Gone are the days when the time between having a dream to get published and actually getting published felt like a lifetime. With self-publishing gaining traction, and the stigma of self-publishing fading away, there are hundreds and thousands of success stories of self-published authors making a name for themselves.
Surpassing all traditional barriers of getting accepted by an agent/publisher to even kick start the publishing process, you can now publish your book with just a click- free of cost.
Also, today eBook publishing is an important component of establishing thought leadership as a part of digital marketing.
How? Well, by the end of this blog, you will be able to answer it better than anybody!
Presenting you the magic weapon for all aspiring writers- Kindle Direct Publishing.
What is Kindle Direct Publishing?
It is named that way is because it allows you to publish without any gatekeepers or middlemen.
This service, known by the shorthand KDP, enables indie authors to sell the digital version of their books on Amazon.com (or other Amazon country websites). There’s no charge to upload the file. Authors get royalties of 35% to 70% of the sale price, depending on whether the book is sold on KDP some other Amazon service.
Why should you care about it?
Before we dive into the process of how to publish your eBook on Kindle, let’s run through why it could be a good idea to do so.
- Amazon is becoming the king of eBooks: With being the largest player in the eBook market space, you cannot miss out on publishing on it directly.
- Accessibility: Your book will be available to people of every caste, religion, sexuality, or any kind of category that speaks exclusivity on traditional publishing.
- Superior marketing: With publishing on Amazon Kindle, you can take advantage of their marketing platform, by being suggested to the readers who haven’t heard of you yet.
With a brief look into why you should get published on the Kindle store, we move to how you can do that.
How to publish an eBook on Kindle?
To publish an eBook on Kindle, simply follow these simple steps-
- Manuscripts and book cover: Finalize your manuscript, after at least three stages of editing. After you have your manuscript ready, prepare a book cover (It is always a good idea to spend a few thousand rupees to have it done by an expert rather than making an amateurish one. Remember the magic of first impressions.)
- Go through Amazon guidelines: Often a neglected step to rush into things, but consider it must to carefully go through Amazon’s rules on content and quality. No point rushing into things to get published only to suffer later.
- Use your existing account: Sign in to Amazon using your existing account or make a brand new one. Publishing doesn’t require any separate account so you can go ahead with your existing account.
- Remember the browser update: Update your browser to the latest version to not encounter any crashing issues while uploading.
- Here starts the process: Head to the KDP bookshelf section of your Amazon account. Choose ‘create a new title’ and select +Kindle eBook.
- Filling in the essentials: Input the asked details. Your book title, description, keywords, and categories.
- The satisfying part of previewing your book: Upload your book manuscript and book cover, using Amazon’s preview service to make sure everything looks the way you intended. Check, recheck, triple check. And when you think you have checked enough, check again.
- The final step: When everything is good to go, hit ‘publish your Kindle eBook’ to start the countdown until your book is live and available for sale.
Your book will be live on the Kindle store within 72 hours after publishing.
And how to link a paperback to an eBook?
If you want to link a paperback to an eBook, select +Paperback instead of +Kindle eBook in step 5. Also, during step 6, you can choose the options you want for your paperback book in terms of paper type, etc., and order a proof copy of your Kindle paperback.
Okay, so if all of this is free, how does Amazon earn its share?
Publishing an eBook on Amazon Kindle is absolutely free. Amazon gets paid when a book is sold. The authors receive a royalty and the rest goes to Amazon.
Royalties you make from selling kindle eBooks and paperbacks through KDP Print are paid at the end of each month.
So, what are you waiting for?
Decide where you are at, start from the point where you are, plan your publishing timeline and get familiar with the KDP platform and fill your knowledge gaps to give your best.
Need help with weaving that magical idea into a story? Schedule a free call with us to make it a reality!
