missing responsible person. The practical risk reported so far is a marketplace pulling or restricting EU sales for sellers who cannot supply the paperwork. That is a reason to deal with it, though it is not a reason to panic.

Northern Ireland and Great Britain are also treated differently from each other. One UK guide says England, Scotland and Wales still work under the older General Product Safety Regulations 2005, while Northern Ireland follows EU rules, so check which applies to the readers you ship to.

A short checklist

Work out how your paperbacks reach the reader: KDP, another printer, or you posting them yourself.
If you use KDP, look for the Amazon wording on your EU listings.
If you use another printer, ask whether they name an EU responsible person.
If you post copies to EU readers yourself, decide whether to appoint a responsible person or to stop shipping to the EU.
Put the identifier, batch and contact details on the book or the parcel.

Appointing a responsible person is usually a paid service, with annual fees. For an author who sells only a handful of paperbacks to the EU, declining those orders can be a reasonable choice. For further reading, see the Alliance of Independent Authors guide to GPSR and the BIC introduction to GPSR. If you would like to see how the Indie Author Toolchest handles physical sales, have a look at what is in it.