KDP Upload Checklist After an AI-Assisted First Draft

Kindle Direct Publishing does not care whether a human or a model typed your chapters—but readers care if the book reads like slop. This checklist assumes you have a complete draft and have run at least one structural revision pass.

Before you export

• Front matter: title page, copyright, optional dedication
• Chapter headings consistent (use the chapter heading formatter if you pasted from AI chat)
• Scene breaks normalized (* * * or # — pick one)
• Curly quotes and em dashes consistent (try the quote normalizer)
• No placeholder text ("[describe fight scene]")

Quality gates (non-negotiable)

1. Full read-aloud of chapter one and your favorite chapter—awkward rhythm shows up in speech
2. Beta reader or paid dev edit on at least the first third
3. Manuscript cleanup report — run our all-in-one checker and fix top flags
4. Proofread — AI misses homophones (their/there) constantly

Metadata that sells the book you wrote

Pick two accurate BISAC-style categories, not vague "fiction." Write a blurb that names the protagonist, conflict, and stakes—avoid "In a world where..." openings. Use the blurb builder to stress-test length for Amazon mobile.

Estimate print length with the KDP page estimator if you plan a paperback. AI drafts often run short; know before you price.

Export and upload

Entangled Text exports EPUB and DOCX. Upload EPUB to KDP; download KDP's online previewer and click through on phone-sized view. Broken TOC entries are the most common AI-export failure.

After launch

Monitor early reviews for "felt like AI" complaints—usually telling, repetitive dialogue, or flat endings. Queue a patch version; KDP allows updated files.

Disclosure: Amazon's policies evolve. You are responsible for accurate content and rights. AI assistance is fine; plagiarized or unlicensed training-data excerpts are not.