Your Amazon Author Page and A+ Content: Setup That Sells

Why These Two Free Tools Matter

Amazon gives authors two free ways to make their pages more persuasive: an author page, managed through Amazon Author Central, and A+ Content, added to individual book pages through KDP. Many self-published authors skip one or both, which leaves their listings looking plainer than traditionally published books in the same category.

Neither tool replaces a strong cover or description. They add depth for shoppers who are interested but not yet convinced, and they help readers who like one of your books find the rest.

Setting Up Your Author Page

Your author page is the profile readers reach when they click your name on a book listing. It shows your photo, your bio and all your books in one place, and readers can follow you to hear about new releases.

1. Sign in to Amazon Author Central using your Amazon account. It is free.
2. Claim your books by searching for them and confirming you are the author.
3. Add a professional author photo that matches the tone of your books and reads well at small sizes.
4. Write your bio, following the tips below.
5. Check that every book appears, including all formats and each book in a series.
6. Repeat for other marketplaces where your books sell, since some author pages are managed per region.

If you write under more than one pen name, set up a separate author profile for each so readers of different genres do not get confused.

Writing an Author Bio for Amazon

An Amazon bio is short and read by shoppers deciding whether to trust you. Keep it focused:

• Open with what you write, in a way that tells readers whether your books are for them.
• Add credibility relevant to the books, such as professional expertise for nonfiction or awards for fiction.
• Include a human touch, a sentence about your life or interests that fits your brand.
• Keep it short and easy to scan on a phone.
• Update it when you release new books or reach new milestones.

Our guide to writing a professional bio covers voice and structure in more depth.

Other Author Central Extras

Beyond the bio and photo, Author Central lets you keep your list of books complete and, in some marketplaces, add extra details to your book pages, such as editorial reviews. It is also a convenient place to check how all your books look together from a reader's point of view. Visit it whenever you publish a new book or change a pen name, so nothing is missing or mislabeled.

What A+ Content Is

A+ Content is a section of images and text that appears on your book's Amazon page, below the main description. It lets you show comparison charts of your series, illustrated excerpts, author background, quotes from respected sources and visual explanations of what readers will get.

For KDP authors it is free, and it is managed through the Marketing tab in KDP rather than from each book's setup page. A well-designed A+ section makes a self-published book look as polished as titles from major publishers.

Adding A+ Content in KDP

1. Open the Marketing tab in KDP and find the A+ Content section.
2. Choose the marketplace where you want the content to appear.
3. Start a new project and add modules, such as image and text, comparison charts or an author background module.
4. Upload your images as JPG or PNG files. Amazon's maximum image file size is 3 MB, and each module shows its required dimensions.
5. Add the text for each module, keeping it short and readable.
6. Apply the content to your books, including every format, such as the ebook and paperback.
7. Submit for review. Amazon reviews A+ Content before it appears, so allow time before a launch.

What to Put in Your A+ Modules

The best A+ Content answers the questions a hesitant shopper still has. Ideas that work well:

Avoid content Amazon does not allow, such as prices, promotions or time-sensitive claims. Keep the focus on the book itself, and remember the text in images should support, not repeat, your main description.

A Sample Layout for a Nonfiction Book

1. A wide banner with the book's main promise in a few words and the cover beside it.
2. Three image-and-text panels, each showing one thing readers will learn or be able to do.
3. An interior preview of a chart, worksheet or chapter opening.
4. An author background module with a photo and the experience that qualifies you to write the book.
5. A comparison chart of your other books, if you have them.

A Sample Layout for a Novel

1. A mood image that captures the setting, with a short, gripping line from the book.
2. Character or world panels that hint at the story without spoilers.
3. A series chart showing reading order and covers.

Design Tips That Work on Phones

Many Amazon shoppers browse on their phones, where A+ images appear small. Design with that in mind:

• Use large, legible text in images, with strong contrast against the background.
• Keep each image to one idea. Crowded graphics become unreadable when shrunk.
• Match your cover's style, using the same fonts and colors so the page feels consistent.
• Save images at high resolution within Amazon's file size limit, so they stay sharp.
• Preview on a phone after the content goes live, and adjust anything that is hard to read.

Common Mistakes

• Never claiming the author page, so readers see no bio or photo.
• Applying A+ Content to the ebook but not the paperback, or the reverse.
• Cramming long paragraphs into images that become unreadable on phones.
• Including prices or promotional claims, which can cause the content to be rejected.
• Forgetting to update the series chart when a new book comes out.
• Using a different visual style from the cover, which makes the page feel disjointed.

Measuring the Effect

Amazon does not give a simple report on how A+ Content performs, so judge it by what you can measure. If you run Amazon Ads, compare the share of clicks that turn into sales in the weeks before and after adding A+ Content, keeping everything else the same. A noticeable improvement suggests the extra content is persuading hesitant shoppers.

Fitting This Into Your Launch

Set up your author page as soon as your first book is live, and prepare A+ Content before launch so it has time to clear review. For a new release in a series, update the comparison chart and the author page at the same time, so readers arriving from ads or promotions see a complete, current picture. Our guide to writing a KDP book description covers the copy that sits above your A+ section.

Frequently Asked Questions