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Why I Love Kindle

by GobBluthJD
224 replies
It's the most successful way I've found to make money online. Yes, it has a lot of drawbacks (which I'll mention in a minute), but holy s*** do the rewards ever make up for them! I only seriously started attempting to make money with Kindle ~3 months ago. I wrote, prepped, and released a book a week, until I figured out a better outsourcing system. I now have 20 books up and am averaging a new book every 2 to 3 days. My latest book was just released last week and, well, since then it's sold 500+ copies. I know, I still can't believe it when I look at the reports, but it's not going away. At even $2/book profit, that's not too shabby.

Okay, this isn't to say that this is easy or there aren't cons. There are. Lots of them. Which is why, I imagine, there's not a lot of Kindle talk around this forum.

Con #1: It's a LOT of work. Even if you're outsourcing. I started by doing it all myself: research, writing, formatting, cover design, uploading, marketing. Everything. It's a huge time investment, and I suspect this is the step that scares most people off.

Con #2: It's NOT instantaneous. We're always looking for quick money in the IM world. Kindle is not that. It takes time and effort to build up an audience, to learn how to outsource correctly, to streamline the process for efficiency. It's worth it, but it does take a great deal of time.

Con #3: Kindle is not PLR friendly, is not article spinning friendly, is not black hat friendly, etc, etc. This probably also scares a lot of people off. Mess with Kindle, and it will blacklist you. But even playing by the rules has gotten me much more than black hat stuff ever did.

Okay, it's not all doom and gloom. Let's see some pros.

Pro #1: Once you've uploaded a book, it's (nearly) set, forget, and earn. My very first book took me a long time to research, write, format, etc. It was a pain. But you know what? Since I uploaded it 2 months ago, I have done zero marketing, zero promotion, and have spent zero effort on it. Guess what: it's still averaging about 10 sales per day. That's with zero work on my part. IMO, that's well worth the initial effort. A few days pain for recurring money daily - I'll take that any day.

Pro #2: Tied in with Pro #1 is the fact that, if you sign up for KDP Select, you hardly have to do any marketing (unless you want, of course). I have a series of books in a non-fiction, educational sort of niche. I have done zero marketing on them. No blogs, no twitter, no fb, nada. All 4 books are in the Top 10 in their Kindle category. If you create a quality book, Amazon will market it for you. It will start showing up in people's feeds, in "people who bought X, also bought Y", and all that type of stuff. It's beautiful. Set and forget.

Pro #3: Once you get a system down, you can easily produce a book a day. Even if you only make one sale a day, that's $2. You have 10 books? That's $20 a day. You have 50 book? Hello, $100 per day. The possibilities are endless. Literally.

Okay, okay, enough of the rant. Just wanted to share what (I think) is an under-looked market on this forum. Yes, it's not black hat. Yes, it's not quick and easy money. But it's sustainable and, if done right, really profitable.

My tips:

Do your research (I'll post more on this later, if wanted)
Produce (or outsource) quality content.
Enroll in KDP.
Set a goal of 1 book per month, per week, or per day even (if the quality doesn't suffer).
Use the same pen name for similar books, to build up an audience and make each book easier to find.
Put links to your books at the end of all of your other books, to make them easier to find.
Sit back and enjoy.
Rinse, Lather, Repeat
#kindle #love
  • Profile picture of the author asiriusthoth
    Good stuff, thanks for the read.
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  • Profile picture of the author Long Beach Nathan
    I've released some things on Kindle quite a while back, but haven't done anything with it lately. I do agree that it's pretty cool in that it's set and forget. For me, it just didn't add up enough to be worth it. I'm glad to hear about your success though.

    I would like to point out that I've learned something about KDP Select that some people may want to consider. Amazon has a rule that says that if you have a book in Select, and they catch it ANYWHERE else, they'll hold it against you. I believe what they do in that case if I remember correctly is that they'll take the book down.

    But why would this be a problem for anyone abiding by the rules and only uploading to Kindle Select and nowhere else? Well, here's the thing: people often pirate books, and all it takes is for someone to pirate something once, put it up on a website for free, and for Amazon to find out about it. That could endanger your whole account, and it's a real shame, cause I agree that Select can be an awesome marketing tool.

    It still may be worth putting your books in Select for some people, but I decided against it.

    Anyways, I decided that since I wasn't going to put anything in Select, I would go ahead and take advantage of Barnes and Noble's PubIt, and Smashwords distribution. I have to be honest, even those two combined only make up a small portion of my ongoing earnings from publishing, but it's at least worth the effort if you decide not to use KDP Select anyways.

    One thing I've always wondered though is how anyone could make any money outsourcing the writing of Kindle books since most of them earn so little every month. Wouldn't it take at least 50-100 dollars easily to get a half-decent writer?

    By the way, Amazon's Writer Central allows up to 3 pen names, so if anyone wants to write in different niches, keep that in mind. It could come in handy.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post


      One thing I've always wondered though is how anyone could make any money outsourcing the writing of Kindle books since most of them earn so little every month. Wouldn't it take at least 50-100 dollars easily to get a half-decent writer?
      Thanks for the comments. As for this part:

      What I do (and this maybe just works for me, because I actually enjoy writing) is I'll outsource only part of the project. Either the outline/sketch of the book, or the finer details. Sometimes I'll have an idea that I need someone else to expand on, sometimes I'll give an outsourcer a general idea and then I go in and expand on what they give me.

