Most new Kindle Direct Publishing authors burn their first month picking a book cover instead of validating the niche. Here's the order that actually works:

1. Pick a category with proven demand — check the Amazon bestseller list in your niche and see how many reviews the top 20 books have. If most have under 50, competition is low and you can rank fast.

2. Outline before you write a single page. A messy outline beats a polished intro every time.

3. Get your interior formatted correctly before touching the cover — KDP rejects more manuscripts for formatting than anything else.

4. Only then design the cover, and match top performers in your category (not what you personally like).

5. Price it in the sweet spot for your category — usually $2.99-$6.99 for ebooks, higher for paperback.

I put together templates and a step-by-step system for this because I kept seeing the same mistakes over and over. If you're starting out or stuck on step 1, come build with us — free community at Samazonkdp.