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The Nuts And Bolts Of Kindle Publishing: A Simple Guide To Uploading Your Book And Making It Sell

1 By Lynne Marie Smith

What Is Kindle Publishing and Why Use It?

The Kindle has changed the way people read books. It's only one of many e-readers on the market, but it is most likely the widest selling e-reader (Amazon has yet to actually publish complete sales numbers for the Kindle).

Unlike some of the Kindle’s competitors, Amazon’s Kindle bookstore sells books on every subject matter under the sun. From how to tune your car’s engine to historical romance, you can sell it in Amazon’s Kindle store.

What Exactly is Kindle And What Are The Benefits Of Publishing In This Way?

Kindle is an e-reader. That means it allows you to read content that is published in a digital format. More specifically it reads content published in a specific proprietary format that only the Kindle e-reading device can display. There are, to be sure, other e-readers and other formats. However, as a self published author, the Kindle store is where you will likely make most of your money.

That’s where the majority of your potential readers hang out, and Amazon’s easy to use shopping cart and delivery service make the process of buying a book quick and easy. In some cases all prospective readers have to do is push one button on the site and the book is instantly available on their Kindle device.

In addition to Kindle being the most popular digital bookstore online, it provides a number of other benefits to authors and aspiring book publishers.

#1 Royalties

Amazon pays up to 70% of your sales to you as a royalty. Any New York publisher that paid a 70% royalty would go out of business (they usually pay between 4% and 15% depending on your history of success).

So, if you charge $2.99 for your ebook, you can earn up to $2.09 per sale. That may not sound like much, and you can certainly charge more for your book, however the power of becoming an Amazon Kindle publisher is that you have the opportunity to reach thousands of people: we’re talking serious volume here.

Note that if you charge less than $2.99, Amazon only offer 35% royalty payments.

#2 Low Production Cost

It costs very little to produce a digital book. To publish a book in Amazon’s Kindle store you need to:

* Write your book

* Edit your book

* Format the book for Kindle publication

* Create a cover image

* List it in the store

Every single one of those steps is something you can take on and manage on your own. That means it may cost you absolutely zero cash to publish your book. The result is that you earn 100% profit: the first copy you sell can generate a profit

You can, of course, outsource some of the tasks as well: you may wish to hire an editor to make sure your book is perfect. You may also hire someone to ghostwrite your book, format your book for the Kindle device and create a book cover. Even if you outsource the entire book creation process you still save money publishing digitally because you don’t have to pay for the cost of printing and distribution.

#3 Ease Of Use

Kindle publishing is easy, and there are several ways that you can publish via Kindle. The most straightforward is to upload your document into their step-by-step system. You’ll answer a few questions and upload your file, after which you can preview your book to make sure it looks the way you want it to.

#4 Availability

In addition, Kindle books are widely available. That means you can sell to people who live around the globe and use a variety of devices to read. Kindle books are available for purchase on Kindle devices, Kindle Cloud Reader, and on Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, Android-based devices, and Windows Phone 7. Your book can be published in a number of languages and be made available around the world.

When it comes to publishing a book the question isn’t why become a Kindle publisher but rather, why not? You’ll make more money, have a broader audience and it’s really very easy. It’s also important to note that you can publish just about anything via Kindle. Many other self publishing tools limit what you can publish, but Kindle accepts anything from cookbooks and dictionaries to graphic novels and fully illustrated children’s books.

Ready to get started? Great, let’s start by exploring your Kindle publishing options.

What Are My Kindle Publishing Options?

Amazon has made Kindle publishing easy for everyone. If you have a book already published and available on other readers or on your own website, there are conversion tools you can use to convert that existing book into a Kindle book.

If you are starting from scratch and have yet to write a book, then see the tips in the section below. Also, if you’ve yet to publish your book, you can publish it exclusively via Kindle and earn some extra advantages.

KDP and KDP Select

KDP, Kindle Direct Publishing, is the most common type of Kindle publishing. However, if you’re interested in earning some benefits of exclusivity then the KDP Select program may be of interest.

KDP Select is a program that offers you the ability to let other Kindle owners borrow your book for free. You sign up for an exclusive 90 day program during which time you cannot publish your book with any other publisher or website, and you agree that people can borrow your book for free. In exchange, you earn a percentage of the KDP Select fund, which is currently set at six million dollars.

The more your book is borrowed, the more money you earn from the fund. KDP Select also offers publishers more tools and resources to promote your book: it’s a nice way to generate awareness for your book. Once the 90 days are over and your agreement has expired you can then publish your book anywhere you choose.

What If My Book is Already Published?

