Amazon to let KDP authors offer DRM-free books as EPUB and PDF starting in 2026
The update gives readers more flexibility across devices while giving authors clearer control over how open their books can be.
Many readers like having the freedom to move their books across devices, make backups, or share a title with someone at home, while many authors want to protect their work from being copied or spread without permission. That tension is what sits underneath Amazon’s latest change to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
KDP has always let authors decide whether to use Digital Rights Management (DRM), but the choice never gave readers much practical flexibility because the files were still locked into Amazon’s ecosystem. Now, when an author chooses to publish without DRM, Amazon will also offer the book as an EPUB or PDF instead of limiting it to Kindle-only formats. It’s a small adjustment on paper, but it shifts how open a digital book can be the moment an author opts out of DRM.
The rollout begins on January 20, 2026, and applies to new uploads as well as older books if authors update their settings. That means readers who prefer open formats can finally download something they can read on almost any device or app, while authors still keep their copyright protections in place. It isn’t a free-for-all; it just gives readers more room to use the files they’ve already paid for.
Emmanuel Umahi
This change by Amazon may seem small, but it signals a bigger shift in how digital books are handled. Authors can now weigh control against accessibility, and readers may get easier access to the formats they prefer. Over time, decisions like this could reshape the way e-books are created, shared, and experienced, giving both writers and readers more say in the digital reading world.
The timing is also interesting because Amazon recently made it harder for some Kindle models to export or back up books, which frustrated readers who prefer keeping local copies. Making DRM-free EPUB and PDF available feels like Amazon giving creators more flexibility without unraveling its own hardware ecosystem. It isn’t a reversal, but it does soften some of the frustration around file restrictions.
Conclusion
Taken together, the shift suggests Amazon is rethinking how tightly digital books need to be locked down. Authors now have a clearer choice about how open they want their work to be, and readers get formats that fit their habits instead of Amazon’s defaults. Over time, decisions like this could shape how e-books are created, shared, and experienced, giving both sides a little more control in a space that hasn’t left much room for either.
Emmanuel Umahi