      It's more time-intensive this way, but I really like having control over the final product. And it's a lot cheaper than outsourcing an entire 100+ pages (which would easily run $100+, if you want a decent writer).

      Again, might just work for me, but thought I'd share.
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      • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
        Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

        Thanks for the comments. As for this part:

        What I do (and this maybe just works for me, because I actually enjoy writing) is I'll outsource only part of the project. Either the outline/sketch of the book, or the finer details. Sometimes I'll have an idea that I need someone else to expand on, sometimes I'll give an outsourcer a general idea and then I go in and expand on what they give me.

        It's more time-intensive this way, but I really like having control over the final product. And it's a lot cheaper than outsourcing an entire 100+ pages (which would easily run $100+, if you want a decent writer).

        Again, might just work for me, but thought I'd share.
        I think this is a great way to use outsourcing while still controlling most of the content.
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    • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

      I've released some things on Kindle quite a while back, but haven't done anything with it lately. I do agree that it's pretty cool in that it's set and forget. For me, it just didn't add up enough to be worth it. I'm glad to hear about your success though.

      I would like to point out that I've learned something about KDP Select that some people may want to consider. Amazon has a rule that says that if you have a book in Select, and they catch it ANYWHERE else, they'll hold it against you. I believe what they do in that case if I remember correctly is that they'll take the book down.

      But why would this be a problem for anyone abiding by the rules and only uploading to Kindle Select and nowhere else? Well, here's the thing: people often pirate books, and all it takes is for someone to pirate something once, put it up on a website for free, and for Amazon to find out about it. That could endanger your whole account, and it's a real shame, cause I agree that Select can be an awesome marketing tool.

      It still may be worth putting your books in Select for some people, but I decided against it.
      Kindle Select is not mandatory and not required to sell books on Amazon. However, in order to do free promotions you need to be in the Select program. I choose to participate in Select because it helps to boost my books within specific keyword categories upon launch. I then do follow up promotions depending on how a book is doing. Select promotions work great if you know how to choose keywords that give your book more exposure.

      While free promotions are no guarantee of sales, it helps many of my books remain viable. I know that each person makes the decision to enroll in Select based on their own views and marketing goals. There is no right or wrong answer on this issue.

      In exchange for doing free promotions on Amazon I cannot promote my books elsewhere due to the exclusivity requirement of Select. That's something that I've decided is okay for my purposes. I remember I had posted two of my earliest books on Google Books and forgotten about it, because I made 0 sales on that platform.

      KDP contacted me to inform me that they found such and such titles online and I would have to remove them from those other sources in order to keep these titles in KDP. So, I removed them from Google. And, one of those titles makes sales every month. That was my choice and it worked out good for me.

      I consider the pirating thing a rare occurrence for most authors. If someone has an IM/MMO book that they have put online, or feel that it might be pirated, I would suggest rewriting that book for the Kindle audience. Make it a completely different book and it shouldn't be a problem.
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    • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

      By the way, Amazon's Writer Central allows up to 3 pen names, so if anyone wants to write in different niches, keep that in mind. It could come in handy.
      It is true that you can set up 3 separate Writer Central pages per account for 3 pen names. However, in my experience, you can write and publish books under as many pen names (and niches) as you wish under a single account, but they won't be able to have a Writer Central page, that's all.

      Use your Writer Central pages strategically for your top branded pen names. Author Central allows you to list all of the books written under a single pen name. This helps fans of that pen name easily find more books by that author.

      As for those additional pen names without an Author Central page, use keyword category positioning to get exposure and sales. I have found that a book title that gains enough popularity shows up when typed into the Amazon toolbar - cool!
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      • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
        Originally Posted by Fun to Write View Post

        It is true that you can set up 3 separate Writer Central pages per account for 3 pen names. However, in my experience, you can write and publish books under as many pen names (and niches) as you wish under a single account, but they won't be able to have a Writer Central page, that's all.
        Amazon allows multiple Author Central accts with three pen names per acct.

        The restriction of only ONE acct is for a KDP publishing acct.

        And, while I do understand that the OP was talking about Non-fiction...

        Here are some things to consider about Fiction...

        There are two good reasons to consider writing/publishing fiction:

        1) Much fiction can be more evergreen than much non-fiction

        3) NF sells to folks with a problem. Genre fiction sells to ADDICTS

        I saw a brutal 2 star review for genre fiction today


        Quote was edited for clarification ;-)

        This book and all of the 6 books in this series have been so poorly edited it makes the story line difficult to follow. The names of the different characters are frequently mixed up, the books are littered with multiple spelling errors and completely incorrect words are used in many sentences. I might have enjoyed the series if a bit more care had been taken. I will not be reading another book written by this author.
        Can you tell me what is significant about this review?

        And, yes, this is a Pop Quiz...

        Answer: Even though she complained about the writing, she purchase ALL SIX and READ THEM...

        A-D-D-I-C-T

        From what this author said on Writers Cafe - My first 12 months, I sold well over 14,000 books (several, several titles), and made over $35,000

        ;-)

        Just something to consider, folks LOL
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        • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
          Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

          Amazon allows multiple Author Central accts with three pen names per acct.

          The restriction of only ONE acct is for a KDP publishing acct.

          And, while I do understand that the OP was talking about Non-fiction...

          Here are some things to consider about Fiction...

