KDP Changes for 2026: What Authors Need to Know

Publishing is never static, and if you’re an indie author using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), there’s a significant policy change on the horizon that you need to know about.

Beginning January 20, 2026, Amazon will implement changes affecting how readers access Kindle eBooks published without Digital Rights Management (aka DRM—more on this later).

While the change might seem like a minor backend tweak, it has meaningful implications for how your readers engage with your work and for how you, as the publisher, prepare and protect your books.

If you received the email KDP sent last month announcing this change, and you’re confused or panicking, don’t. It’s actually very good news.

In this post, I’ll explain what’s changing, what it means for your existing and future titles, and how it will ultimately lead to a better experience for your readers.

What Is Changing on KDP in 2026?

Starting January 20, 2026, Amazon will allow readers who buy DRM-free Kindle eBooks to download their purchases as EPUB or PDF files, formats that work on many devices besides Kindle.

Until now, even if you published your book without DRM, it has still been hard for readers to transfer it to other apps or e-readers. Amazon’s system kept things tightly locked inside the Kindle platform, making it frustrating to transfer files.

With this new policy, readers will be able to access their Amazon account, locate their purchased books, and download them for use on other platforms such as Apple Books, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble NOOK (yes, it’s still around, though not as popular as it once was). They’ll also be able to use any app that supports EPUB or PDF files.

This gives readers more freedom. But it also gives you more options for how your books are read and shared, and that makes your work more powerful.

What Is DRM and Why Does It Matter?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a security feature that limits how digital files—like eBooks—can be copied, shared, or transferred. Its goal is to prevent unauthorized distribution of content.

When you publish a book through Kindle Direct Publishing, you have the option to enable or disable DRM. Amazon doesn’t force you to use it, but once you make the choice and publish the book, you can’t change it without unpublishing and re-uploading your file.

Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

• If you enable DRM, your eBook is locked to Amazon’s Kindle apps and devices. Readers can still highlight, annotate, and enjoy your book—but they can’t easily copy the file or move it to another platform. DRM doesn’t make piracy impossible, but it does create a barrier that makes it harder to redistribute your book illegally.

• If you disable DRM, readers who purchase your book can download the file and transfer it to other apps or devices, such as Apple Books, Kobo, or NOOK. This makes your book easier to access and more portable, especially for readers who prefer non-Kindle platforms. However, it also increases the risk that someone could copy and share the file without your permission.

  
  

Until now, even DRM-free books on Amazon have been somewhat locked into the Kindle ecosystem. This upcoming policy change removes that barrier and gives readers direct access to download EPUB and PDF versions—but only for DRM-free books.

The Benefits of the New Policy

While concerns about piracy have understandably sparked anxiety in the indie author community, they’ve overshadowed an important point: this policy change is, on balance, a win for authors and readers alike—especially for those who care about quality, professionalism, and long-term sustainability in publishing.

Here’s why.

Increased Compatibility for Readers

First and foremost, this update simply makes life easier for readers. Not everyone reads on a Kindle. Many readers prefer Apple Books, Kobo devices, or other EPUB-compatible apps. Until now, buying a Kindle book often meant being locked into Amazon’s ecosystem, whether you liked it or not.

With this change, readers who purchase DRM-free books can read them wherever and however they want. That kind of flexibility improves the reading experience and removes unnecessary friction between your book and your audience. And the easier it is for readers to access your work, the more likely they are to actually read it and recommend it to others.

Easier Alignment with Wide Distribution

If you publish wide, or plan to, this change is especially good news.

One of the longstanding frustrations of indie publishing has been the need to manage different file behaviors across platforms. Your EPUB on Kobo might look great, while your Kindle version behaves differently due to Amazon’s conversion system.

This policy brings Kindle closer in line with other major retailers like Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play. When DRM is disabled, your Amazon edition can now function more like the files you’re distributing elsewhere, creating a more consistent experience for readers across platforms.

From a business perspective, that consistency strengthens your author brand. Your book looks and behaves like your book, not a slightly distorted, platform-specific version.

More Professional Presentation and Design Control

This is the part that genuinely excites me as a book designer.

For years, Kindle’s upload and conversion system has been clunky, rigid, and frankly unfriendly to good design. Direct EPUB and PDF access changes the game.

When authors invest in clean, professionally formatted files, those files can now be delivered to readers more faithfully without being mangled by automated conversion systems. That means better typography, cleaner spacing, more predictable layout behavior, and a more polished reading experience overall.

In short: this rewards authors who care about craft, presentation, and reader experience.

This policy opens the door for indie books to look less DIY and more like the professionally produced works they deserve to be.

Author Choice and Control Remain Intact

Perhaps most importantly, this is not a mandate.

Amazon is not forcing authors to remove DRM. You still decide how your work is distributed and protected. If DRM aligns better with your goals, genre, or comfort level, that option remains available.

What Amazon is doing is expanding the toolkit. That’s a meaningful shift that gives authors more agency, not less.

This isn’t about losing control. It’s about making intentional, informed choices rather than relying on systems that no longer serve authors or readers well.

My Take (For What It’s Worth)

At the risk of stepping up on a soapbox, I’ll just say it. I think this is one of the best updates Amazon has made to Kindle Direct Publishing in a long time.

Yes, piracy is a concern. But the indie publishing world has spent so long trying to protect our work from being stolen that we sometimes forget about the people who are trying to read it the right way.

This change puts the focus back where it belongs: on making our books accessible, professional, and enjoyable for real readers.

As a book designer, I cannot overstate how much of an upgrade this is. Kindle’s conversion system has always been restrictive and unpredictable. Word documents were never meant to be book files, and Kindle Create is just a pain to work with in general.

For years, authors have done their best to work within those limitations, but the results haven’t always done justice to the work itself. The layout gets weird. Formatting breaks across devices. And the final product often doesn’t reflect the care and effort the author put into writing it.

This new approach of direct EPUB and PDF downloads finally lets authors control how their work looks across platforms. It rewards clean design. It gives readers a smoother experience. And it helps indie books rise to the level of quality they’ve always been capable of reaching.

How to Prepare for the 2026 Update

Here’s a checklist to make sure you’re ready when the changes go into effect:

·       Review your DRM settings for all current and upcoming books.

·       Decide whether you want to enable or disable DRM based on your publishing strategy.

·       Back up clean EPUB and PDF versions of your book files.

·       Schedule time to re-save your DRM-free titles in KDP to activate the new download permissions.

·       Evaluate the quality of your layout and formatting—especially if you’ll be offering files directly to readers.

Need Some Help With Indie Publishing?

At Inkling Creative Strategies, I work with indie authors to ensure their books aren’t just beautifully written but professionally formatted and ready for publication.

If you need help with file formatting for ebooks, print layout and typesetting for physical books, guidance on DRM, and personalized support to help you publish with clarity, confidence, and creative vision, I’m here for you.

Whether you’re preparing to launch your debut novel or getting your backlist in shape before the January 26 deadline, I’m here to help you do it right.

Schedule a complimentary services consultation and let’s talk about how to make 2026 your year for indie publishing.