On Writing : Self Publishing on Amazon by Francisco Castro

Hi, @Francisco Castro. I haven't used Amazon to publish novels, but I'm commenting so people in my network can see your post. Maybe some of them have self-published on Amazon. Hope you get the answers and tips you're looking for.

Appreciate you.

Thank you, Jeff E. Gregory!!!

Good luck. I have had several publishers who said they liked my stories, but wanted money before they would they would publish them. These of course I rejected

Thanks for the info, Geoff Angel!!!

Thank you, Colin Guest!!!

I have published seven novels on Amazon and other platforms. Expect to spend at least 50 percent of your time and money on marketing. That's the biggest lesson I've learned.

Thank you, Joseph Follansbee!!!

Thank you for your input, D.E. White. No, I am not familiar with Podium. Will give it a look.

I've published on Amazon as well and it was great, I think my only regret is that I didn't hire a professional editor to look at my book before I did so. Somehow, I don't think you have that problem.

Thank you, Chris Baetens!!! And to this day, I still suck at subject-verb agreements

Francisco Castro - I've published a few on Amazon and it works great in tandem with Ingram for all other platforms (https://www.ingramspark.com/features). D.E. White is absolutely right in what she's saying. but overall, I would stick with Amazon for your main bread and butter and use Ingram for all other stores. Hope this helps. Have a plan before you hit "publish".

I published a short storybook on Amazon. Every once in awhile I get 35 cents when a book is sold. So I am now a paid, published author. Nothing wrong with self-publishing.

Thank you, Martin Reese!!!

Francisco Castro pretty easy overall, but I definitely recommend hiring an editor and also getting someone to do your book cover design and layout design. These are highly technical pieces of the process and will set you apart from other titles. Before you publish, do an ARC campaign (Advanced Copy Readers) so you can generate reviews quickly...you really need 20 within the first month to give your book legs from the standpoint of the Amazon algorithm.

Thank you, Jonathan Jordan!!! Good to know!!!

So far, hardly anyone has said anything that differs from my experience. Be sure your story is error free, give your book a great cover, know that if you don't hire someone you become your books marketing/promotion expert, know that the royalties aren't great, and other than that, be proud of yourself for doing something you love! And good luck!!!

Hi Francisco,

Publish it yourself! You can put it on Amazon or Barnes&Noble.com etc. afterward. It's easy. The only trick is you have to buy 10 ISBN numbers from Boker Publishing but it's worth it. You're talking about $250-$300. bucks to have 10 numbers. You only need one but if you want to publish another book, you have the numbers. Write 9 more. Get a bar code from Boker - $50.00. After you get the number and bar code, get a graphic designer to make you a cover. I bet you have a friend that can whip one up like I did. Take the number, bar code, cover art and your file of the book and send it to a printer. And, guess what? You have a book and YOU own it. Nobody else. I've been through the process. It's the best way, If your book is a success, self-publishing companies will rob you.They want to own your book and give you a small percentage.Look into it. (My book is Rescuing Madison - eventually made into a Hallmark movie.)

Hi there, I have self-published 5 novels so far. I do things a little different than what I've seen posted. First, I highly recommend hiring a professional editor. There are no second chances, so only publish a perfect book. Second, study books of similar genre (thrillers usually have someone running away from the viewer. Study fonts and font color, etc, then duplicate. You need an epub version for print and a jpeg for ebooks. Pay the extra for bookmarks, and audible cover if you plan to go that way. Third: I publish my e-book through Draft2Digital. They have an amazing platform and great distribution including Amazon, Ibooks, and Kobo. You can download jpeg, mobi, and pdf versions of the book. You'll need the pdf for print books. Fourth: I publish my print books through both KDP and Ingram Spark. I do not use Kindle Unlimited as it hogties you only Amazon. Both have different distributors, so cover the entire spectrum. I plan on publishing through Kobo as well. Fifth: I find a local printer who can at least match KDP pricing. This saves on shipping and fast returns. By buying 100 copies, I can buy the print copy for around $7-8/book depending on number of pages. It cost less the more you buy. Six: I put out all my stories through ACX which is owned by Audible. I do royalty sharing with a producer I choose. We share 40% royalties. Seventh: I don't waste any money on online ads. I have yet to see any empirical proof that they are effective. Eight: I sell at farmer markets, craft shows, and vendor Christmas shows in a number of cities and town.

I'll be honest, although I sell very little online, my former publisher did little better. On the other hand, I do sell between 10k - 15 k per year at all the events I attend. No bull, it takes a lot of time and energy, but my fan base is growing exponentially. I have published 6 novels since 2018. Number 7 is with my editor. I have also created a TV Pilot for my vigilante series and a number or original and adaptation features. Too many stories, not enough hours in the day.

Hope this helps.

Ps if you are interested in outdoor sales, check me out on Amazon. I do have a book that explains everything you need to consider. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

Dave

With the exception of one, I self-published all of my books on Amazon. The process was fairly easy. I highly recommend hiring an editor. It's where you want to spend the money. Btw, I design book covers.