If your book has already been published either with another self-publishing company or on your own you can use one or more of Kindle’s applications to convert it to Kindle format and make it available on Amazon’s Kindle store. Here are the available tools in a nutshell:

Digital Text Uploader

The Digital Text Uploader is the step by step system you use when you sign up. By following the simple process you can upload your book into KDP in the following formats.

* Word (.doc or .docx)

* ePub (.epub)

* Plain Text (.txt)

* Mobipocket (.mobi or .prc)

* HTML (.zip, .htm, or .html)

* Adobe PDF (.pdf)

* Rich Text Format (.rtf)

Kindle Direct Publishing text uploader converts your digital text so readers using the Amazon Kindle or Kindle for PC or mobile devices can display it. During this process you’ll also enter basic information about your content including content description, a cover image and your list price. This tool does the work for you.

However, if you have a lot of special formatting, it’s recommended that you understand HTML and use their formatting guide for reference. Don’t get stressed if you have a lot of formatting and you don’t know HTML, you can hire someone to help - Kindle publishing is big business and there are many Kindle book formatting specialists available. Or simply stick to very basic design elements (such as bold) in a simple Word document.

You can also use one of the following tools to format and/or preview your book before you publish it.

KindleGen v2.3

Already know a bit about HTML? Then KindleGen is the tool for you. It converts HTML, XHTML, XML (OPF/IDPF format), or ePub source into a Kindle-ready book.

Kindle Previewer v2.3

Regardless of the tool you use to format your book the Kindle Previewer will help you make sure your book’s layout meets your expectations.

Kindle Plugin for Adobe InDesign® v0.96 (Beta)

Did you use Adobe InDesign to create your book? Great! Simply download this program onto your computer and use it to convert your Adobe InDesign book into a Kindle formatted book.

Go here to find out more or download the tools:

Writing Your Book - Tips for Creating a Kindle Bestseller

Teaching you how to write your Kindle bestseller is beyond the scope of this book, which is more practical in nature. However, here are a few tips that'll help get you on the right track if you haven’t already started writing.

#1 Know Your Audience

Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, it is important to know who your audience is. Who will want to read your book? For example, if you’re writing a book about training dogs then your audience will be dog owners, right? If you’re writing science fiction then your audience may be young males. Understanding your reader is important. Take time to research your audience and write a book that fits their interests or solves their problems.

#2 Narrow Your Focus

Instead of trying to write a book that is all things to all people, narrow your focus. For example, if you’re writing a book on dog training then find a niche. You might write a book on training small dogs or training dogs to appear in commercials. Or positive reinforcement training techniques. A focused topic offers more value to your readers than a book that simply highlights the basics.

#3 Offer a Benefit and Make Sure Your Title Conveys That Benefit

The more valuable your book’s topic and title, the better it will sell. For example, David Bach’s Start Late, Finish Rich offers a very distinct and tangible benefit. It tells potential readers that they can do well financially even if they’re older. Spend time crafting your book’s title. It is the first thing potential readers will see and often what they base their buying decision on.

#4 Book Reviews

Once your book is available on the Kindle store, people will begin reviewing it. However, it pays to have a few good reviews published right in the beginning. Ask a few friends or associates to review your book before you publish it - you can add those reviews to your book’s inside cover. You can also ask them to write and publish their reviews as soon as your book is published so potential readers view your book favorably.

WARNING: Never buy reviews for your Kindle book. Although many services offer to review your book in exchange for money, Amazon is cracking down on this practice.

#5 Edit and Polish

One of the biggest criticisms of self published books is that they’re often put together sloppily with little attention to spelling, grammar or proper formatting. Take the time to edit and polish your book. You might consider having several friends read it first for errors and you may even want to hire a professional editor. Your book represents you so take the time and effort to put your best effort forward.

Before You Publish: Amazon's Requirements

Before you begin the process of uploading your book into the Kindle digital text format, it’s important to make sure you’ve covered all of your bases. You want to make sure you’ve taken the necessary steps to ensure your book will be accepted. You probably also want to follow a few guidelines to ensure your book’s layout fits your expectations.

#1 You Must Have A Cover Image For Your Book

If you don’t have a cover image, Amazon will use a placeholder including the title of your book and the first contributor name you entered. It’s much better to have a book cover: it really motivates people to buy your book. If you’re handy with graphic design, go ahead and create one yourself. Your book’s cover must be:

* A JPEG (.jpeg) or TIFF (.tif(f)) file

* At least 500 by 800 pixels. (a max of 2000 pixels).

* Height/width ratio of 1.6.

* Save at 72 dots per inch (dpi)

* Color is better than black and white

* Original - not infringing on anyone else’s copyright

* Clear of any mention of pricing or promotional offer

Aside from Amazon’s requirements you also want your book cover to capture attention. It should also convey what your book is about and you want it to look professional. Your book cover represents you and your book: take time to create the best image possible.

