Transcript Amazing Results with Amazon

Publish Your eBook With Amazon
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Disclamer
Any hypos associated with this presentation are
soulely the respectability of Eddie Jones and in know
way refract the quantity of work offended by
Christian Devotions Ministries, it’s bored staff.
Amazon Flattens the World
You could pay a self-pub firm thousands of dollars to publish
your book or…
You could load your finished manuscript Word doc to
Smashwords - known as “SmushWords” due to the way they
crush Word docs in their “meatgrinder” app or…
You could wait for your agent to get a nibble from a large
publishing house or…
You could take a chance on finding your own market by
launching your book yourself!
A Word of Caution
Self-publishing your book through a firm or on your own
carries substantial risk. If you use KDP - Amazon’s Kindle
publishing platform, your financial investment will be minimal
but a poor book with low sales and a large number of lowstar reviews could kill your career. Make sure your book is
worth publishing before you list it for sale.
Seriously, I cannot stress this enough – DO NOT release a
poorly written and edited novel if you intend to make
writing your career. That said, many authors have found
KDP to be a great way to launch their writing career.
Kindle Direct Publishing
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon’s
easy way to use, self-publishing program.
The service is free and books published
through KDP may participate in the 70%
royalty program. In addition to Kindle
readers, there are Kindle apps for iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Blackberry,
and Android-based devices.
Write Fewer Words
The attention span of readers continues to
shrink. The result? People pay for brevity.
By writing short fiction and nonfiction you
can release more books faster.
The price point for eBooks seem to be
settling in around: $9.99 (top-selling
authors) $4.99 (midlist authors), $2.99
(short books and unknown fiction authors) &
99¢ (for really short books and promotional
pricing for fiction).
Research Your Market
Study the bestsellers in your field. Note the
sales rank of the books in your area of
interest.
Your challenge is to pick a popular category
(Romantic Suspense, for example) but one
that is not too crowded – one where your
book will consistently appear in the top
10,000 of that category.
Create Your KDP Account
Begin by creating your Kindle publishing account:
kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing.
The first time you log into your account you will be asked
to set up your contact and banking information. KDP is
free but you will need to provide them with banking
information so they can deposit money into your checking
or savings account.
At the top of the page click the “My Account” tab. This will
take you to a page where you can configure your account
details, including your full name or company name, the
type of business you have (corporation, individual, etc),
and your bank account information.
Your Account
Your account screen may look similar to this:
Tax Information
Enter your tax ID or Social Security information. This is required for
IRS purposes. You will not be able to publish your eBook until you
have added this information.
Your Royalty Payments
Add a bank account in order to receive payments (direct deposit)
for royalty earned on Amazon marketplaces. If you do not set-up a
bank account, your royalties will be paid by check in the default
currency of the marketplace. Be sure your royalty payment
settings are correct before publishing a book, as your currency
selection will be used to calculate your royalties as soon as a
purchase occurs. (as in, U.S.dollars, not British pounds)
FAQs
Will I be charged fees for this service?
No.
Can I publish a book without providing my payment
information?
No. KDP requires a name, address, and payment information
before you can submit your ebook.
How long does it take to get paid royalties for sales?
Your royalties will accrue separately for each Amazon
marketplace. For example, Amazon.co.uk sales will accrue
separately from Amazon.com sales. The balance of each
account will be paid sixty days after the end of a month in
which the balance accrued meets the minimum threshold.
Add New Title
After you have added your banking, your tax ID number (for
IRS reporting – social security # or EIN #) and your account
is approved, you are ready to list your first ebook.
(Approved means you filled in all the form fields.)
Select “Add new title.”
Loading Your Book’s Info
To load your book you will need:
Book name:
Series title (optional):
Volume (optional):
Edition number
(optional):
Description:
Book contributors:
Language:
Publication date
Publisher (optional)
(optional – we do not use ISBNs for eBooks):
Publishing rights status: (This is a public domain work / This is not a
public domain work and I hold the necessary publishing rights.)
Categories | Search keywords (up to 7, optional):
Book Cover | Book File
Digital rights management selection (DRM) option: (Enable digital
rights management / Do not enable digital rights management)
ISBN
Your eBook File
You will need (at a minimum) a Word doc and jpg of your
cover, plus your book’s description, author name, etc.
