What KDP allows in a description
Descriptions can be up to 4,000 characters, and KDP counts the HTML tags too, which is why this tool counts the HTML rather than just the words you see.
Formatting KDP accepts
| Formatting | HTML tag |
|---|---|
| Bold | <b> |
| Italic | <i> or <em> |
| Underline | <u> |
| Headings (three sizes) | <h4>, <h5>, <h6> |
| Paragraph | <p> |
| Line break (use two for an empty line) | <br> |
| Bulleted and numbered lists | <ul>, <ol> with <li> |
Larger headings (h1 to h3) aren't supported, so this tool turns them into paragraphs. Anything else, such as colours, fonts or links, is stripped out.
What isn't allowed
- Website addresses, email addresses and phone numbers
- Reviews, quotes or testimonials, and requests for reviews
- Prices, availability and time-limited offers
- Emojis
- Lists of keywords
- Spoilers
What shows before "Read more"
On desktop, Amazon shows your description in a box 280 pixels tall, about 14 lines of text, and hides the rest behind "Read more". It isn't a character count: in five bestsellers we measured, between 747 and 1,195 characters showed, depending on how many paragraph breaks and headings they used. The preview above draws that line using Amazon's own text sizes and spacing.
Read how we measured where Amazon cuts off descriptions for the full results. On phones the app and mobile site lay text out differently, so check your listing on your phone once it's live.
Formatting that works
- Open with a hook in a heading. One bold line that makes the reader want more: the central question, the stakes, or the promise.
- Keep paragraphs short. Two to four lines each. A wall of text gets skipped.
- Put the selling points above the fold. Who it's for, what happens or what they'll learn, and why it's different, before "Read more".
- Use bold sparingly. For the hook and a few key phrases, not whole paragraphs.
- Use bullet lists for non-fiction benefits. "You'll learn how to…" lists are easy to scan.
- End with a call to action, without prices, dates or offers.
- Don't shout. Whole sentences in capitals are harder to read and look like an advert.
A structure to start from
- Heading: the hook, in one line.
- Paragraph: the situation, the character or the reader's problem.
- Paragraph: what's at stake, or what changes.
- For non-fiction, a short bulleted list of what the reader will learn.
- One line on who will love it, such as fans of a genre or readers with a goal.
Spacing on Amazon
Amazon leaves a gap after each paragraph, but not after a heading or a list. If you want space after a list, press Enter on an empty line: the tool turns it into a line break, which costs 4 characters. The editor uses Amazon's spacing, so what you see while typing matches the preview.
Questions
Doesn't KDP have its own editor now?
Yes. Since 2021 KDP's description box has had basic formatting buttons and a preview, and you can still switch to the HTML source. This tool adds what KDP's box doesn't: where "Read more" falls, the character count including tags, and checks for things KDP doesn't allow.
How do I paste the result into KDP?
Copy the HTML here, then in KDP switch the description box to its source view and paste. Or paste into the normal view and check it looks the same.
Can I edit an existing description?
Yes. Open "Edit a description you already have", paste the HTML from KDP and load it into the editor.
Based on KDP's description guidelines, checked 28 October 2026, and our own measurements of Amazon's desktop pages.