#2 No Page Numbers

Ebooks are read and experienced by readers much differently than a printed book. Page numbers in a print version will not correspond with the Kindle digital formatting. In fact, depending on the Kindle device a person is using, the page numbers can vary drastically. Imagine how different your reading experience would be if you were reading a book on your phone versus on your laptop! The page numbers wouldn’t match, right?

For this reason, Amazon asks that you remove page numbers and any reference to page numbers (for example, in your table of contents) from your book. If you have a table of contents and you want it to be clickable (meaning your reader can click on Chapter three and be immediately taken to that page), then visit the Kindle Publishing and formatting guidelines which walk you how to set up a linkable table of contents in HTML:

#3 Copyright Data

As you go through the step-by-step process of uploading your book into the Kindle publishing system you’ll be asked a number of questions. Many of the answers to these questions are optional. However, you will be asked for one author/contributor name - at least one name is required. You can use your own name or a pen name – one KDP account can include books from a number of different pen names.

Copyright data helps protect you should anyone pirate your book’s contents. You can protect your book by checking DRM – Digital Rights Management. When uploading your book you’ll either check to have your book protected or unprotected. DRM is Amazon’s tool to “inhibit unauthorized distribution of the Kindle file of your book.”

If you want to encourage people to share your content then don’t sign up for DRM. Once you publish your book, you cannot change your DRM setting so make sure you choose the option that is right for you.

Some Additional Sales-Boosting Suggestions…

Include a Description of Your Book

Your book description is what customers see as they shop the Kindle store. You have 4,000 characters to work with, make them count! Consider how you shop for books and what information is important to you. Much like the back cover blurb on a paperback, a well-written book description can motivate a prospect to buy your book.

According to Amazon’s terms, your description cannot include the following:

* Pornographic, obscene or offensive content.

* Phone numbers, physical mail addresses, e-mail addresses, or website URLs.

* Availability, price, alternative ordering information (such as links to other websites for placing orders) or alternative shipping offers (such as free shipping).

* Spoilers regarding Books, Music, Video or DVD listings (information that reveals plot elements crucial to the suspense, mystery or surprise ending of a story).

* Reviews, quotes or testimonials.

* Solicitations for positive customer reviews.

* Advertisements, watermarks on images or videos, or promotional material.

Time-sensitive information (e.g. dates of promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).

ISBN - International Standard Book Number

An ISBN is an identifier. You don’t have to buy an ISBN but you can. If you do not, Amazon will assign a number to your book. However, if you plan on selling your book in other digital venues like Smashwords or Barnes & Noble then you may want a unified way to identify the number, such as an ISBN.

If you have or intend to have a print version of your book you’ll want a different ISBN for the digital version.

Search Information – Make Your Book Easy for Prospects to Find

As part of the process of uploading your book into the Kindle system you’ll have the opportunity to make it easier for your prospects to find. You can include browse categories. For example, if you’re writing a cookbook, then your browse category will be “cooking.” If you’re writing a romance novel then you’ll choose “romantic fiction.” You can choose up to two browse categories for your book.

You can also assign or identify search keywords. You can enter up to seven keywords to help readers find your book. These would be words that people might use to find your book.

According to Amazon, once you complete the uploading and metadata process and click “Save and Publish,” your book will appear for sale on the Kindle Store in approximately 24 hours. Amazon states that “within 48 to 72 hours, all other book features should be available on the detail page, such as the product description and links to related physical editions.”

What If You Want A Print Book Too?

Create Space is Amazon’s self publishing option for those who want to produce a print book. Like KDP, the process is free to get started. You earn royalties on your books and they provide a number of tools and resources to make the process as easy as possible. Services include creating your own book cover, ISBN assignment and even distribution and marketing help. And you can link your ebook and your print book together so potential buyers have a choice.

During the publishing process, the KDP system will attempt to match title, author name, and other title information to physical counterparts available in the Amazon catalog.

Pricing Your Ebook

How much should you charge for your ebook?

That may be the most difficult question you have to answer. Of course you want to make as much money as possible. However, you also want to make sure you’re sending the right message to your buyers. Amazon has a few hard and fast rules including:

* Your digital book’s “List Price” cannot be higher than the list price in any sales channel for any digital or physical edition of the Digital Book. Essentially, your Kindle book’s list price must be lower than or the same as the list price on every other website.

* If you choose the 70% royalty option, you have to set your list price so that it is at least 20% below the list price in any sales channel for any physical edition of the book.

* When you set your List Price for Kindle’s EU websites, you have to factor the additional 3% value-added taxes into your price.

* Digital books with a file size greater than 3 megabytes and up to 10 megabytes must have a list price of at least $.99, and digital books with a file size of 10 megabytes or more must have a list price of at least $2.99.