Once you complete your listing, adding all the required
fields, submit it for review.
Amazon requires a day to review your book in order to
make certain it meets their requirements.
You may upload several formats to Amazon, including
HTML, unencrypted .mobi e-book files, Microsoft Word
(.doc), plain text (.txt) and Adobe PDF). I recommend you
pay an eBook designer to format your mobi file (Amazon
Kindle’s proprietary eReading format).
Enter Your Book’s Details
Hire Professionals for eBook Conversion
Generally you can expect to spend between $100 and $200
for simple Word to mobi conversion. For this price most
eBook designers will include a “true” table of contents (the
TOC you see in your Kindle reader when you “Go To” the
table of contents), proper headers, improved text flow,
indents. Additional elements like tables, charts, graphs and
pictures may increase the cost of conversion.
You can also load your Word doc into the KDP program. If
you need an eBook designer we recommend:
https://www.elance.com/s/atritex/
We’ve used them for almost a year great success. If you’re
serious about selling books, hire a professional.
Your Book’s Title
The more your title describes the contents of the eBook,
the more likely the customer will find it of interest and click
on the link.
Does your eBook deal with grieving? Make sure the
words, grief, loss, suffering, depression, death, and
disease are in the title or subtitle. Be creative. Think SEO
words, phrases. This will improve your book’s chances of
being discovered.
Include the “exact phrase” that is tops in your market.
Position that phrase as close to the beginning of the title
as possible.
Your Book’s Subtitle
Aim your book’s subtitle to hit Amazon’s categories so
others can find your book.
Enter keywords or short phrases that describe your book
and are relevant to your book's content. If you want your
book found in a particular Kindle eBook category, make
sure that category is part of your subtitle. You can only tag
your book for two categories but if you add category names
to your subtitle, your book MIGHT be listed in those
categories mentioned in your subtitle. For example, your
book might be titled: Summers’ Love, but you can also add,
“A Funny Romantic Comedy With Elements of Suspense”. If
the book sold well, it might show up in “Romantic Comedy”
and “Suspense”, plus the categories you picked for this
book.
Your Book’s Categories
You can select two categories for your book. This is a
“suggestion.” Should readers find your book while browsing
another category, your book may also be virtually shelved in
that category.
Your Book’s Age Range
Is your book age-specific, like YA, or aimed at teens, or
tweens? If so, you can help readers find books that suit a
child's reading level.
Search Keywords, Tags
Tags – Tags are supplemental words (also known as
“keywords”) or search phrases that go beyond your book
categories. Let’s say you wrote a thriller novel categorized
under Fiction: Thriller: Psychological, yet the book takes place in
Venice, Italy. You might add tags such as “Venice” and “Italy” so
that if someone’s looking for a fun read to bring on their vacation
to Venice, your book is more discoverable.
You can also use these tags as categories, though they will not
carry the same weight as your book’s two category designations.
Does That About Cover It?
A book cover with minimal elements can be more pleasing
than a busy cover. Don’t use a graphic that merely
represents what’s in the book. Use a graphic that draws
eyeballs and grabs the reader’s attention. Remember, the
primary aim of your cover is to get customers to click on it.
Your book’s cover is its “curb appeal.”
On the cover include:
•The title
•Subtitle
•Author name
•A single bold graphic
Cover Costs
Expect to pay between $250 and $500 for a good cover. Great
covers cost more but if you search you will find good cover
designers in the $500 range. Some charge less but only give you
one cover concept. The key is giving the designer as much input
as possible before they mockup your cover.
We recommend:
Ken Raney: [email protected]
Kimberly Killion: [email protected] (romance)
Product Description
Do not use this area to describe your book.
Think of this section as your ¼ page magazine ad area.
First, note any awards or accomplishments for you or
your book. Establish yourself as a subject matter expert.
This suggest your book is worth reading. Keep the
description brief. This initial portion of your “Product
Description” should be at most 2-3 sentences.
No awards? No problem. Put your 3 best
quotes/blurbs/reviews for your book (punchy, short,
exciting). Again, each quote should not be longer than a
few sentences. Pitch your book, state its promise, and
benefits. Then stop talking.