          There are two good reasons to consider writing/publishing fiction:

          1) Much fiction can be more evergreen than much non-fiction

          3) NF sells to folks with a problem. Genre fiction sells to ADDICTS

          I saw a brutal 2 star review for genre fiction today



          Can you tell me what is significant about this review?

          And, yes, this is a Pop Quiz...

          Answer: Even though she complained about the writing, she purchase ALL SIX and READ THEM...

          A-D-D-I-C-T

          From what this author said on Writers Cafe - My first 12 months, I sold well over 14,000 books (several, several titles), and made over $35,000

          ;-)

          Just something to consider, folks LOL
          Haha, love that review. Hated the books, still bought all 6

          To be honest, I'm looking at getting into fiction. I have 2 ideas that I either need to just block off some time and write, or find a great ghostwriter. But so far, the type of non-fiction I'm working in is very evergreen, so I've been focusing my efforts there.

          Fiction is always in the back of my mind though...with reviews like that, it's easy to see why!
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          • Profile picture of the author Martin Luxton
            Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

            To be honest, I'm looking at getting into fiction.
            I've found it much easier to write a good non-fiction book than a fiction one. That's probably because fiction takes (me) a lot of thinking time and rewriting. With non-fiction, once you have done the research and settled on the style and structure, it almost writes itself.

            Martin
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            • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
              Banned
              Originally Posted by Martin Luxton View Post

              I've found it much easier to write a good non-fiction book than a fiction one.
              Agreed - no comparison at all.

              To write a reasonably good non-fiction book, you don't need a whole lot more than literacy, intelligence, subject-familiarity and work.

              To write fiction good enough to sell steadily on the strength of recommendations is a whole different ball-game: it requires all of that and more - an additional, different skill-set comprising stuff that isn't even easy to classify, define or describe.
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              • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
                Banned
                Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                For more FICTION Inspiration - Hugh Howey's response to the plethora of inaccurate articles about the death/myth/error/harm (take your pick) of Indie Publishing

                Hugh Howey: Self-publishing is the future -- and great for writers - Salon.com

                Many                 thanks - had not seen this before!
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                • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                  Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post


                  Many                   thanks - had not seen this before!
                  Yeah. LOL I just read and bookmarked and printed a copy... there is some REAL gold in it, for sure ;-)

                  You REALLY need to be writing fiction, Alexa. Let me know if I can help you along in any way ;-)
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                  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
                    Originally Posted by dukegman View Post

                    First of all, congratulations to OP on his success with Kindle and thank you for sharing it with the community here. It does makes a difference and makes this forum what it is today.

                    Now as for my personal opinion about kindle, this is something that worries me the most:
                    Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

                    I would like to point out that I've learned something about KDP Select that some people may want to consider. Amazon has a rule that says that if you have a book in Select, and they catch it ANYWHERE else, they'll hold it against you. I believe what they do in that case if I remember correctly is that they'll take the book down.

                    But why would this be a problem for anyone abiding by the rules and only uploading to Kindle Select and nowhere else? Well, here's the thing: people often pirate books, and all it takes is for someone to pirate something once, put it up on a website for free, and for Amazon to find out about it. That could endanger your whole account, and it's a real shame, cause I agree that Select can be an awesome marketing tool.
                    This is an interesting question for which I could not find a direct answer, in either the KDP TOS, FAQ or in their forums, so I sent them a note asking the question. I'll post the answer when I get it.

                    What I did find is that if you do list your book for distribution in electronic format, either free or for sale, KDP will remove the title from the Select program. It will still remain available in the Kindle Marketplace, but you won't get the free promo days or the payout from the lending program.

                    From the anecdotal evidence I've been able to find, losing your whole account is very unlikely.
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                    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
                      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                      This is an interesting question for which I could not find a direct answer, in either the KDP TOS, FAQ or in their forums, so I sent them a note asking the question. I'll post the answer when I get it.
                      Got my answer back from the Kindle support people...

                      Hello,

                      Please know that we will notify the publisher about the availability of the title on other website if it is enrolled in KDP Select so that appropriate action can be taken to made the book exclusive.

                      I hope this helps. Thanks for using Amazon KDP.
                      So having your account vanish without warning isn't going to happen if your book gets pirated. You will be notified if and where your book is found so you can take action.

                      Next excuse?
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                  • Profile picture of the author lezzur
                    Hey wow, good for you buddy. Actaully I was thinking of entering this market also. I have a few ideas but mostly I am looking for some kind of a writing partner. I'm not really a writer per se. Yeah I write, got good grades in college too, but I want someone to take on most of the heavy lifting when it comes to writing. I can come up with the idea, and have it bounce between me and my writing partner. I'm going to have to prepare some cash though because I'm almost certain I wouldn't find a 100% writer/partner do the work for free where I am at. Actually I would actually prefer to pay someone for this.

