KDP changes in 2026: what indie authors need to know, with dates and sources

Amazon made several changes at KDP in 2026. This is the list of what changed, each with the date and the source, and a short note on what did not. Everything here comes from Amazon's own help pages and its announcements on the KDP Community forum, with the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) as the trade source where we have used one. We checked each page on 1 November 2026.

The 70% band now ends at $12.99 (7 July)

This is the biggest change for most authors. The 70% royalty option on Kindle ebooks now applies from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com, £1.77 to £12.99 on Amazon.co.uk, €2.69 to €12.99 in the euro stores and A$3.99 to A$15.99 in Australia, according to KDP's list price requirements page. The old $9.99 ceiling had stood since 2007. Nothing changes automatically: a book already priced between $10.00 and $12.99 stays on 35% until you switch it. We worked through the numbers in which books to reprice and which to leave alone.

Two new titles per format per week (21 September and 5 October)

Amazon's forum announcement says that from Monday 21 September 2026 you can create up to two titles per format per week, covering ebook, paperback and hardcover, with the limit resetting every Sunday at 12:00 AM UTC. An update dated 5 October added a second limit: you can submit up to two new titles per format per week for publication, counting the first time you submit a title including one saved as a draft. Updates to already-submitted titles do not count. Amazon's only stated reason is to maintain a positive publishing experience for all authors. ALLi reported on 24 September that the previous limit was ten.

For an author publishing a novel or two a year this changes nothing. If you release a series in rapid succession, or publish ebook, paperback and hardcover on the same day, you can still do all three formats of one book in a week. Two books in three formats is also fine. Three books in a week is not.

Pre-orders up to 18 months ahead (2 September)

KDP's pre-order help page says ebook pre-orders created on or after 2 September 2026 can be scheduled up to 18 months ahead, up from one year. Pre-orders created before that date keep the 12-month window. The manuscript deadline is still 72 hours before release, and missing it still cancels the pre-order and can cost you pre-order privileges. Print pre-orders are still not offered.

Kindle Unlimited is Kindle+, and audiobooks are in it (21 October)

On 21 October 2026 Amazon renamed Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+ and added audiobooks to the subscription for US customers. Audiobooks with virtual voice are included automatically when the ebook is in KDP Select. ACX audiobooks can now be enrolled in Select from the Bookshelf if they are exclusive to Audible, have Whispersync enabled and were made on the Pay for Production model; Royalty Share titles are not eligible yet. Listening is paid by page from the KDP Select Global Fund, and Amazon says it is adding money to the fund to cover it. The subscription price has not changed. We have the September fund figures and what they mean per page in our Kindle Unlimited rate update.

Payment rules tightened (1 August)

Two changes affect how you get paid. From 1 August 2026, Amazon's Payment Service Provider Program applies to every publisher who uses a payment service rather than a conventional bank account, not only accounts added after November 2025. You must use a participating provider and complete its know-your-customer checks, or royalty payments and publishing are put on hold. Separately, Amazon's banking partner stopped EUR cheque payments from August 2026. Anyone still on EUR cheques without a bank account on file is now paid by USD cheque at an Amazon-set exchange rate, with the $100 minimum applying.

Kindle Translate added languages

Amazon's free translation beta, launched in November 2025, added English to German on 16 April, English to French on 18 May, and Brazilian Portuguese and Italian on 10 June, according to the forum's announcement list. It remains a beta and you are responsible for the quality of what it produces.

What did not change

• Printing fees are the same. Amazon's 21 May announcement says fees will not change in 2026 after its annual review.
• Print royalties are unchanged: the 60% rate, the 50% rate on print books under $9.99 and the 40% Expanded Distribution rate are as they were. The 50% band was introduced on 10 June 2025.
• Delivery fees on the 70% option are still charged per megabyte, at $0.15 per MB in the US.
• The AI disclosure rule is the same. KDP's content guidelines still require you to disclose AI-generated text, images and translations, including heavily edited ones, and still exempt AI-assisted work. The page carries no 2026 change. Several blogs report stricter enforcement this year; we could not find an Amazon statement to that effect, so treat those reports as unconfirmed.

What to do now

1. Check every ebook priced between $10.00 and $12.99 and switch it to the 70% option if it qualifies.
2. If you use a payment service rather than a bank, confirm in your KDP account that it is a participating provider and that verification is complete.
3. Plan any multi-book release so that no week needs more than two new titles per format. Create the titles early as drafts; the limit is on creation and first submission, not on edits.
4. If you have a virtual voice or qualifying ACX audiobook, check your KENP report for pages listened from 21 October, and watch the October fund announcement in mid-November.
5. If your ebooks are in Select and you want a channel Amazon cannot change, the Indie Author Toolchest sells print direct from your own author page with you as the seller, which Select rules allow even for exclusive ebooks. Our article on selling direct while in KDP Select sets out what is and is not permitted.