Free KDP Tools And Resources
Since I started my KDP journey, I have run across a few free KDP tools and resources that I want to share with you today. All of the tools I recommend are free or have a free aspect of the program, and a few have optional Pro upgrades.
Affiliate Disclosure
This post was created with the word “free” in mind so it does not cover a complete list of all the tools available. As mentioned earlier, there are a few on this list that do have optional upgrades and if you purchase I may receive a small commission. Internetmarketingtooolsandprograms.com (IMTAP) is a free resource for all.
The site is supported by its readers.
This means that if you buy a product or service through links or advertisements on our site, I may receive an affiliate commission.
Free KDP Tools And Resources For Amazon Authors
For those of you in a hurry, you can just skim the links in this section. If you want to learn more then continue reading after the list. This list is in no particular order.
1. Ilovepdf.com: “Every tool you need to work with PDFs in one place” Free
Canva Free and Paid (Canva Pro
3. Inkscape Free
4. Creative Fabrica Free and Paid ( Also Has an “All Access” Program)
5. Pixabey Free and Paid
6. AMZ Suggestion Expander Free
7. Self Publishing Titans Free
8. Amazon Book Sales Calculator Free Added 2/3/22
9. Amazon KDP Cover Templates Free Added 2/3/22
10. Print Friendly Free Added 2/13/22
11. Convertio Free Added 2/14/22
12. USPTO: US Patent Office Free Added 4/23/23
13. Amazon Asin Free Added 4/23/23
14. KR Articles: KDP Category Browser Free Added 4/23/23
15. Keyword.io Free Added 4/23/23
Ilovepdf.com
1. Ilovepdf.com is the best PDF converter I have seen. They allow large files which is great for converting those large KDP templates. Anything regarding PDF’s can be taken care of with this FREE tool. Merge PDFs. Check. Convert PDFs into other formats. Check. Compress PDFs. Check. And it does SO much more.
Canva
2. Canva: this is one of the top designing platforms on the web right now. You can design just about anything you need with graphics. I can not stop raving about how awesome this platform is and you can do so much with the free plan.
I absolutely suggest upgrading if you plan on using Canva daily or even multiple times per week. You get so much more value and it is really not that expensive at $12.99 per month.
It certainly adds up if you have multiple subscriptions to other things, but by itself the price is astoundingly low. I use it to create pins, Instagram posts, and KDP book covers (and interiors). It can also be used for posters, books, presentations, logos, marketing, print-on-demand (POD), invitations, and so much more. It can be used for both online or offline graphics!
Inkscape
3. Inkscape: I like to describe this program as Adobe Illustrators FREE cousin. It does not do everything that Adobe Illustrator does, but at the price of FREE it does what I need it to do. My favorite feature is its “Trace Bitmap” option which helps me to design coloring books. This feature alone is worth Adobe’s high price but with Inkscape, this is completely FREE. It does take a little time and a few training videos to use effectively but adding this skill is well worth the time. You download Inkscape to your computer.
Creative Fabrica
4. Creative Fabrica: Omgoodness this site is my latest obsession. Graphics galore! This program has a freebie section that is well worth it for KDP books. Free layouts and designs. Depending on the product, these are fully editable and customizable graphics.
The cool part is you can download the files directly to Canva.
Note: You will need Canva Pro to be able to use and download the fonts and multiple files at once.
Now this program is a mostly paid site and you can buy products individually, but they have an “All Access” program that is beyond worth it, the best part is you can try it out right now for $1 dollar for the whole month. And just in case it was not clear with “All Access” that means you get to download anything on the site for that month. You can get a lot done in one month.
It is $19.99 a month after that. Not a bad price especially if you need access to all kinds of templates and graphics. And like we mentioned you can get lot done in those months!
If you do not need access to graphics then stick with the “Freebies” section. We won’t judge!
Pixabay
5. Pixabay.com: Another cool free graphics site. This website is mostly free photos, but there are a few vector graphics as well.
I do know that there is a paid part of this program but I have never felt the need to pay for anything…yet. That does not mean there won’t be come a time to make a purchase, but in two years, across two websites, I have not needed to make a purchase with the free amount of photos available.
AMZ Suggestion Expander
6. AMZ Suggestion Expander: This is a Chrome browser extension that allows you to see all keywords associated with a search term on Amazon. That means that terms that people actually search for are shown to you all at once. No more guessing!
This is very important for your research on profitable keywords and therefore profitable books/products on Amazon.
Self Publishing Titans
7. Self Publishing Titans (SPT): This is another Chrome browser extension. It shows you the profitability of search terms on Amazon.
Caution: it sometimes takes a while to populate the information. This is due to the fact that is searching through ALL the data on Amazon. While a great tool, it has frustrated us with its sometimes REALLY slow speeds. You need an abundance of patience with this tool.