                    Marketing would be interesting. I'm going to have to find a way to effectively market my books when I start publishing them.
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                  • Profile picture of the author iwowwe4you
                    Sounds really good, but the question is how you produce 1 book a day. I been selling my books before, but to write one good quality book takes minimum few weeks. Some books take months... And that is working on it mostly every day. I been looking for a good way to sell my unpublished books that I wrote after I moved to another country, as publisher that I was using there does not work in this country. However there is no way I am selling my books for $2. It is like throwing them away or making a free present to someone. The minimum price I was selling my books for was $49 and it was a promotional offer on my first book. All others sold for minimum $75. I am not wasting my time and talent to get $2 per sale.
                    And I still do not understand how you can write 1 book a day. If I would be looking to buy a book, the first thing I would look for is a quality of that book. I could sell one recipe for $2 for example as a promotion fore the whole book of recipes. But is would not work with educational or creative writing books.
                    So, I did not actually got your idea...
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                    • Profile picture of the author MovingAround
                      Originally Posted by iwowwe4you View Post

                      Sounds really good, but the question is how you produce 1 book a day. I been selling my books before, but to write one good quality book takes minimum few weeks. Some books take months... And that is working on it mostly every day. I been looking for a good way to sell my unpublished books that I wrote after I moved to another country, as publisher that I was using there does not work in this country. However there is no way I am selling my books for $2. It is like throwing them away or making a free present to someone. The minimum price I was selling my books for was $49 and it was a promotional offer on my first book. All others sold for minimum $75. I am not wasting my time and talent to get $2 per sale.
                      And I still do not understand how you can write 1 book a day. If I would be looking to buy a book, the first thing I would look for is a quality of that book. I could sell one recipe for $2 for example as a promotion fore the whole book of recipes. But is would not work with educational or creative writing books.
                      So, I did not actually got your idea...

                      I can assure you anyone who is writing one book a day (or one book a week) is not providing quality.

                      I do agree about selling a book for $2. Consumers have been taught to accept low prices whether we like it or not. The time of selling ebooks for $50 are long gone, at least in non-IM circles and for upcoming authors.
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                      • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                        Originally Posted by MovingAround View Post

                        I can assure you anyone who is writing one book a day (or one book a week) is not providing quality.

                        I do agree about selling a book for $2. Consumers have been taught to accept low prices whether we like it or not. The time of selling ebooks for $50 are long gone, at least in non-IM circles and for upcoming authors.
                        I am not sure that this is true in Fiction... Many fiction READERS view low priced books as poor quality (which is often true)

                        I was confident about my writing chops, so I used a variation of DWS's pricing... I plan to do the same with my next series, as well.

                        The New World of Publishing: Pricing 2013 |

                        His book -- Think like a Publisher -- is a must have if you are serious about fiction...
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                        • Profile picture of the author MovingAround
                          Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                          I am not sure that this is true in Fiction... Many fiction READERS view low priced books as poor quality (which is often true)

                          I was confident about my writing chops, so I used a variation of DWS's pricing... I plan to do the same with my next series, as well.

                          The New World of Publishing: Pricing 2013 |

                          His book -- Think like a Publisher -- is a must have if you are serious about fiction...
                          By low priced I mean the sort of Amazon prices for the 70% royalty (i.e. up to $9.99). I agree that a book priced at 0.99 is more than likely utter garbage.

                          I've written 3 books (all Top 10 bestsellers in their category for both Kindle and paperbacks) and I do not see my books being fair to have to have them priced at 9.99, but the market wants a Kindle book at 9.99 tops and 14.99 tops for paperback. I've spent many nights awake without sleeping to be able to write big books on top of deal with the rest of my life; 9.99 is not the fair price for all I've gone through to bring books that are desired by the consumer. However, if I didn't price my books as the demand "demands" then I would not have bestsellers much less make a sale.

                          For what is worth, having a book in the top 10 for its category doesn't make one rich on Kindle (at least in non-fiction); I can attest to that, in case newbies are thinking Kindle is the untapered goldmine I'm seeing so many marketers claim
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                          • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                            Originally Posted by MovingAround View Post

                            By low priced I mean the sort of Amazon prices for the 70% royalty (i.e. up to $9.99). I agree that a book priced at 0.99 is more than likely utter garbage.

                            I've written 3 books (all Top 10 bestsellers in their category for both Kindle and paperbacks) and I do not see my books being fair to have to have them priced at 9.99, but the market wants a Kindle book at 9.99 tops and 14.99 tops for paperback. I've spent many nights awake without sleeping to be able to write big books on top of deal with the rest of my life; 9.99 is not the fair price for all I've gone through to bring books that are desired by the consumer. However, if I didn't price my books as the demand "demands" then I would not have bestsellers much less make a sale.

                            For what is worth, having a book in the top 10 for its category doesn't make one rich on Kindle (at least in non-fiction); I can attest to that, in case newbies are thinking Kindle is the untapered goldmine I'm seeing so many marketers claim
                            So are you talking Fiction here or non-Fiction?

                            Just curious ;-)
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                            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
                              Originally Posted by MovingAround View Post

                              I've written 3 books (all Top 10 bestsellers in their category for both Kindle and paperbacks) and I do not see my books being fair to have to have them priced at 9.99, but the market wants a Kindle book at 9.99 tops and 14.99 tops for paperback. I've spent many nights awake without sleeping to be able to write big books on top of deal with the rest of my life; 9.99 is not the fair price for all I've gone through to bring books that are desired by the consumer. However, if I didn't price my books as the demand "demands" then I would not have bestsellers much less make a sale.
                              I've yet to meet a writer or marketer who thinks people are paying what they think their output is worth. Unfortunately, the market really doesn't care how many nights you burned the midnight oil or how hard you worked. That's not what they are paying for.

                              You have obviously come to grips with one of the basic laws of buying and selling. For any product, digital or not, there is a top end above which people will not buy. You can sell some cars for $250,000, but unless there is something that makes them unique, you can't sell the same car for $2.5 million. And if there is something which makes that car unique, it's no longer the same product.

