Amazon Author Central: Current 2026 Setup & Features
What Author Central currently does, what it does not replace, and how to keep your author page accurate.
Author Central is Amazon's author-profile system. Its core purpose is to connect an author identity with books and give readers one place to see current author information.
Important correction: Author Central should not be described as a full KDP sales dashboard with exact daily units and royalties. KDP Reports is the source for orders, KENP, royalties, and related publishing-performance data.
Pro Tip: Complete roadmap to self-publishing success, including advanced author branding and marketing strategies beyond just Author Central. Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish by David Gaughran covers this in detail.
Current Author Central Features
Add your books
Connect eligible books to the correct Author Page.
Biography
Add and maintain your author biography, including language variations where supported.
Best Sellers Rank
View Amazon Best Sellers Rank information for your books.
Customer Reviews
Check customer reviews associated with your books.
Editorial Reviews (US)
Add Editorial Reviews through Author Central where the US feature is available.
BookScan sales information (US)
View the US-only BookScan feature. Do not confuse this with full KDP order/royalty reporting.
Amazon followers
See your Amazon follower count and benefit from eligible new-release/pre-order notifications.
Setup & Maintenance Workflow
Claim the correct books
Search for your titles and make sure the Author Page contains the books that genuinely belong to that author identity.
Use a consistent author name
KDP features such as Author Pages, Series Pages, and format linking depend on consistent author/contributor metadata.
Write an accurate biography
Describe the author, body of work, relevant background, and reader-facing context without fabricated awards, bestseller claims, or credentials.
Check books after new releases
Confirm new titles are connected to the correct Author Page and that duplicate/misattributed books are addressed.
Monitor reviews and rank as signals
Use these for reader/market context, but use KDP Reports for exact publishing-performance figures.
Keep the page current
Update the biography and other editable information when something materially changes rather than on an arbitrary schedule.
Author Central vs KDP Reports
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Author bio / Author Page | Author Central |
| Customer reviews / BSR view | Author Central |
| US BookScan information | Author Central |
| Orders, KENP, royalties, historical KDP performance | KDP Reports |
Avoid stale feature assumptions
Older guides may refer to discontinued social-feed integrations, assume identical features in every country, or describe Author Central as a complete sales-reporting tool. Use the controls actually available in your current Author Central account and KDP's current feature list.
Optional Author-Platform Resources
Additional reading for author branding and publishing strategy.
by David Gaughran
Complete guide to self-publishing including author branding, marketing, and building a sustainable author business.
Get This Bookby Robbie Samuels
Marketing and launch strategies that leverage your author profile to drive sales and reviews.
Get This Bookby Chandler Bolt
Build professional author systems and marketing workflows that generate consistent sales.
Get This BookAs an Amazon Associate, BookBloom earns from qualifying purchases.
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