Kindle ebook self publishing is one of the fastest routes to getting your book to the world in both digital and paperback format. Amazon have channels in place for ebook digital distribution so there’s no worries about bandwidth usage, and they are perfectly set up to distribute physical books too.
With other forms of publishing, many copies of the physical book may need to be printed and subsequently stored until sale. Self publishing with Amazon works on an on-demand printing basis which means there is never a level of stock to consider.
How Does Kindle Ebook Self Publishing Work?
You’ll need a Kindle publishing account to begin with, which is an extension of your Amazon account. Whether you have one already or need to set up an account, head over to http://kdp.amazon.com/ to get started.
To sell your books, you’ll need to go through a verification process, and you’ll need to provide bank details to receive payments to. You’ll also need to confirm your tax status and complete a simple tax questionnaire – this determines if a proportion of your sales will need to be withheld to comply with US and other tax laws.
And then the fun begins…
Uploading Your Kindle Book
To publish a book, you’ll need to have it already written and stored in a properly formatted Word or PDF document. The upload process takes place over several screens, beginning with basic info about your book – the title, the author, etc – and what category it should be in (along with keywords that people might use to find it).
Next, you’ll need a cover. If you don’t have one, a simple tool is available to help you create one during the process.
The final step of Kindle ebook self publishing is to set the price of your book. As Amazon handle the distribution, basic promotion, and storage of the books, you don’t receive the full amount – you receive a percentage of the sale price. This can be up to 70% depending on the options you choose.
The process for ebooks and physical books is very similar, and both types of book can be created from the same original document. Some may advise against this as ebooks and printed books work differently – ebooks have free flowing text, while physical books are limited by the constraints of individual pages.
It is often preferable to create physical books from PDF files as you know exactly how each page will turn out.
Kindle Ebook Self Publishing is Simple
It’s an easy way to get your book distributed whatever form it is in, and with the right marketing and promotion you may be able to make a very good income from the books you write and publish.