Taking all of that into consideration, here are a few tips to help you come up with a good starting price. Keep in mind that you can change the price of your book later; you just have to keep Kindle’s pricing rules in mind when you change that price.

#1 What is Your Competition Doing?

Take a look at your competition and evaluate what they’re charging for their books. You don’t necessarily have to charge less than your competition. However, it is a good idea to price yourself competitively.

#2 Your Publishing Options

Also explore your other publishing avenues. Will you publish via another medium like Smashwords or Barnes & Noble? What are their rate guidelines? How can you price your book to stay competitive amongst all of your publishing avenues?

#3 What Is Your Goal for The Book?

While many people publish to make money, many do not. In fact, one of the most common reasons to publish a book is to establish credibility. When you publish a book you can use it as a tool to market your business. And if you’re publishing fiction or a memoir, then you may simply want to tell a story. The price of your book should fit your goal.

The Little Extras That Help Set Your Book Apart From The Rest

We’ve already discussed the importance of a good book cover and a description that captures the attention of your readers. There are a few other things you can do to help set your book apart from the millions of other books available in Amazon’s Kindle store. They include:

#1 Free Chapters

Many authors are afraid to let readers peruse their book for free. However, giving your readers a small taste of what your book has to offer has proven to be good marketing: it turns browsers into buyers. If you’re writing and selling fiction, then consider making the first chapter available to read. And make sure it ends with a hook – you want them to have to buy the book to find out what happens next.

If you’re selling non-fiction then make your best chapter available for review. It doesn’t have to be your first chapter but it can be. You want them to be able to see the benefit of buying your book.

You can make these chapters available to read on Amazon, on their Kindle devices and also on your website.

#2 Author Page

One of the best ways to sell books is to connect with your readers. Create a website and/or blog. Also use Amazon’s features to create an author profile. You can upload a picture, include a biography and even include contact information so your readers can connect with you personally.

#3 Social Networking

Chances are you already have a social networking presence. Use it to promote your book. You can create separate profiles on Facebook and Twitter or integrate your book promotions into your existing profiles. Comment on relevant industry blogs and join forums that are associated with your book’s genre and topic of interest. For example, if you wrote a cookbook then participate in blogs that discuss cooking and recipes.

Many authors are also using advertising, book trailers, and other means to promote their books. You can also become an affiliate for Amazon and earn an additional 4% from each sale of your own book! And of course you should link to your book from your website and if you have any other books available for sale then by all means promote them in your Kindle book and include links to them. Cross-promotion is smart business!

At this point we’ve covered the basics about publishing a Kindle book. You know that you can publish on just about any topic and that it’s a pretty straight forward process. We’ve discussed the basics of setting your price and promoting your book, and we’ve taken a look at the essential elements you need to have before you publish including a cover image, a formatted book and author information. Before we conclude, let’s take a look at the top Kindle Publishing FAQs.

The Top Five Kindle Publishing FAQs

#1 How Do I Sign Up for Kindle Direct Publishing?

If you already have an account you’re good to go. Just visit the KDP page and get started at . If you don’t have an Amazon account just sign up for one; it’s free. Many experts recommend creating a separate account for your publishing efforts. You decide which is best for you.

#2 Can I Unpublish My Book?

Yes. To unpublish your book or remove it from the Kindle bookstore you simply log in, visit your Bookshelf and select “Unpublish.” Your book will be removed from the Kindle store within 24-72 hours. It will become unsearchable within a week. You can republish it later if you choose.

#3 Can I Change or Update My Book Once It Has Been Published?

Yes. Visit your Bookshelf and make any changes to your book. Click Publish to republish it and you’re good to go.

#4 How Are My Royalties Calculated?

As a KDP publisher you have two options. You can choose either 35% royalties or 70% royalties. Why would anyone choose 35% over 70%? If you choose the 35% then you earn royalties off of your list price.

If you choose the 70% option then you earn a royalty based on the price Amazon sells your book for. They can set a lower price to match a competitor’s price. So if you set your list price for $4.99 and they sell it for $2.99 you earn 70% of 2.99. Read the pricing page and terms and conditions before choosing your royalty option.

#5 How Do I Track My Sales?

As a KDP publisher you have access to the following reports:

* Month-to-Date Unit Sales

* Prior Six Weeks’ Royalties

* Prior Months’ Royalties

It may be helpful to establish your own means for tracking your Amazon sales. There are third party tools and plug-ins that can help you do this.

Conclusion

KDP has made book publishing something that anyone can accomplish. Embrace this new technology to realize your dreams. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, Kindle can be the key to a new life as a published author.

Remember if you have any questions or you are feeling stuck this report comes with 4 weeks of VIP Email Access.

You may contact me at: mailto:lynnemariecoaching@

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