Amazon Kindle Publishing: How To Self-publish Your Book FREE On Amazon Kindle, Get Worldwide Exposure FREE, And Earn Lots of Money From Your Published Book With Little Or No Promotional Effort Required
By Lordson Okpetu
What is Kindle Publishing? Kindle Publishing is the ebook publishing platform from Amazon. Amazon sells hardware devices called Kindles which are an ebook reader. They also have mobile, tablet and PC applications. Publishing on Amazon Kindle therefore makes your book available on the Kindle device, iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Mac, and PC. This means there is a wide variety of ways to consume Kindle publications.
This has resulted in Amazon creating a massive marketplace for electronically published books. And the sales are massive, in the millions.
The speed to market is very rapid, you can publish a book and literally sell copies of it within hours.
A big attraction of Kindle publishing is that little or no marketing has to be done – Amazon's shop can do all the work for you – all you have to do is publish.
Publishing on Amazon Kindle publishing system is very fast and simple. You literally just upload your ebook and the cover image, some information about it, then press Publish and that's it. It's done. You’re now an author and soon Amazon’s gigantic marketplace will start generating royalty checks for you.
Now that you know what Kindle Publishing is, aren’t questions like Who can publish on Kindle, How can I make money from Kindle publishing, How do I receive my earnings from Kindle etc., running through your mind right now?
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They should be, and you will get answers to almost all the conceivable questions about Kindle Publishing today in this piece.
I compiled every likely question that newbies like you would want to get answers to on Kindle publishing and took them to two Kindle Publishing experts to answer, John Ojeagbase, and Chinedum Azuh. Below is what they have to share with you from their wealth of experience:
What are the benefits of publishing on Kindle publishing platform?
John Ojeagbase says that one of the benefits of publishing on Kindle is that as an independent author or Publisher, you can start making money publishing your material yourself without the need of any offline Publisher. He says that you can earn money selling your ebooks, reports, & other contents on Amazon Kindle store. “In fact, you can do it for others as their publisher.
What are the benefits of publishing on Kindle publishing platform?
John Ojeagbase says that one of the benefits of publishing on Kindle is that as an independent author or Publisher, you can start making money publishing your material yourself without the need of any offline Publisher. He says that you can earn money selling your ebooks, reports, & other contents on Amazon Kindle store. “In fact, you can do it for others as their publisher.
“Another benefit is that, when you publish Kindle Books, you can make money without owning a website, traffic generation headaches, shopping cart/shipping complications and handlings, e-mail list, merchant account, and the best part is that it’s all passive,” says John.
Lending his voice to the benefits of publishing on Kindle, another expert on Kindle Publishing, Chinedum Azuh says publishing on Kindle has two major benefits viz establishing your authority online and taking advantage of Amazon’s power.
“You probably already know that proving your authority online is important if you want to achieve any kind of online success. What you may not know is that publishing Kindle eBooks offers you the ability to enhance your authority online in an incredible way. If you create a quality book that fits your target audience, you can start spreading your ideas and your name across the web,” says Chinedum.
Chinedum continues, “Amazon.com has millions of visitors and buyers. The site is powerful and their Kindle system is well known and often used. Publishing your own Kindle eBooks allows you to take advantage of the power Amazon has on the web.
“You’ll also be able to benefit from the fact that millions of people already have the Kindle device, so writing eBooks for Kindle will allow you to put your book right at their fingertips. Many phones have Kindle Apps on them and Amazon even has a free reader that can be downloaded to computers to make it easy for PC users to access and read their eBooks as well.”
What level of internet knowledge do I need to be able to self-publish on Kindle?
Chinedum says you need basic knowledge of the internet. If you can browse the internet, check your email, chat on facebook etc. Then you have all it takes to start this business. He says you don’t need to be an internet guru to start.
How and where do I start my Kindle publishing business from?“Anyone can publish a book through the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) system, (https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin) which then distributes the e-book via Amazon.com’s online network,” replies Chinedum.