                              I take the approach that my writing is a business. I'm not after the price that soothes my ego or gets the most sales. I'm after the price which returns the biggest revenue. For Kindle, that is usually in the magic window of $2.99-$9.99. The difference in royalty payments is such that I would have to sell more than twice as many books at $20 as at $9.99, and that isn't likely to happen.

                              When you log in to upload that next title, it might help to visualize taking off your writer hat and putting on your publisher eyeshade. (I use the general 'you' here.)
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                              • Profile picture of the author MovingAround
                                Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                                So are you talking Fiction here or non-Fiction?

                                Just curious ;-)
                                I was referring to non-fiction as that's where my experience has been. Having said this, I would not be surprised if the same occurred with Fiction, although I have a feeling that the fiction buyer is more impulsive than a non-fiction buyer as non-fiction books tend to solve a tangible problem whereas fiction books are more about creating a fantasy and satisfying the need to pass your free time. Likewise, there's a vast range of fiction books on Kindle whereas non-fiction haven't picked up as much.

                                Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                                I've yet to meet a writer or marketer who thinks people are paying what they think their output is worth. Unfortunately, the market really doesn't care how many nights you burned the midnight oil or how hard you worked. That's not what they are paying for.

                                You have obviously come to grips with one of the basic laws of buying and selling. For any product, digital or not, there is a top end above which people will not buy. You can sell some cars for $250,000, but unless there is something that makes them unique, you can't sell the same car for $2.5 million. And if there is something which makes that car unique, it's no longer the same product.

                                I take the approach that my writing is a business. I'm not after the price that soothes my ego or gets the most sales. I'm after the price which returns the biggest revenue. For Kindle, that is usually in the magic window of $2.99-$9.99. The difference in royalty payments is such that I would have to sell more than twice as many books at $20 as at $9.99, and that isn't likely to happen.

                                When you log in to upload that next title, it might help to visualize taking off your writer hat and putting on your publisher eyeshade. (I use the general 'you' here.)
                                Absolutely. When I decided to publish my work on Kindle I knew of this limitation, so it's not like I'm whining about it, but it certainly shows you how technology has allowed for the pushing down of price barriers on just about all markets (e.g. look how inexpensive internet is nowadays as to compared to 10 or even 5 years ago).

                                It really is crazy (in terms of how the public has been educated to accept lower prices), and it has one trying to get creative to make bank with Kindle. One book isn't enough unless you get lucky like that 50 Shades of Grey (or whatever it is called).
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                      • Profile picture of the author iwowwe4you
                        Originally Posted by MovingAround View Post

                        I can assure you anyone who is writing one book a day (or one book a week) is not providing quality.

                        I do agree about selling a book for $2. Consumers have been taught to accept low prices whether we like it or not. The time of selling ebooks for $50 are long gone, at least in non-IM circles and for upcoming authors.
                        May be you are right that books are not longer selling for a good prices, but I still not giving mine away for $2 lol. I was not going to publish my bools just yet, so did not done a proper research on prices and other staff related. Recently I am only giving away for free my educational books related to IM and MLM to those who work with me, so that they would be able to start fast. I think it is better option, then selling them for $2. May be I am overreacting, but I do not see any point of selling them for $2. Someone offered me $20 for the set of 3 of my books and I refused.
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                        • Profile picture of the author MovingAround
                          Originally Posted by iwowwe4you View Post

                          May be you are right that books are not longer selling for a good prices, but I still not giving mine away for $2 lol. I was not going to publish my bools just yet, so did not done a proper research on prices and other staff related. Recently I am only giving away for free my educational books related to IM and MLM to those who work with me, so that they would be able to start fast. I think it is better option, then selling them for $2. May be I am overreacting, but I do not see any point of selling them for $2. Someone offered me $20 for the set of 3 of my books and I refused.
                          In all fairness, I see giving away your books with affiliate links/non-affiliate links in them a better option than pricing them at $2. From there you can upsell, but, like I say, outside of the MMO/IM niches, it is very difficult to sell anything over $20. At least IMO and IME.
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              • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
                Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

                Agreed - no comparison at all.

                To write a reasonably good non-fiction book, you don't need a whole lot more than literacy, intelligence, subject-familiarity and work.

                To write fiction good enough to sell steadily on the strength of recommendations is a whole different ball-game: it requires all of that and more - an additional, different skill-set comprising stuff that isn't even easy to classify, define or describe.
                This is exactly right, Alexa.

                I highly advise anyone that does not have several years of experience in writing fiction stories to WAIT and LEARN more about the craft of fiction writing before publishing on Kindle.

                There are plenty of excellent Kindle books that cover all aspects of writing fiction novels. I'm doing this myself so that I can improve as a storyteller before publishing more novels.

                Great storytelling combines Art + Skill. There are certain winning techniques that go into the best stories that pull readers in and capture their imaginations. Don't assume you know it all, because fiction takes time and dedication to do well.

                For every 1 fiction series or individual novel that sells tons, there are dozens of novels gathering dust and making Zero money.

                If you're going to write and publish fiction novels, which is fun and rewarding, slow down and take the time to give people an awesome story. Don't do it to get rich, because that is a long shot. Write fiction because you love it.

                However, you CAN write and publish nonfiction to make money, as long as you do your research really well and give people what they want.

                Again, come up with a writing and publishing strategy that works best for you.
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                • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                  Originally Posted by Fun to Write View Post

                  This is exactly right, Alexa.

