Preparation

The way how your listing comes into the tool

Without listing, no successful upload. Each platform has different requirements and needs. On this page we will show you how to make sure that your data and listings get into the tool reliably.

Spreadsheet

To prepare your data with tables, you need our table file templates. You can find them by clicking on the Excel Templates button in the lower right corner of the tool's workspace.

Excel Templates Button on the bottom right of the Workspace

This button will take you to the folder where you can find the templates. In it you will find the KDP.xlsx file for Kindle Direct Publishing.

Do not modify these template files, but copy them to another path and start editing there. This folder in the LazyMerch installation directory should remain untouched, so that none of your important data is lost during an update.

Section of the KDP spreadsheet file

Interior File Path

This column is designed to get the paths to your interior files. Get the path to one or more interior files and paste it here. Paths also include links to a cloud service where your files are stored. However, make sure that the link goes directly to the file without requiring authentication.

Cover File Path

This serves the input of the design path for the cover. You can enter your own cover as a PDF file here or an image file and LazyMerch will automatically convert it to a cover for KDP for you.

Input Language

Under Input Language you can specify the language your listing is written in. This is important for the tool to be able to estimate if translation is needed for your primary market where the book will be uploaded.

Language

This is the language which will be used for KDP. If you decide to fill in “German”, KDP notes that it is a German book, no matter what the primary market is. In the column you can also type in multiple languages. Make sure you separate them with a comma ( , ), for example “German, English”. LazyMerch will then take into account the “Input Language” and the translation for the second language. To give you an example of this:

Input Language	Language	Primary Marketplace
DE	German, English	Amazon.com

By this example above you're telling the tool that you wrote a German listing and you want to publish your book on amazon.com as German book and as an English book as well. What LazyMerch will do is, that it uploads your German listing and then start another upload with the same book but this time with a translated listing.

Primary Marketplace

Here you can select which Amazon marketplace should be the primary market and where your book shall be uploaded to.

Title

This column is meant to be filled with the title of your book. Be aware that Amazon expects you to only write in the title what stands on your book.

If you let your cover generate by LazyMerch, the title will be printed on the spine of the book. Which is also a valid title for Amazon.

Subtitle

In subtitle you can specify your subtitle for the book.

Series Name

This column is for your series name. The field is optional on KDP.

Series Number

This column is for your series number. The field is optional on KDP.

Prefix

If the author publishing this book has a prefix in their name, you can fill it in here.

First Name

If the author publishing this book has a first name, you can fill it in here.

Middle Name

If the author publishing this book has a middle name, you can fill it in here.

Last Name

If the author publishing this book has a last name, you can fill it in here.

Suffix

If the author publishing this book has a suffix in their name, you can fill it in here.

Description

In the Description column you can add the description for your book. You can use HTML tags to make your description more attractive. Make sure you follow the supported HTML tags and check the option provided before in LazyMerch to get the best possible result.

Tags

KDP offers you the possibility to fill seven fields with 50 characters each. In the column provided by us, you can enter your tags and distribute six commas to reflect the seven fields.

Category

Here you can type in up to two categories for be the book. Both categories should be separated with a semicolon ( ; ) or whatever you set as delimiter. For example, if you would like to publish a health book, the column could look like this: Nonfiction/Health & Fitness/Healing; Nonfiction/Health & Fitness/General.

Because customers rarely come across a book while browsing categories, but rather specifically using a search term via the search bar, there is a widespread belief that categories can be dispensed with and "Non-Classifiable" should be selected.

Adult Content

Here you can select if the paperback is for adults. “0” means NO, “1” stands for YES.

Price

Here you can select the price for the Primary Market. If you leave this cell blank, the price you selected in your settings will be used here.

Territories

Here you can enter the different Amazon marketplaces on which the paperback should be available, separated by a comma ( , ). If you wish to make the paperback available on all available marketplaces, leave this cell blank.

Converter Font Color

If you need an individual text color for the lettering on the cover of each book, you can specify a Hex Color value here. If you leave this field empty, the color you have chosen in the settings will be used.

Converter Background Color

If you need an individual background color for the cover of each book, you can specify a Hex Color value here. If you leave this field empty, the color you have chosen in the settings will be used.