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Contact UsRead Sample (Look Inside the Book)
The Read sample feature allows readers to search through and preview samples of your books. When you publish a book, it’s automatically enabled.
You can find the “Read sample” button below the cover image on your book’s detail page. Note that in mobile devices the feature is only available for eBooks, and it will show the “Look Inside the Book” sticker instead. This feature is not available in mobile devices for print books.
How Read Sample works
Once your book is available for purchase on Amazon, including eBook pre-orders, the reading sample will display within a few days. If you make updates to your book, it will take additional time for the sample to update with the latest content.
Timelines and amount vary by type of book:
- Paperback and hardcover: 9 -10 business days
- eBook: 7-8 business days
Amount Shown
The reading sample is based on a percentage of your book’s current manuscript. This percentage varies by book format and can be adjusted to hide spoilers, if needed. However, we cannot increase or decrease the percentage of the reading sample.
Here are the amounts shown by book format:
- Fixed layout / Reflowable (eBook): 10%
- Print replica (eBook): 10%
- Paperback and hardcover: 20%
Reading sample limitations
- Books without an ISBN, such as low-content books, will not display the feature.
- Print replica books and these file formats will not display a reading sample: TPZ, MOP, REF MAG
- It isn’t possible to hide specific pages or chapters that appear in the sample.
- The Read sample feature can’t be adjusted for books in landscape or right-to-left orientation books.
Benefits of Read Sample
The feature helps sell more of your books in three primary ways:- Point-of-Sale Sampling
- Customers can check printed and Kindle versions
- Preview random pages and search for specific references or characters
- View books on similar topics
- 1-Click Purchasing
- An Add to Cart or Buy with 1-Click button can be found throughout the customer's previewing experience, eliminating the need to return to the book detail page
- Improved Search Results
- When customers search for books on Amazon.com, we use the actual words that match inside the book to return the best possible selection of books.
Where is the Read Sample available
Samples are available for KDP titles on:- Amazon.ca
- Amazon.cn
- Amazon.co.jp
- Amazon.com
- Amazon.com.au*
- Amazon.com.br*
- Amazon.com.mx*
- Amazon.co.uk
- Amazon.de
- Amazon.es*
- Amazon.fr
- Amazon.in
- Amazon.it*
- Amazon.nl*