                  I highly advise anyone that does not have several years of experience in writing fiction stories to WAIT and LEARN more about the craft of fiction writing before publishing on Kindle.

                  There are plenty of excellent Kindle books that cover all aspects of writing fiction novels. I'm doing this myself so that I can improve as a storyteller before publishing more novels.

                  Great storytelling combines Art + Skill. There are certain winning techniques that go into the best stories that pull readers in and capture their imaginations. Don't assume you know it all, because fiction takes time and dedication to do well.

                  For every 1 fiction series or individual novel that sells tons, there are dozens of novels gathering dust and making Zero money.

                  If you're going to write and publish fiction novels, which is fun and rewarding, slow down and take the time to give people an awesome story. Don't do it to get rich, because that is a long shot. Write fiction because you love it.

                  However, you CAN write and publish nonfiction to make money, as long as you do your research really well and give people what they want.

                  Again, come up with a writing and publishing strategy that works best for you.
                  A lot of what you say is true, but I respectfully disagree about some. ;-)

                  I encourage people to get BIC -- Butt in Chair and write fiction... if they are so inclined.

                  It IS possible to write good fiction quickly and start pubbing in the near future. There are a number of Warriors doing it already and doing it successfully.

                  We're not talking Literary Fiction or buying into the MFA myth here... we're talking far more saleable (and lucrative) genre fiction... with expected formulae that can be dissected and modeled.

                  Finishing and publishing fiction -- the best you can write at the time -- will teach you more than spending years reading how to do it and writing stuff you never finish.

                  Also, one of the advantages we have now... the ability to write and publish shorter works.

                  There is no substitute for completing the process. Just do it! LOLOLOL

                  Don't let the boogeyman of Literary Criticism scare you off!
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                  • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
                    Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                    A lot of what you say is true, but I respectfully disagree about some. ;-)

                    I encourage people to get BIC -- Butt in Chair and write fiction... if they are so inclined.

                    It IS possible to write good fiction quickly and start pubbing in the near future. There are a number of Warriors doing it already and doing it successfully.

                    We're not talking Literary Fiction or buying into the MFA myth here... we're talking far more saleable (and lucrative) genre fiction... with expected formulae that can be dissected and modeled.

                    Finishing and publishing fiction -- the best you can write at the time -- will teach you more than spending years reading how to do it and writing stuff you never finish.

                    Also, one of the advantages we have now... the ability to write and publish shorter works.

                    There is no substitute for completing the process. Just do it! LOLOLOL

                    Don't let the boogeyman of Literary Criticism scare you off!
                    Oh, I know this, Tink.

                    I actually published a fiction novel (my first) that most people enjoy reading. My point is that people should take time to learn the basic techniques of putting together a good story. I'm not talking literary masterpiece or anything.

                    I know I can tell a good story, but I want to learn the best shortcuts and techniques to telling great stories. I think this helps with putting out books that can hook readers and get them to recommend a book to friends.

                    Lots of people put out fiction (short and long) and wonder why it doesn't sell. Instead of repeating the same mistakes, learn techniques that work and make that next book more appealing.

                    We're pretty much on the same page about taking action.
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                • Profile picture of the author celente
                  Originally Posted by Fun to Write View Post

                  This is exactly right, Alexa.



                  Great storytelling combines Art + Skill. There are certain winning techniques that go into the best stories that pull readers in and capture their imaginations. Don't assume you know it all, because fiction takes time and dedication to do well.
                  .

                  I agree, you can tell people who are good writers, because the way they write, they put in about 5 glasses of red wine and pour everything they have into their books.

                  But most never make it, because they do not give people what they need. 50 shades of grey hit the right spot, at the right time. So you do not have ot be different, just write for the write target audience.
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                • Profile picture of the author Sancho Sanches
                  Originally Posted by Fun to Write View Post

                  This is exactly right, Alexa.

                  I highly advise anyone that does not have several years of experience in writing fiction stories to WAIT and LEARN more about the craft of fiction writing before publishing on Kindle.
                  Find hot trend or evergreen subject. Drama.

                  On every page you should have a character
                  with a desire and an obstacle + taking an
                  action + there being some sort of outcome
                  or resolution.

                  Start with that you'll be 99% ahead of all the
                  rest.
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    • Profile picture of the author dukegman
      First of all, congratulations to OP on his success with Kindle and thank you for sharing it with the community here. It does makes a difference and makes this forum what it is today.

      Now as for my personal opinion about kindle, this is something that worries me the most:


      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

      I would like to point out that I've learned something about KDP Select that some people may want to consider. Amazon has a rule that says that if you have a book in Select, and they catch it ANYWHERE else, they'll hold it against you. I believe what they do in that case if I remember correctly is that they'll take the book down.

      But why would this be a problem for anyone abiding by the rules and only uploading to Kindle Select and nowhere else? Well, here's the thing: people often pirate books, and all it takes is for someone to pirate something once, put it up on a website for free, and for Amazon to find out about it. That could endanger your whole account, and it's a real shame, cause I agree that Select can be an awesome marketing tool.
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      • Profile picture of the author Subseven
        Originally Posted by dukegman View Post

        First of all, congratulations to OP on his success with Kindle and thank you for sharing it with the community here. It does makes a difference and makes this forum what it is today.

        Now as for my personal opinion about kindle, this is something that worries me the most:
        I believe issues like these could be solved with Amazon directly. After all, no one can protect their work from pirating and it would be crazy if Amazon would blindly ban people for something that's totally out of their hands.