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| The publishing interface on Kindle publishing |
Can I make kindle publishing a full time income source/venture?Chinedum, who not only makes money as a published author on Kindle says anyone can make Kindle publishing a full time income as there are many ways to earn money on Kindle.
Chinedum who earned over N800, 000 in 2012 helping other people publish their books on Kindle says you can earn money by publishing and selling your own books, by charging a one-time fee to publish for others, by publishing for others and sharing the proceeds, and by running one-on-one trainings for aspiring kindle publishers.
How much can I make from the sales of each book I publish on Kindle?Chinedum says the financial potentials are limitless. “As of early 2012, J.A. Konrath was making $150,000 every six weeks. John Locke was one of the first mega sellers on the Kindle platform. He Sold 1 Million Books in 5 Months.
How much can I make from the sales of each book I publish on Kindle?Chinedum says the financial potentials are limitless. “As of early 2012, J.A. Konrath was making $150,000 every six weeks. John Locke was one of the first mega sellers on the Kindle platform. He Sold 1 Million Books in 5 Months.
Amanda Hocking within six months on kindle platform she had sold 150,000 copies.
“The figures are in the millions. So you can make as much money as possible.”
John Ojeagbase on his own part says that the amount you make depends on the type of book or material you publish. He advised aspiring Kindle authors to write on searched keywords.
How do I know when my books are sold?John Ojeagbase says that you will know you have made sales through your KDP account. “You have to log-in and check the report which is usually updated periodically. Every sales made are recorded there,” says John.
Chinedum says that there are three types of reports available through your KDP account. He listed them as Month-to-Date Unit Sales, Prior Six Weeks' Royalties, and Prior Months' Royalties.
Month-to-Date Unit Sales report can be used to get a quick snapshot of your unit sales and transactions for the current month's sales.
Prior Six Weeks' Royalties report shows transactions and royalties you've earned over the six weeks prior to the current week.
Prior Months' Royalties reports show summaries of previous months' sales transactions, for the last 12 months. Reports are generated near the 15th day of each month and include sales that occurred within the prior month.
What kinds of books sell faster on Kindle? Chinedum says romance and young adult novels sell the most books. “Money making books are also on high demand. Here is my guiding rule for aspiring kindle publishers: Write books that will entertain a large audience or a book that will solve problem for so many people,” he says.
How can I use the internet to research/write the books?Chinedum: Use the internet to get information on the kind of books that sell the most. Draw inspiration from the titles and style but avoid content duplication.
Are there limitations on the type and number of books an author can write?Chinedum: You can write books on any genre but you have to understand the content guidelines. Kindle will not accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts.
Amazon takes violations of laws and proprietary rights very seriously. It is your responsibility to ensure that your content doesn't violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights. Just because content is freely available does not mean you are free to copy and sell it.
Are there pagination limitations?Chinedum: I’ve been looking in more detail about how the pagination matches up on Kindle ebooks across three different devices, a PC, an iPad and an android phone. Both the PC and iPad versions show both pages and locations, the android app just shows the locations.
When it comes to pages the PC and iPad versions have the same numbers of pages but the content on each page isn’t exactly identical. In the samples I tried it varied from a few lines difference, to several paragraphs or more. Given the variations in screen size then it probably isn’t surprising. But the variation means that to give an accurate reference you are not only going to have to specify that it is the Kindle version of the ebook, but also the device you are using to access it.
How do I write a bestselling book?Chinedum: Find out what people want to know and give that information to them. You can create an entire dynasty of books if you write for the purpose of providing information. The Internet is the quickest way to find out what people want to know.
What are the precautions to take as a publisher to safeguard my books?Chinedum: To protect your book, check the DRM (Digital Rights Management) box on your Kindle Direct Publishing Platform.
How do I get paid for my earnings from Kindle publishing?Chinedum says “Your KDP account preferences can be set to receive royalty payments electronically across all marketplaces in US dollars, British pounds or Euros.
