Short answer. Do I need a proofreader before KDP? If you are selling the book, yes, and the format check does not replace it. KDP's spell check covers English ebooks only and passes any real word in the wrong place. A format check looks at the file, not the words. Proofread first, then format, then upload.
Key points
- KDP asks you to run spelling checks before you upload.
- KDP's Spell Check works in the Online Previewer for English ebooks only.
- Readers report typos to Amazon, and that can put a quality warning on your book page.
- A format check finds file problems: margins, headings, contents, images. It does not read for typos.
- A proofread costs $16 per 1,000 words on our book editing page, 5 business days per 50,000 words.
Does KDP proofread your book?
No. KDP checks some spelling, but it does not proofread. Its help page on uploading says "You should always run spelling checks on your manuscript before uploading to KDP." The Online Previewer can flag misspellings, but KDP says Spell Check and Image Check are "available in Online Previewer for English eBooks only."
So KDP names no spell check for paperbacks, and an ebook gets a check that reads one word at a time. "Form" for "from" passes, because both are words.
What happens if your book goes live with typos?
Readers can report them, and Amazon acts on reports. KDP's content quality guide, read on 13 October 2026, says "Typos are among the most common quality issues customers report." Depending on the issue, a book can get a temporary quality warning on its page, or be removed from sale until the corrections are made.
The same guide says spellings an author uses on purpose, like dialect in dialogue, are not errors, and neither are differences between US and British English. A proofreader knows to leave those alone.
What does a format check cover?
A format check looks at the file, not the words. It finds the things that make KDP reject an upload or make the book look wrong: text in the margins, a contents page that does not link, a missing bleed, an image too small. It will not tell you a sentence has "teh" in it.
Our post on why KDP keeps rejecting your book lists the ten file problems we see most. If KDP has already rejected your file, our KDP diagnosis is free.
What does a proofread catch that KDP misses?
A proofread catches the errors that are real words or real punctuation in the wrong place. We tried it on 13 October 2026 with our sample manuscript, the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice, 849 words. Two dashes were typed as double hyphens, "go--or" and "girls--though". A spellchecker reads past both, because hyphens are not spelling.
In print, those come out as two short hyphens where a reader expects one dash. In a 70,000-word book with the same habit, they appear on page after page. A proofreader catches them in the manuscript, before anything is formatted, and that is the cheap moment to fix them.
The fix we do for this: if your book has been edited and needs the last check before KDP, our proofread is $16 per 1,000 words. Send us your word count and we reply with the price and the dates.
Which should come first, the proofread or the format?
The proofread comes first. Every change after the pages are set can move a line, and a moved line can move a page end, which can change your contents and your page count. Proofread, approve the text, then format once. When you order both from us, the formatting days start when you approve the edited file.
Fixing a typo after you publish is possible, but KDP's help on updating a book says a change that moves the page count by more than 10% needs a new edition. A single typo will not do that. A late round of edits can.
Is a proofread enough, or do you need a copyedit?
A proofread is enough if someone has already edited the book. If nobody has, buy the copyedit at $24 per 1,000 words instead. It covers grammar, consistency and clarity, and it includes the proofread, so you do not pay for the final pass twice.
Our post on copyediting vs proofreading shows where the line falls on the same sample chapter, and our post on what proofreading costs per word has the prices by length.
Do I need a proofreader before KDP if I check it myself?
You can, if money is tight, but expect to miss some. Read it on paper or aloud, not on the screen where you wrote it. Search the file for "--", double spaces and words you know you mistype. Then open the ebook in Kindle Previewer and read it there too.
What you cannot do easily is see your own sentences fresh. You know what you meant, so your eye fills in the missing word. That is the reason authors pay someone else.
What else do authors ask about proofreading before KDP?
KDP's upload help names Spell Check for English ebooks only. It does not say paperbacks get one.
Readers can report typos, and KDP can put a quality warning on the page or remove the book from sale until the corrections are made.
No. A format check looks at the file. A proofread reads the words.
$16 per 1,000 words here, so $1,120 for a 70,000-word book.
Before. Changes after the pages are set can move page ends.
What should you do next?
Search your manuscript for "--" and for two spaces after a period. If you find either, the book has not had a proofread yet. Fix it before you format, or send it to us from our book editing page with your word count.