        As for the niche, I've gone with Social Media Marketing to start out with. Might not be the best idea (not sure), but it's something I've learned a lot about and it didn't take me longer than a few hours to come up with 5k words, so I guess I'm counting on my passion for the subject for it to perform. It's all wait and see, though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anthony Fesalbon
    GobBluthJD, thanks for sharing your kindle success.....your post made me pumped up
    and excited again. Been doing book cover designs for other, I think I need to start doing
    kindle book for myself.

    Once again, thank you. Your tips are highly appreciated.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Anthony Fesalbon View Post

      GobBluthJD, thanks for sharing your kindle success.....your post made me pumped up
      and excited again. Been doing book cover designs for other, I think I need to start doing
      kindle book for myself.

      Once again, thank you. Your tips are highly appreciated.
      My one tip: write about something your passionate about. It's the only way to push through the times when you'll feel burned out and that it's not worth it!
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  • Profile picture of the author Long Beach Nathan
    Good stuff, and I definitely agree about wanting to have the final say on what's in the ebook.

    One thing I'd like to say to anyone wanting to release Kindle books (granted, I don't have near as much experience as GobBluthJD) is that covers are really important. You don't have to be a genius to design a good cover, but do take some time and make sure it looks really good.

    Get the free program Gimp, and practice with it for a few days. There's also places like 123rf and photodune where you can buy royalty free pics for super cheap and use them for your Kindle covers. Just be sure to do some nice looking lettering, etc. Just look at the most popular Kindle books if you need any inspiration.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

      Good stuff, and I definitely agree about wanting to have the final say on what's in the ebook.

      One thing I'd like to say to anyone wanting to release Kindle books (granted, I don't have near as much experience as GobBluthJD) is that covers are really important. You don't have to be a genius to design a good cover, but do take some time and make sure it looks really good.

      Get the free program Gimp, and practice with it for a few days. There's also places like 123rf and photodune where you can buy royalty free pics for super cheap and use them for your Kindle covers. Just be sure to do some nice looking lettering, etc. Just look at the most popular Kindle books if you need any inspiration.
      YES. Absolutely forgot to mention this. Covers are so very, very important. I know, your mother told you to never judge a book by its cover, but you know what? EVERY Kindle customer does exactly that. You can have a brilliant work, the next Great Gatsby, but if you have a poorly photoshopped cover, with the wrong dimensions, you'll never sell a copy.

      This is one step where, if you don't have any experience, it's definitely best to outsource this until you get the hang of it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

      Good stuff, and I definitely agree about wanting to have the final say on what's in the ebook.

      One thing I'd like to say to anyone wanting to release Kindle books (granted, I don't have near as much experience as GobBluthJD) is that covers are really important. You don't have to be a genius to design a good cover, but do take some time and make sure it looks really good.

      Get the free program Gimp, and practice with it for a few days. There's also places like 123rf and photodune where you can buy royalty free pics for super cheap and use them for your Kindle covers. Just be sure to do some nice looking lettering, etc. Just look at the most popular Kindle books if you need any inspiration.
      Agree with this. I'm not that good with graphics and even I can put together a simple book cover in GIMP - don't even know how to use all them other fancy tools on there.

      My book covers done on the cheap start with finding a great photo (I mainly use dreamstime) that expresses the concept of the book. This may require one or several photos. Look at other book covers in your niche to get inspiration for design styles, fonts and color schemes. Take time to find the right photo. That's super important because this is the image people will see first.

      When doing covers myself, I upload the photo to Gimp and then create a simple title to add. I may also include a banner.

      When outsourcing (I currently have a great cover designer on Fiverr) I pick the photo(s) and have a good idea of what I want. I find that the more detailed instructions you give to your cover designer, the better job they can do in creating a good looking cover that really captures your book theme perfectly.

      Another thing to remember is that you can always go back and redesign a book cover. KDP makes it easy to replace the old one. I've recently had to do this for several books.
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    • Profile picture of the author vtotheyouknow
      Originally Posted by Long Beach Nathan View Post

      One thing I'd like to say to anyone wanting to release Kindle books (granted, I don't have near as much experience as GobBluthJD) is that covers are really important. You don't have to be a genius to design a good cover, but do take some time and make sure it looks really good.
      +1 on this. It's important to have a really descriptive, high quality cover.

      I have a kindle book in the seduction niche (and on createspace) and it took me a good 30 minutes to find the 'perfect' stock photo, and it cost almost $10! But you see it, and you know IMMEDIATELY what the book is about

      To the OP...

      If you take a break from publishing NEW books, and take your 3 best sellers and get them translated into a few other languages, AND put up paperback versions with CreateSpace, you can probably optimize your income significantly. :-)

      Something I learned from Scot Hallman on Eben Pagan's "Get Altitude".
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      • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
        Originally Posted by vtotheyouknow View Post

        To the OP...

        If you take a break from publishing NEW books, and take your 3 best sellers and get them translated into a few other languages, AND put up paperback versions with CreateSpace, you can probably optimize your income significantly. :-)

        Something I learned from Scot Hallman on Eben Pagan's "Get Altitude".
        Thanks for the tip; CreateSpace is definitely something we're looking into for a few of our titles that would translate into a hard copy really well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
    Congratulations on your Kindle success GobBluthJD

    I agree with everything you've said. While I'm not quite as successful as you yet, I'm building up a steady income based on niche selection, research, figuring out what people really want to buy and giving them quality.

