Do you dream about publishing your own book?
Do you dream of your book becoming a bestseller?
Well, a lot of authors have done it in the past with their physical books, and you can do it as well. But in today’s digital era, with platforms like Amazon Kindle, having only a physical book to sell is not enough.
Why?
Because people’s reading habits have changed, and eBooks are more portable, so you need to provide viewers with multiple reading formats.
But did you know you can self-publish your book?
Fortunately, there is a way using which you can self-publish eBooks on Amazon Kindle. And in this post, we’ll help you master the path towards your book writing success.
But before getting into the details, let’s understand what makes Amazon a Disney land for ebook writers.
Why Amazon For Your Next eBook?
Amazon is the global hub for selling eBooks and Physical books as it accounts for 70% of global bookselling.
There were 310 million book buyers on Amazon, out of which over 90 million readers are from the US who prefer reading only e-books.
These numbers are huge for a writer like you who is just new to a platform like Amazon.
Amazon will help you provide the exposure you need to increase your eBook sales and start off solid in the bookselling industry. With Amazon, you don’t need to:
- Pay any third-party publishing house
- Worry about the delivery
- Worry about the stock
With the Kindle sales taking a bump, it’s obvious that eBooks are the next big thing in the book world.
So how to write and publish your eBook on Amazon Kindle?
What are the steps and key points you need to keep in mind?
Your Guide to Writing and Self-publishing Your eBook on Amazon
Writing and Formatting
The first step to make your eBook a success story is to sit down and finalize your book.
Before publishing it on a platform like Amazon, you need to be entirely sure that you have crafted a masterpiece.
You need to write, format, and proofread your book so that there’s no room for mediocrity or errors from your end because Amazon is strict with its quality checks.
If your ebook is full of mistakes, chances are it might get rejected from being published.
Also, make your ebook easier to read and understand so that the mass audience falls in love with your masterpiece. Once you are done with your ebook, it’s time to get to the publishing part of the journey.
Create a KDP Account
The first step to self-publish your eBook on Amazon is to create a KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) account.
You can simply visit the website and fill up a few basic information like:
- Name
- Address
- Zipcode
- Mobile number
You also need to give details of your taxpayer identification and your social security number.
Now it’s time to select your preferred format.
Choose Your Publication Format
Once you have set up your KDP account, you need to choose publication options for your ebook. Whether you want your ebook to be printed in a paperback or eBook format. You can also select both options to make your writing available to a larger set of audience.
But the royalty amount will be different for both the different formats.
- In case of a digital copy sold, you’ll get 70% of the unit price
- And for a hard copy, you’ll get a royalty amount of 60% of the unit price
Disclaimer: These royalty rates are considered average. It varies depending on the book pricing.
Now once your format is set, you need to choose your ebook’s title and subtitle.
eBook Title and Subtitle
After finalizing your publication format, you’ll be asked to choose a preferred language of your ebook, and after that, you’ll be asked about your ebook title and subtitle.
You need to be very creative with your title. It should hook the viewers at once, and it should have the power to entice the view to know more about your ebook. A lot of your ebook sales depend on how catchy your title is, so you need to dig a little deeper into your creative mind to frame the pitch-perfect title and subtitle.
Once you have finalized the title and the subtitle, now it’s time for two other important factors for your ebook sale.
eBook Cover and Description
The first three things a viewer will see related to your ebook are:
- Title and the subtitle
- Cover
- Book description
You need to use all your creativity, think out of the box, or hire some professionals to create these elements. People don’t know how good you have written until and unless they don’t buy it, and these three factors play the most important role in the buying journey of a reader.
Selecting Keywords For Your eBook Listing
One of the most important aspects that many writers miss out on is the chance to make your ebook visible at the top of Google and Amazon search engines.
You need to do some keyword research, find out what people are searching for related to your ebook’s niche, and use these keywords in your description and in your title. (If possible)
Remember, your work never ends at publishing the eBook, it just starts with it. So, focus on marketing your eBook well to bring in more sales.
Upload Manuscript
Now with all the initial steps completed, you need to upload your eBook content from your computer.
You just need to click on ‘Your Bookshelf’, and inside the ‘Kindle Book Actions,’ you can upload the manuscript.
You should preview your ebook once the upload is finished. Don’t forget to format it properly using the information Amazon provides you, or take some help to be right on the spot with your formatting.
Pricing
Once your upload is finished, you need to decide on the price. It should be genuine, fair, and should be worth the value you are providing your audience.
As we have discussed in the first half of today’s discussion, Amazon will pay you the royalties based on the price you set.
Kindle Select
One of the last options you need to keep notice of is selecting the option of Kindle Select. It means that Amazon can make your ebook visible to all the premium members of Amazon Kindle.
But your ebook will be an Amazon product and you can’t sell it outside of Amazon. This is one of the downsides; Otherwise, it’s a great option to reach out to a large audience base of Amazon Kindle.
It’s totally up to you to make this decision.
Are you Ready to Script it Down?
We have discussed one of the simplest ways to publish your eBook on Amazon effectively.
Now you can kick-start your ebook writing and easily self-publish your ebook on Amazon as soon as you complete writing, editing, and proofreading your work.
So make the most of the opportunity provided by Amazon and be the next bestseller author. And, if you need, you can hire eBook ghostwriters from the house of Apna Writer to help you craft your ideas into words.
Thanks for reading, and most importantly happy publishing!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to publish an eBook on Amazon?
Amazon doesn’t charge you initially for publishing your book. But once your eBook is published, Amazon will charge you commissions on every sale of your eBook.
They’ll take a small bit from the total amount of your eBook for their service of placing your eBook at one of the world’s largest virtual bookstores.
How much does it cost to sell an eBook on Amazon?
Amazon doesn’t charge you anything to sell your eBook. You can place specific ads for your book to be placed at the top of Amazon search results, or you can run specific external ad campaigns to drive your traffic towards your Amazon eBook.
Do I need to copyright my book before publishing it on Amazon?
Yes, you should copyright your book before publishing it to Amazon because you don’t want anyone taking your hard work and making it their own.
Copyright will help you preserve all your hard work and help you be the supreme owner of your books, and prevent your book from being misused by any other entity.
Is selling eBooks on Amazon profitable?
Yes, selling eBooks on Amazon is highly profitable for any writer. You just need to publish your eBook and then forget about the sales process. Amazon will help you to sell your book by charging you a minimal commission price on your eBooks sales price.
There are a lot of writers who have been successful and have earned thousands of dollars by selling their eBooks on Amazon.
What type of eBooks sells the most?
There are millions of eBooks sold every year on Amazon. They have been categorized into different categories, and there are five top-selling eBook categories on Amazon.
Religion and Spirituality Biographies and Memoirs, Business and Money, Self Help, Cookbooks, food and wine, are top-selling eBook categories on Amazon.
Can I sell my eBook for free on Amazon?
Yes, you can self-publish your eBook for free so that millions of readers on Amazon can have easy access to your eBook without being charged any price. This is an effective technique if you want to create your presence as a writer in the industry so that you can charge for your next eBooks.
Moreover, if you want to just publish your eBook for free out of generosity, you can do that.
Does Amazon own your books and eBooks?
You have an option to give Amazon the selling authority or let them own your eBook. If you let them own your eBook, they can provide access to your eBook to their premium subscribers, and you get a royalty amount for your eBook. But if you only give them the right to sell them, they’ll charge commissions on every sale of your eBook.