“In order to be paid by Direct Deposit, your bank account will, however, need to be located in the US, United Kingdom or in Europe. Otherwise, you will receive a cheque from Amazon direct to the address you want. Visit your KDP Account Page to set Direct Deposit as your payment preference if you meet these requirements.”
John Ojeagbase corroborated Chinedum’s claims on Amazon payment. He says there are two ways to get paid by Amazon, either through cheque or electronic transfer.
What are the major challenges of publishing on Kindle?John says that the main challenge with Kindle Publishing has always been that of writing the book itself. “If you are a writer, writing the book may not be a challenge in itself.
“The figures are in the millions. So you can make as much money as possible.”
John Ojeagbase on his own part says that the amount you make depends on the type of book or material you publish. He advised aspiring Kindle authors to write on searched keywords.
How do I know when my books are sold?John Ojeagbase says that you will know you have made sales through your KDP account. “You have to log-in and check the report which is usually updated periodically. Every sales made are recorded there,” says John.
Chinedum says that there are three types of reports available through your KDP account. He listed them as Month-to-Date Unit Sales, Prior Six Weeks' Royalties, and Prior Months' Royalties.
Month-to-Date Unit Sales report can be used to get a quick snapshot of your unit sales and transactions for the current month's sales.
Prior Six Weeks' Royalties report shows transactions and royalties you've earned over the six weeks prior to the current week.
Prior Months' Royalties reports show summaries of previous months' sales transactions, for the last 12 months. Reports are generated near the 15th day of each month and include sales that occurred within the prior month.
What kinds of books sell faster on Kindle? Chinedum says romance and young adult novels sell the most books. “Money making books are also on high demand. Here is my guiding rule for aspiring kindle publishers: Write books that will entertain a large audience or a book that will solve problem for so many people,” he says.
How can I use the internet to research/write the books?Chinedum: Use the internet to get information on the kind of books that sell the most. Draw inspiration from the titles and style but avoid content duplication.
Are there limitations on the type and number of books an author can write?Chinedum: You can write books on any genre but you have to understand the content guidelines. Kindle will not accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts.
Amazon takes violations of laws and proprietary rights very seriously. It is your responsibility to ensure that your content doesn't violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights. Just because content is freely available does not mean you are free to copy and sell it.
Are there pagination limitations?Chinedum: I’ve been looking in more detail about how the pagination matches up on Kindle ebooks across three different devices, a PC, an iPad and an android phone. Both the PC and iPad versions show both pages and locations, the android app just shows the locations.
When it comes to pages the PC and iPad versions have the same numbers of pages but the content on each page isn’t exactly identical. In the samples I tried it varied from a few lines difference, to several paragraphs or more. Given the variations in screen size then it probably isn’t surprising. But the variation means that to give an accurate reference you are not only going to have to specify that it is the Kindle version of the ebook, but also the device you are using to access it.
How do I write a bestselling book?Chinedum: Find out what people want to know and give that information to them. You can create an entire dynasty of books if you write for the purpose of providing information. The Internet is the quickest way to find out what people want to know.
What are the precautions to take as a publisher to safeguard my books?Chinedum: To protect your book, check the DRM (Digital Rights Management) box on your Kindle Direct Publishing Platform.
How do I get paid for my earnings from Kindle publishing?Chinedum says “Your KDP account preferences can be set to receive royalty payments electronically across all marketplaces in US dollars, British pounds or Euros.
“In order to be paid by Direct Deposit, your bank account will, however, need to be located in the US, United Kingdom or in Europe. Otherwise, you will receive a cheque from Amazon direct to the address you want. Visit your KDP Account Page to set Direct Deposit as your payment preference if you meet these requirements.”
John Ojeagbase corroborated Chinedum’s claims on Amazon payment. He says there are two ways to get paid by Amazon, either through cheque or electronic transfer.
Update: You can withdraw your Kindle earnings direct from an ATM machine in Nigeria with the eaid of Payoneer card.
What are the major challenges of publishing on Kindle?John says that the main challenge with Kindle Publishing has always been that of writing the book itself. “If you are a writer, writing the book may not be a challenge in itself.
