Amazon emailing authors about the new EPUB and PDF formats

Good e-Reader broke the news a week ago about Amazon planning to release DRM-Free e-books in EPUB and PDF. The company has just sent a newsletter update to all authors and publishers who use Kindle Direct Publishing about the new changes. They also created a new Help Page that has additional information. The email newsletter states “Starting January 20, 2026, Amazon will make it easier for readers to enjoy content they have purchased from the Kindle store across a wider range of devices and applications by allowing new titles published without Digital Rights Management (DRM) to be downloaded in EPUB and PDF format. If you take no action, the DRM-status of your previously published titles will not change, but the EPUB and PDF downloads will not be enabled for existing DRM-free titles. If you want to allow reader downloads for these titles, follow the directions below on or after December 9 and select the option to not apply DRM.” To check or change the DRM status of an eBook at any time: Log in to the KDP author portal and navigate to the “Kindle eBook Content” page In the “Manuscript” section, review the “Digital Rights Management (DRM)” selection to see your book’s current DRM status. If you want to make your book available DRM-free and allow readers to download it as an EPUB or PDF: Select “No, do not apply Digital Rights Management” Then check the box that confirms: “I understand that by not applying DRM, customers who buy and have already bought this book will be able to download it as a PDF or EPUB file. My DRM selection applies to all previous and future purchases of this book.” If you do not want your book to be available DRM-free and you want to prevent readers from downloading it as an EPUB or PDF: Select “Yes, apply Digital Rights Management” Select “Save and Continue”. This takes you to the Pricing Page Select “Publish Your Kindle eBook” at the bottom of the Pricing page. Changes may take up to 72 hours to be live on Amazon. Michael Kozlowski has written about audiobooks, e-books and e-readers for the past eighteen years. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

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