Territory Rights
Once you have seat up your book saved its information, select
the territories for which you hold rights:
•Worldwide rights - all territories
•Individual territories - select territories We always pick
worldwide
Pricing Your Book
With Amazon Kindle, you can choose between
two royalty options: a 70% royalty option and a
35% royalty option.
If your book's list price is between $2.99 and
$9.99, you can choose the 70% option.
If your book’s list price is less than $2.99 or more
than $9.99 you can ONLY choose the 35%
royalty option.
This is why most Kindle books are priced
between $2.99 and $9.99.
Pricing Your Book
Your Bookshelf Page
Once your book is approved for sale you will see it listed on
your bookshelf page.
You can remove your book from sale, change the price, unpublish
your book, revise your book’s descriptions, search words, etc…
anytime!
Units Sold & Sales Rankings
From your KDP account you can also see how your book is
selling. On the Reports page you will find the monthly totals
of: Units Sold, Refunded, Net Sold and if your book
participates in the Kindle Select program, units borrowed and
given away (on your free days). Now you can also monitor
your royalties daily!
Price Pulsing
Price Pulsing is when you price a book at 99¢
temporarily to gain more unit sales, get into the
recommendation queues, and rise into the bestseller lists.
As your book hits the tops in its category, switch back to
your higher retail price. In general it will take you seven to
ten days to reach your “peak” or “crest.”
Changing prices at the height of your pulse puts your book
into the recommendation queue/bestselling lists when it is
the most discoverable, thereby reaping royalties you could
not have seen any other way.
All those 99¢ sales give your book “traction” over the
weeks ahead.
Kdp Select
One way to jump start sales is to use KDP Select, Amazon’s
exclusive eBook program.
KDP Benefits
KDP Select is a free way to promote your book on Amazon.
When you make your book exclusive to Kindle for at least
90 days, it will be part of the Kindle Owner’s Lending
Library for the same period and you will earn your share of
a monthly fund when readers borrow your books from the
library.
In KDP you can promote your book as free for up to 5 days
during these 90 days
OR
List it as a Kindle Countdown Book for 7 days.
Kindle Countdown Deals
In Kindle Countdown customers will see the regular price and
the promotional price on the book’s detail page, as well as a
countdown clock showing how much time is left at the
promotional price. You’ll also continue to earn your selected
royalty rate on each sale during the promotion.
1) Kindle Countdown books are time-based: The promotion is
visible to customers and increases excitement for a book
2) Customers see the regular price: It's easy for customers to
see the great deal they're getting.
3) Royalty rate is retained at lower prices: You will earn
royalties based on your regular royalty rate and the
promotional price.
4) There's a dedicated website: Customers can easily browse
active; Kindle Countdown Deals at
www.amazon.com/kindlecountdowndeals, providing yet
another way for books to be discovered.
Will Your Book Be a Slow Boil?
A slow boil book might sell a few copies
each day. It usually gets good reviews, but
the book isn’t yet sparking the reader
excitement necessary for passionate word
of mouth. Most breakout books begin as
slow boils, or they revert back to slow boil
after their breakout subsides.
Slow boil is a great place to be.
Slow boilers generate great annuity streams
for their authors, and are also the most likely
to experience unexpected breakouts.
Maybe Your Book is a Slow Builder
This type of book usually starts off as a slow
boil, and then starts building over the course
of several days, weeks or months.
Slow builders become stronger sellers over
time as more readers discover them through
reviews and word of mouth. Slow builders
usually receive excellent reviews.
The algorithms will often pick up the slow
builders and propel them to the next phase,
the breakout.
The Breakout
Behind every breakout is a great book.
Breakout books are the ones you can’t put down, and
the ones you recommend to friends. The breakout book
seems to come out of nowhere, though as any
bestselling author will tell you, they come after years of
hard work and obscurity. Breakouts first climb the
bestseller lists of the book’s specific genre, category or
subcategory.
This is your book’s task: climb a category, crack a
genre, dominate a subcategory. Build momentum and
grow sales. With God’s help, your book could become a
best seller. It’s happened before. It will happen again 