Amazon Book Sales Calculator
8. Amazon Book Sales Calculator: “BSR to Sales Calculator” by tckpublishing.com
Use the calculator to estimate how many sales any eBook or print book on Amazon is currently selling just by looking at its listing on Amazon. Go to the product page of any book on amazon and get the BSR and plug it in to the calculator.
BSR: Stands for “Best Seller’s Rank” on Amazon.
KDP Paperback Cover Templates
9. Paperback Book Cover Template: Perhaps the overall most useful one on this list as the cover is the wrapping that goes around your book and it is what your customers first see. Use the dropdown menu to pick the size of your book and then add the total amount of pages.
Print Friendly
10. Print Friendly is a chrome browser extension that saves any Webpage as a PDF file. This comes in handy if you are turning blog posts in to books. It prints the page without the navigation details and ads on your site. It allows you to edit out anything you don’t want on the PDF like text, links, or images. Print Friendly keeps all the links live (unless you delete them) so that they are still clickable.
Convertio.co
Convertio.co is a file converter. In this case, the part of the tool we are recommending for kdp is Convertio’s page to convert PDF’s to the EPUB file format saving you a ton of time. You can go directly to the page, or Convertio also offers a chrome browser extension.
USPTO
This is the United States patent and trademark website. The link I shared above goes directly to the search portion of their database. This website is important for checking to see if anything is patented or trademarked in your proposed book title before you actually upload your book.
Amazon ASIN
This cool free online tool lets you look up a book by the ASIN number and get a look at the book’s data like keywords, price, stars, reviews, search volume, etc.
Kindle Ranker: KDPCategory Browser
Can’t figure out the right category for your books? Use the category browser to help determine the full category path. Make sure you read the instructions.
Keyword.io
This is a free keyword research tool that helps you come up with keywords for your book.
Conclusion
Well that is it for now. We will make sure to update this page as more programs come across our laps.
As lovers of all things free we wanted to note that we personally use everything on the list so the programs have been tested!
As you can see, there are several free tools that are at your disposal. We believe it does not have to take a lot of money to get started with Kindle Direct Publishing(KDP). We absolutely believe in free tools and this list will get you started.
Note: In some cases, “free” only gets you so far before you will need to upgrade (like in the case of Canva), but there is so much you can do for free. Give the programs a try and let us know what you think.
Are there any free KDP Tools and Resources you would like to see added to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list for updates, freebies, and more!
Hi, thanks for these instructions. I have been planning to make an e-book for a long time, which I will post on my site. I think that this would significantly contribute to gaining more visitors. However, I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know that there are so many KDP tools and resources that provide great graphical support. Of the suggested ones, I only use Ilovepdf.com and pixabay.com and they are great.
Also, Canva is amazing. There are so many difference templates that I am thrilled! And all this in such a fast and easy way. Internet marketing is one of the most important factors in online success so I have bookmarked your site. Looking for more great reviews. I’ll get back to you if I need help making a book.
Thanks for help and all the best!
Danijela
We have a couple of articles on the subject of making a kdp book.
How To Make A Lined Journal In Canva
How To Design A KDP Paperback Book Cover On Canva
How Do I Submit A Book To Amazon? (Submitting A Paperback Book)
Hi PDF converter tools are great but I haven’t heard of Inkscape. Great insite into what is available to help me with building my website and creating posts. Thank you.
Hi there
What a great list of tools and resources! I am a big Canva fan and use little else – until now, I am going to have to try out your recommendations.
Thank you so much!
Louise
Thanks for all these wonderful tools and resources for KDP. I have saved your article for future reference. I appreciate having this valuable information. All the Best.
Creative Fabrica has become my new addiction as of late. That’s all I need, another one! lol
But, it’s really awesome based on what I do.
Ours Too! We just found another graphics site called vecteezy.com.
You are selfless and generous in showing us the tools to make KDP easier. I think they help me save tons of my life searching online to find out the correct and efficient tools. I am also a heavy Canve user and upgraded to the Pro version, so I vouch for everything you brought up about it. It helps me create many stunning images and turn them into printables. I will also recommend Canva to your readers. 🙂
Glad we could help! KDP is a ton of fun but it helps when you have the right resources!
I’ve never used Kindle Direct Publishing, I use Canva Pro, and Pixabay. I’d be lost without Canva as use it for creating everything from Pinterest pins to blog images. As you get such an amazing amount of stock photos, graphics, and templates for free it’s a no brainer. I’ve also bought font packages from Creative Fabrica but didn’t know about the $1 for 30 days free trial! I also use another really useful resource for making 3d book or magazine covers. It’s placeit.net You get models in different scenes where you can place your graphics. Thanks for sharing
we will have to add it to the list! Sound like a great resource!