Is Self-Publishing on Amazon Too Good to be True?

It’s never been more straightforward to self-publish a book with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Here’s how to self-publish on Amazon! Read more below!

Sometimes it’s hard to remember Amazon’s humble beginnings as an online book retailer. Now it’s this monstrous, money-making entity with its own brand of goods. But you can still buy books! And through their Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) service, it’s never been more straightforward for an author to get their work out into the world, at least in digital format. Before you jump into it, though, I want to take a good look at what it has to offer you and how you can make the most of the experience if you decide it’s the best route for your novel.

How to Self-Publish on Amazon:

Setting Up KDP for Success

You need only a cursory glance over the website to learn that it’s fast, easy, cheap, makes money, and allows you to retain intellectual control over your book. Sounds too good to be true, right?

Thankfully, it isn’t. You get global reach and 70% royalties, and you could publish today and possibly see it on digital shelves tomorrow! All it takes is a bit of time to sign up for an account and review some of the ins and outs of the whole process.

When you get into setting up your book, you need to have a clear idea of these three items to help people find your story:

• Book Description
• Make it as captivating as possible (a tall order, I know.)
• Keywords
• At least 7 should do nicely.
• Categories
• About 10 categories are recommended.

Additionally, you need an eye-catching cover, a great title, and a subtitle. You’ll also want to know your book’s length, ISBN, and audience, describe the physical details if applicable, prepare a biography, and include a few other elements to give your novel the best SEO footprint.

That said, don’t stress if you feel you missed something or want to refine your answers — you can always go back and edit, even after you’ve published.

Physical or Digital?

The cool thing about KDP is that it’s not for ebooks only. They will print physical copies and handle all the shipping and return details on your behalf. So all you need to do is decide if you want physical, digital, or both. Both certainly won’t hurt, but the latest statistics show that print sells better.

Essentially it comes down to the fact that it’s just plain satisfying to hold a physical book in your hands and read it. Cost-wise, the two formats are pretty close these days, too. So the price often won’t factor into people’s purchasing decisions as much as it used to. That’s because the big publishers forced Amazon to adjust their pricing, so it didn’t tank the market for them.

For the physical method, though, there is a lot of stress in ensuring you’ve got all the details straight because once they’re printed, you can’t change them. So make sure you double-check everything if you go this route. Also, keep in mind that Amazon deducts printing and shipping costs from your royalties.

So that potential 70% looks more like 60% (or about 40% if you go through the Expanded Distribution method) after they take their cut. There’s also a delivery cost for ebooks, but it’s a lot cheaper, and you won’t pay anything if you’re on the 35% royalties plan (a bit more on that below.)

Then I Can Relax, Right?

Not so much. True, as I said, Amazon handles most of the details and makes the process easy. But that only means that pretty much everyone and their dog can print a book. It’s a massive ocean of content; you’re just one drop in it. So before you rest on your laurels, it’s crucial you develop a game plan to get your novel out in front of people’s eyes.

For myself, that meant developing my website and slowly growing a brand that, if nothing else, draws attention to my name as an author and reminds people about my book, Getting By.

All that said, Amazon may get your book out there, but they won’t tell people about it. It’s up to you to market your novel: On social media, in emails, your blog, book reviews, through YouTube, podcasts, and even skywriting if you have to!

Otherwise, you will waste all your time and money on writing, editing, proofing, cover design, and anything else. Develop a plan or invest a bit more in hiring a company to do it with or for you to give your novel the best chance at success. It’ll be one of the best investments you can make.

Things to be Mindful Of

Before you commit to KDP, there are a few bits to be aware of when making a decision. First, they have exclusive rights to the publishing for 90 days, so you can’t go to any other platform until that time is up.

Secondly, those royalties won’t roll in until 60 days after the first sale of your novel, so budget accordingly. Plus, direct deposit is the best way to go. With checks or wire, you need at least $100 in sales before they send you anything.

Speaking of those royalties, I will clarify that there are two options for your royalties, 70% and 35%, which largely determine your book pricing options. Make sure you read the differences clearly, and you’ll be set up for what suits your needs best.

Lastly, check the DRM option – this is a key tip in how to self-publish on Amazon. Kindle does allow people to lend a digital copy of your book for a brief period, but if you don’t enable Digital Rights Management to protect your novel, they can outright copy it for free.

Whatever your feelings about Amazon and its owner, Jeff Bezos, it’s a fantastic platform to help new authors take control of their publishing. It’s free, offers a simple enough interface to work with, and takes care of the bigger issues like printing and shipping.

Just make sure you’re ready to do the legwork to help your novel get discovered by providing the most detailed and SEO-driven information and crafting a winning marketing plan.

If you want to learn more about how to self-publish on Amazon, I’ve covered some of it in my blog before and gotten even more in-depth in my course, so check it out and sign up! Please find me on social media or email me at jsims@jairesims.com should you have more questions.