Many authors lower a book's price for Black Friday or Christmas. The trap is timing. If you change the price on the morning of the sale, Amazon may still show the old price all day.
The lesson: make every holiday price change several days before the promo starts, and the paperback first.
What KDP says
KDP's Timelines help page (checked again on 4 November 2026) gives two different waits. The page shows no updated date.
- Paperback and hardcover. A list price update takes "72 hours to 5 business days depending on the significance of the change."
- Kindle ebook. A list price update takes "24 hours".
For paperbacks and hardcovers, the same page adds a second point: "Until your list price updates on the website and in our systems, the royalty earned on any retail orders will be based on your previous list price and its corresponding royalty rate." In plain words, sales during the wait are paid as if nothing changed.
The page also says these timelines "are estimates only", so leave a little extra room.
Other holiday changes take longer
If you are also swapping in a holiday cover or a new front page, the same page lists:
- Paperback or hardcover "Read Sample" (Look Inside The Book) update: 9-10 business days.
- Ebook "Read Sample" update: 7-8 business days.
- Paperback back cover on the detail page: 7-10 business days.
Before you upload new files, our post on downloading your KDP files first is worth a look.
If you run a Kindle Countdown Deal instead of a plain price cut, KDP says it "must be scheduled 24 hours before your desired start date". And if you run Amazon ads, the page says changes to your book details or price can take "Up to 3 days" to show there.
Count back from Black Friday
Black Friday this year is Friday 27 November. Here is one way to plan it.
- Monday 16 November: change the paperback price. That gives a full five business days before Thanksgiving week, with room to spare.
- Monday 23 November: change the ebook price. KDP says 24 hours, so this leaves days, not hours.
- Tuesday 24 November: check both prices on your Amazon page. Look while signed out, or in a private browser window. If a price has not moved, you still have time to contact KDP support.
- After the sale: change the prices back the same way. Allow the same days for the old price to return.
For Christmas, do the same sums from your own start date. If your holiday plans include a new release, our one-page list of every store's file deadlines covers the upload side.
A small example
This one is made up. Ruth has a cosy mystery in paperback and ebook. Last year she cut both prices at breakfast on Black Friday, and the paperback still showed the old price that evening. This year she writes "Mon 16 paperback, Mon 23 ebook, Tue 24 check" on her calendar. Both prices are showing by the time the sale starts.
Three dates on a calendar. That is the whole plan.