Amazon Self-Publishing Explained
Do you remember the days when publishing a book was both emotionally and monetarily daunting and exhausting? If you don’t, then congratulations, for technology and Amazon self-publishing have saved you from the loss of entire creative control over your manuscript, expensive publishing packages, gatekeeping, manuscript rejection despite bringing an impeccable story to the table, and difficulties in marketing your book to reach a wider audience. Yes, we have just alluded to the drawbacks of traditional publishing. But then what is Amazon Self-Publishing, and how does it work? Let’s find out!
What is Amazon Self-Publishing?
What do you do if you have a manuscript and a book cover design, but not enough money to publish it? The answer to this question is pretty simple: turn to Amazon Self-Publishing using the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform. You will be surprised by the level of control you will have over your manuscript and the efficiency of publishing your final draft without actually depending on any publisher. It allows you to choose a cover, prepare book files, write a description, set a price, and boom, you are ready to go! KDP allows you to publish your book either as an eBook or a paperback, presenting your work before millions of Amazon shoppers to buy and read it.
Amazon looks after printing, shipping, and payments, while authors relish the benefits of royalties; the best part is that you can update your book’s listing anytime.
How Does Amazon KDP Work?
Now that you have understood the benefits of Amazon KDP, let’s understand the process of self-publishing your book through it.
- Use your Amazon credentials to create a KDP account and upload your manuscript. Ensure that the formatting of your book is clean and professional to be compatible with Kindle.
- Once your manuscript is ready and you have an idea about the book cover, start making it using either Canva or Amazon’s free cover creator, and bring your dream cover to reality. You can also hire a designer, depending on your budget.
- Creating a book cover design, formatting, and uploading your manuscript isn’t enough. You will have to enter detailed information about your book, such as title, author’s name, description, and incorporate relatable keywords and categories to enhance your book’s visibility on the platform.
- Amazon KDP also allows you to choose your distribution rights and royalty percentage, which is either 35% or 70%.
- Once you tap on ‘Publish,’ your book will most likely go live within 72 hours.
What are the Advantages of Amazon Self-Publishing?
Imagine writing a book from scratch, publishing it without any third-party poking you to make changes that you didn’t even want in the first place, and having an entire control over the sales. Isn’t it a bliss for you to plan every step before giving your words a home in the form of a book and bringing them in front of the world? Doesn’t knowing that you can give your book the spotlight it deserves without depending on anybody give you a sense of relief?
It does, right? Well, there are a lot more advantages than this in Amazon Self-Publishing.
- You don’t have to be an experienced writer or write any specific genre to access the services of Amazon KDP; anyone can publish their stories via it, irrespective of experience and genre.
- When we say that publishing your books on Amazon KDP is free, we mean that there are no printing or inventory costs applicable to your books. The books are printed only when they are sold. The same goes for eBooks; publishing them is free of cost.
- Amazon KDP doesn’t restrict you to a specific place or region. Once your books are live, they become available for millions of users across the platform. Basically, anybody sitting in New York or any place, for that matter, can purchase your book; it doesn’t matter if you are publishing it from Lucknow.
- With Amazon KDP, you don’t just get full control over your manuscript and its publishing, but also earn up to 70% royalty, depending on the distribution choice and your book’s price.
- Another plus point is that you don’t have to depend on anyone for your book’s marketing. We are living in a digital world, and you can market your book via multiple social media platforms. Along with that, you can also use Amazon advertising to boost visibility and sales. Amazon KDP further offers Kindle Countdown Deals and free book promotions.
- You can also access your data and comprehend market trends to improve marketing strategies.
What are the Limitations of Amazon Self-Publishing?
Everything has certain pros and cons; so does KDP. Although it’s an easy way to publish your manuscript, it contains some hurdles.
- Amazon Self-Publishing basically means that your publishing journey is in your hands, from the book’s content to cover and marketing, it’s you who decides everything. Therefore, there’s very limited help. You can only rely on automated chat assistance; forget direct human support.
- You may also face certain technical errors like changes in formatting; therefore, always ensure to use the Amazon Preview tool. There may also be a delay in sales reports or changes in book categories.
- Writing and publishing a book is an art, but marketing it is a skill. There are a plethora of books in the world, and bringing yours to the spotlight demands determination and, most importantly, a strategy! KDP provides finite marketing tools. So, for marketing, you are on your own, kid!
Also, Read – What is Amazon KDP Publishing?
How to Market and Promote Your Book?
We understand that marketing a self-published book isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. Therefore, we are tabulating certain simple ways to enhance your book’s visibility.
- Make the best use of social media and post quotes and paragraphs from your book, or explain what your book is about. You can also interact with a few bookish influencers to promote your book on Instagram.
- Ask your friends and family to read your book and drop an Amazon Book Review, as it encourages other readers to purchase your book.
- You can also run sponsored ads to enhance its visibility among new readers.
On a Parting Note
Publishing your book has become easier with Amazon Self-Publishing, for it demands no cost or reliance on a third party. However, it has its own setbacks. Therefore, ensure to carefully publish your book and market it strategically to give it the spotlight it deserves.