However, if you cannot write yourself, you can outsource that part and still make money selling the book in the Kindle store,” says John.
Chinedum listed the three challenges facing Kindle Publishing as Territorial Pricing, Payments and Customer service.
Talking about territorial pricing, Chinedum says that at the moment Kindle books authors can set different prices in each country, but only within certain restrictions. “If I opt for the 70% royalty rate in the US, which requires me to price between $2.99 and $9.99, I can’t price below the equivalent of $2.99 in any territory. That is a challenge,” says Chinedum.
He continues, “Though KDP has expanded electronic payments to lots more countries, which is a welcomed development, but there are still many authors in places like Nigeria, Australia etc. who can only be paid by cheque.
“As per customer service, there are many things I love about KDP, but the customer service isn’t one of them. Reps often seem to scan the email until they get to the first issue, enter a rather unhelpful response, and ignore the rest of the email. Subsequent reps don’t seem to review the previous messages on the thread, and repeat the same unhelpful response.
“By contrast, the Author Central customer service team is superb. The KDP guys could learn a lot from them.”
Other advise to people who want to succeed in Kindle publishing business
Chinedum: Get trained by an Expert - This will eliminate trial and error and shorten your learning curve. Focus on what you can do and get others to do the rest for you. For instance, if you are not an expert in cover design, do not stress yourself to do it. Write as many books as possible; the money is in the number.
Define your target audience. Without a target audience, an eBook is useless.
Ask yourself:
· Who is my target audience?
· What do they like? Feel?
· What will they learn?
· What am I offering them for their time?
· How can I make this eBook build a relationship with my readers? Is it a character they’ll fall in love with? A story? Are you motivating or inspiring them with ideas and examples? What is the main purpose?
Chinedum is of the opinion that providing sincere answers to these questions will help Kindle publishers define their target audience thereby making success in Kindle publishing inevitable.
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Chinedum Azuh is the CEO Of Learning Lab Nigeria Limited,
John Ojeagbase is the COO of Online Publishing Service
Chinedum listed the three challenges facing Kindle Publishing as Territorial Pricing, Payments and Customer service.
Talking about territorial pricing, Chinedum says that at the moment Kindle books authors can set different prices in each country, but only within certain restrictions. “If I opt for the 70% royalty rate in the US, which requires me to price between $2.99 and $9.99, I can’t price below the equivalent of $2.99 in any territory. That is a challenge,” says Chinedum.
He continues, “Though KDP has expanded electronic payments to lots more countries, which is a welcomed development, but there are still many authors in places like Nigeria, Australia etc. who can only be paid by cheque.
“As per customer service, there are many things I love about KDP, but the customer service isn’t one of them. Reps often seem to scan the email until they get to the first issue, enter a rather unhelpful response, and ignore the rest of the email. Subsequent reps don’t seem to review the previous messages on the thread, and repeat the same unhelpful response.
“By contrast, the Author Central customer service team is superb. The KDP guys could learn a lot from them.”
Other advise to people who want to succeed in Kindle publishing business
Chinedum: Get trained by an Expert - This will eliminate trial and error and shorten your learning curve. Focus on what you can do and get others to do the rest for you. For instance, if you are not an expert in cover design, do not stress yourself to do it. Write as many books as possible; the money is in the number.
Define your target audience. Without a target audience, an eBook is useless.
Ask yourself:
· Who is my target audience?
· What do they like? Feel?
· What will they learn?
· What am I offering them for their time?
· How can I make this eBook build a relationship with my readers? Is it a character they’ll fall in love with? A story? Are you motivating or inspiring them with ideas and examples? What is the main purpose?
Chinedum is of the opinion that providing sincere answers to these questions will help Kindle publishers define their target audience thereby making success in Kindle publishing inevitable.
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Chinedum Azuh is the CEO Of Learning Lab Nigeria Limited,
John Ojeagbase is the COO of Online Publishing Service
*****The End*****
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