KDP content guidelines explained: AI disclosure, rejections and account risk

KDP's content guidelines decide whether your book goes live, gets blocked or puts your account at risk. Most rejections are not about offensive content — they are about metadata, rights and quality issues that are easy to check before upload.

Rights come first. You must hold the rights to everything you publish. Public-domain works need meaningful added value and clear differentiation, and KDP may ask for proof of rights at any time. Using another author's name, brand or series in your metadata is a fast route to removal.

Metadata must be accurate. The title on your listing must match the cover and interior. Keywords and descriptions cannot include other authors' names, promotional claims, pricing or misleading category placement.

Quality issues block books too: missing content, broken formatting, text that does not match the description, excessive typos, or a book that offers a disappointing customer experience. Duplicate or near-identical content across multiple listings is restricted.

AI disclosure is required for AI-generated content. When you publish or update a title, KDP asks whether text, images or translations were generated by AI. 'AI-generated' means the AI created the content, even if you edited it afterward. 'AI-assisted' — using AI to brainstorm, edit or improve content you created — does not need to be disclosed. Answer accurately; this is a policy question, not a quality score.

KDP also limits how many new titles an account can publish per day, which exists to curb mass-produced low-quality books. Publishing many near-identical books quickly is the pattern most associated with account reviews.

Repeated violations can lead to account termination, which removes all your titles and can block associated accounts. Treat a first warning seriously and fix the cited issue precisely.

Manucheck checks manuscripts, covers and metadata against KDP's published content guidelines, flags rights and trademark risk, and monitors policy changes so your checks stay current. It is guidance, not legal advice, and it cannot guarantee approval.