What KDP's content guidelines say about AI
We read KDP's Content Guidelines on 23 Oct 2026. Its section on artificial intelligence draws a line between two kinds of use:
- AI-generated: you must disclose it. KDP defines this as "text, images, or translations created by an AI-based tool." It counts as AI-generated "even if you applied substantial edits afterwards." Cover art and interior images are included.
- AI-assisted: no disclosure needed. If "you created the content yourself" and used AI to "edit, refine, error-check, or otherwise improve" it, or only to brainstorm ideas, KDP calls it AI-assisted, and "it is not necessary to inform us."
- When you declare it. Disclosure happens "when you publish a new book or make edits to and republish an existing book through KDP." It's a question during title setup. The guidelines don't say the answer is shown to shoppers, and when the rule launched in 2023 Amazon said it wouldn't publicly identify AI books (CNBC-TV18 report).
- You're still responsible. KDP says you must verify that AI-generated and AI-assisted content follows all its guidelines, "including by complying with all applicable intellectual property rights."
In short, a novel you wrote and polished with ChatGPT is AI-assisted. A coloring book whose pages came out of Midjourney is AI-generated, and so is a book whose chapters an AI drafted, even if you rewrote them heavily.
The new weekly title limits (2026)
KDP's Create a Book help page now sets two separate weekly limits:
| Limit | What it allows | Counts |
|---|---|---|
| Creation limit | Up to 2 titles per book format each week | New titles you set up in your Bookshelf |
| Submission limit | Up to 2 new titles per book format each week | The first time you submit a title for publication, including old drafts |
Both limits "apply separately to each book format (eBook, paperback, and hardcover)" and "reset every Sunday at 12:00 AM" UTC. Updates to titles you've already submitted don't count. So one person can launch at most 2 complete books a week, or 6 new titles if each comes in all three formats.
This is a big cut for volume publishers. Archived copies of the same page allowed 10 titles per format per week, according to kdpbook.io's dated timeline, which reports the creation limit started on 21 Sep 2026 and the submission limit on 5 Oct 2026. Before that, in 2023, KDP had capped new titles at three a day, as the Authors Guild reported. The new limits make the "publish 50 AI low-content books a month" playbook impossible from one account.
What you earn per sale
AI doesn't change KDP's royalty rates. From KDP's own pricing pages, checked 23 Oct 2026:
- Kindle eBooks: a 35% or 70% royalty. The 70% option applies to sales in listed territories (the US, UK, most of Europe and others) and subtracts a delivery cost of $0.15 per MB on Amazon.com (Digital Book Pricing).
- Paperbacks: 50% or 60% of list price depending on the price, minus printing costs. KDP's own example: a $15, 333-page black-ink paperback earns (0.60 × $15) − $5.00 = $4.00 per US sale (Paperback Royalty).
How many copies an AI-made book sells isn't something any public source reports reliably, so our directory entries list earnings as "Varies" unless a seller's figure is cited.
The copyright catch
In the US, text or images an AI generated on its own aren't protected by copyright. The US Copyright Office requires human authorship, and in March 2026 the Supreme Court declined to hear Thaler v. Perlmutter, leaving in place the ruling that a work made entirely by AI can't be registered (SCOTUSblog case page).
What that means for a KDP book:
- The parts you wrote, selected and arranged yourself can be protected. Raw AI output can't, so someone could copy those passages and you'd have little recourse.
- Low-content and coloring books built entirely from AI images are the most exposed.
- None of this stops you selling the book; it limits what you can stop others doing. This isn't legal advice.
How to stay on the right side of KDP
- Answer the AI question honestly at title setup, including for covers made with an AI image tool.
- Fact-check everything. KDP can remove content that "creates a poor customer experience" under the same guidelines, and AI-written non-fiction with wrong facts is a common reason for complaints.
- Don't copy. Avoid prompts naming living authors or artists, summaries of other people's books outside the US, and anything trademarked.
- Plan around the weekly limit. Batch launches by week (Sunday to Saturday, UTC) and use eBook pre-orders for a series.
- Add real human work where it matters most: the writing, the editing and the design choices are what readers pay for and what copyright protects.
FAQ
Does Amazon allow AI-generated books on KDP?
Yes. KDP's content guidelines allow AI-generated text, images and translations as long as you disclose them when you publish or republish, and the book meets all other content guidelines (checked 23 Oct 2026).
Do I have to disclose using ChatGPT to edit my book?
No. KDP says content you created yourself and only edited, refined or error-checked with AI, or brainstormed with AI, is "AI-assisted" and doesn't need to be disclosed.
How many books can I publish on KDP per week?
Up to 2 new titles per format each week: KDP's Create a Book page sets a creation limit and a separate submission limit of 2 per format (eBook, paperback, hardcover), both resetting every Sunday at 12:00 AM UTC.
Does Amazon show readers that a book was made with AI?
KDP's guidelines describe disclosure as information you give KDP; they don't say it is shown on the book's product page. When the rule launched in 2023, Amazon said it wouldn't publicly label AI books.
Can I copyright a book written by AI?
Not the parts AI generated on its own. The US Copyright Office requires human authorship, and the Supreme Court declined to review Thaler v. Perlmutter in March 2026. Your own writing, edits, selection and arrangement can be protected. This isn't legal advice.