Why did KDP reject my cover?
Cover rejections nearly always come down to a few things. Check, in order:
- Page count mismatch. The most common cause. Your cover's spine width is built from the page count you entered — if that doesn't match the interior you uploaded, KDP flags the dimensions. Set the cover's page count to your final interior page count and re-export. See Why does the cover maker need my page count?
- Wrong printer profile. Make sure the cover was exported for KDP, not IngramSpark (their specs differ). Re-select the printer if needed.
- Low resolution. If KDP warns about DPI, your front art was too small. Use higher-res artwork — see What resolution should my artwork be?
- Text in the safe area / spine. Text too close to edges or on a too-thin spine gets flagged — see Why is my spine too narrow for text?
- Barcode conflict. Using a free KDP ISBN but added your own barcode? Remove it and let KDP place one.
Fix the flagged item, re-export, and re-upload. For the exact KDP wording, see KDP & IngramSpark problems.