Still deciding whether it's harder to sell books or screenplays. It's neck and neck so far

I have three novels and two memoirs on KindleDirect. It’s a good system for all three venues and costs nothing. The problem is marketing and you can’t get into brick and mortar stores. Don’t expect much to happen from it money wise or recognition. Thats self publishing in general.

Tom Schneider. Haven't sold a screenplay yet. LOL

Thank you everyone for all your advice!!!

Hi Francisco. I don't write novels but I'm a children's book author with 10 books currently available. I was published for about 5 years and I was not happy with my publisher and agent. I also didn't like the fact that when my books got sold, all of the following got paid before I did: agent, publisher, Paypal, book distributor, printer, Barnes & Noble. I bought my way out of my publishing deal and now publish through KDP. I'm so happy with them and I get much bigger commissions now. Just follow their guidelines and print a test print for yourself to make sure it prints properly. I hope this helps you. Best of luck to you always!

My take is pretty much the same as what others are saying Francisco Castro . If you want a professional presentation, get a good editor or two or three. Listen to what your editor tells you even if it is not what you wanted to hear. Get a designer to work on your cover art or at least a design editor to help. The traditional gatekeepers (agents, publishers, editors, etc.) aren't wrong about quality. It does matter. I've seen some things that really stand out - for all the wrong reasons. Similar to formatting a script. Some things are reasonable and others just are not done and would not be done by a professional publishing house.

I have an imprint. So I'm not dependent on Amazon even though they are currently my primary distributor. I have to set prices to allow for their print-on-demand costs and ebook minimums. I could print and distribute myself. But I wouldn't be automatically advertised to potential customers around the world.

Marketing and advertising are always a challenge whether it's a book, a movie, an album, a podcast, or any creative work. More so now, especially for books. There are so very many people who have something to say and are able to publish themselves -- often with no gatekeepers (editor, publisher, market). So buyers are flooded with "buy mine" ads and so many authors are vying for the same audience it's like walking down a sidewalk lined with vendors all selling mobile phones, shouting at everyone who walks by and trying to be louder than the vendor at the next table.

The features that might distinguish "my book" from all the other almost-the-same-but-just-a-little-different books may or may not be something I can sort out myself. (vis. I wrote it. Of course it's great. What else matters? Quite a lot actually.)

The distinguishing factors are why the agent or publisher would have selected your book and would have had someone with great marketing skills put the campaign together. All the marketing and advertising is something traditional publishers do (used to do more of) and it's part of why they take more of the revenue from sales.

One thing that is common to traditional publishers/agents and people who want to publish their own work is commitment. Being committed to the work, committed to marketing the work, and committed to finding the best ways to present the work to the potential audience.

Thank you, Terri Morgan!!!

That's good to know. Thank you, Julia Petrisor!!!

Good points, Julia. We too are planning not to use Amazon for our next publications. Thanks for the info on other ways and means.

Thanks for the helpful information, Dave.

Like many of you commented, we too have found that marketing is the most challenging part of publishing -- whether self-pub or through establishment publishers. I've had four books published by the premiere film publishing company and it was a great experience. I've also published three books through our own imprint. Lots of the sales happened at live events where the books are laid out on tables and the audience is there for that sort of thing anyway. With the pandemic there were no live events for years and not that many again yet. // Also, we do get sales through our website and newsletter. // Like Julia, we're moving away from Amazon for future publications. // Wishing all of you writers all good fortune with your creative projects, from inception to sales successes. Keep writing! //

Thank you, Pamela Jaye Smith!!!

Francisco, I've published my Scifi novella on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Ash-Xenoarcheology-Dave-Kleve-ebook/dp/B00HNJL8XO?ref_=ast_author_mpb

It's easy to do. The marketing is the difficult part.

I am published on Amazon. It used to be that getting a book out to a readership meant a mandatory finding of a publishing company via submissions, proposals, rejection letters, etc. similar to the arduous and sometimes prohibitory submission process we writers go through with our screenplays in submitting to an industry that must rightfully protect itself, i.e.--You cannot sue Amazon or another author if there happens to be a book on its distribution platform similar to yours (unless its word for word). However, you can if a studio or streamer accepts your submission or politely responds through a recorded email in any fashion other than "We do not receive unsolicited material..." and then your IP or story happens to be "like" something they are developing in-house. Thats why agents and managers are a necessity for the industry--because they keep a pulse on what everyone in the industry is doing and act as an added insurance policy to networks, production companies, and OTT streamers so that no double-jeopardy projects are submitted. It's understandable. With self-publishing a book you can finally and more easily see your creativity and content reach the world and your end user. It can be quite exhilarating! But like everyone is saying on here, when we do self-publish, we suddenly discover a newfound respect for the amount of team energy. marketing, and $$ it takes for a publisher (or network) to distribute our content successfully to a global audience.

Thank you, Pidge Jobst!!!

I used a literary agency to connect with my Publisher of fifteen (15) years ongoing. (i.e. COVER. LAYOUT. DESIGN. EDITING. That provide experience for readers that publishers are commonly known for). That being said; I have seen a self published book (THE SHACK) sell tens of thousands, & hit theatrical (independent) release! Advice: NAIL YOUR EDITING

Thank you, Kenneth Adrian Ellis!!!

You're welcome Francisco!