    I do all the work myself, so I'm going slower, but it is still very rewarding. For anyone that can write well, Kindle is the BEST! I LOVE earning monthly residual income. Sure, the sales cycles for individual books fluctuate, but I've learned that its normal in the book selling business.

    I too don't bother with book promotion except for KDP Select, because right now my main strategy is to produce as many books as possible - stock those virtual store shelves. Having a substantial back catalog is how many Kindle authors are making great money.

    Another big tip is to create three or four books around a certain theme and then BUNDLE them together. You can sell these collections for more money, earning a second stream of income from work already completed. There are plenty of examples of box sets, etc. to look at for ideas.

    I've finally decided to stop chasing shiny carrots and focus on Kindle books while still doing some freelance writing part time. Eventually, I'm going to be ditching the freelancing gigs permanently. LOVE IT.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Fun to Write View Post

      Another big tip is to create three or four books around a certain theme and then BUNDLE them together. You can sell these collections for more money, earning a second stream of income from work already completed. There are plenty of examples of box sets, etc. to look at for ideas.
      This is a very important and helpful tip. Especially if you're writing fiction. Many of the best-selling authors are so successful because they have multi-book series. Then, you can offer the first one free on promotion, get people hooked, and they'll buy up the remaining 3 or 4 of the series.

      I don't do too much fiction, but this is definitely a great tip. Thanks!
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      • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
        Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

        This is a very important and helpful tip. Especially if you're writing fiction. Many of the best-selling authors are so successful because they have multi-book series. Then, you can offer the first one free on promotion, get people hooked, and they'll buy up the remaining 3 or 4 of the series.

        I don't do too much fiction, but this is definitely a great tip. Thanks!
        Bundling works great for nonfiction too. I'm currently bundling up several books in a specific nonfiction niche where I'm having a lot of success. Don't let this easy money pass you by...
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  • Profile picture of the author sb06
    Very interesting... I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind answering

    1.) You said "Even if you only make one sale a day, that's $2." Does this mean the max amount you can make per book is $2? or does it depend on the length and can you set your own prices or not?

    2.) How long does each book have to be at the minimum

    3.) How do you create your ebooks. Do you just use a word processor, export it to a pdf upload it on the site, badda bing badda boom or is there something more complex?

    4.) Can you use images throughout your ebook? (royalty free or paid of course) Would you recommend using images?

    Thanks!
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by sb06 View Post

      Very interesting... I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind answering

      1.) You said "Even if you only make one sale a day, that's $2." Does this mean the max amount you can make per book is $2? or does it depend on the length and can you set your own prices or not?

      2.) How long does each book have to be at the minimum

      3.) How do you create your ebooks. Do you just use a word processor, export it to a pdf upload it on the site, badda bing badda boom or is there something more complex?

      4.) Can you use images throughout your ebook? (royalty free or paid of course) Would you recommend using images?

      Thanks!
      1) You can set your own prices, from $0.99 to $9.99 (I believe). So earning power is based on that.

      2) There is no minimum. I've seen people selling "books" less than 10 pages. But I wouldn't do that. If customers pay for a "book" that's less than 10 pages, you're going to see a lot of refunds and bad reviews.

      3) I create everything in Word, with an ebook template I created. There is software out there that supposedly does it all for you, but I've found this to be the easiest way (and it's free).

      4) You can use images (if you have the rights, or they're free-use). I never do. Formatting for images can be somewhat of a pain (so I've heard). But the genres I'm in don't really ever use photos, so I haven't had to try to find my way through that yet. With the new Kindles though, the resolution is great, and they are in color, so it's something I'm looking at for the future.
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      • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
        Congrats on your success with it!
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    • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
      Originally Posted by sb06 View Post

      Very interesting... I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind answering

      1.) You said "Even if you only make one sale a day, that's $2." Does this mean the max amount you can make per book is $2? or does it depend on the length and can you set your own prices or not?

      2.) How long does each book have to be at the minimum

      3.) How do you create your ebooks. Do you just use a word processor, export it to a pdf upload it on the site, badda bing badda boom or is there something more complex?

      4.) Can you use images throughout your ebook? (royalty free or paid of course) Would you recommend using images?

      Thanks!
      Each book is as long as it needs to be to provide real VALUE to the reader. People only feel cheated when they don't perceive a book giving them enough valuable information on what they really want to know, or a great story they can sink their teeth into.

      When creating a book think about what YOU would want to know if you were going to buy this type of book. Give readers great content and they will reward you.

      I do all of my books in Word (easy to create a clickable table of contents). I convert them to epub using Mobipocket Creator. It's free and easy to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
    Originally Posted by Marcinao View Post

    Do you build lists through your Kindle books? If yes, have you noticed any positive effects since you started? I wonder if it really helps when it comes to Kindle business.
    I don't have any lists. I don't write books that would be "list-building" types of books. I suppose I could try to build a list with the niches and genres I'm in, but at this point, it's not necessary.
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  • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
    I'm glad you're excited! However, we've all been down this road before. Remember when the idea was to build a website that makes $1 a day. Then you scale up and build 500 of them?

    The trouble is, quality suffers as you build more and more websites. The same is true of books! Plus, older books will likely sell less as time goes on.

    Wouldn't you be better off writing one big seller?

    Anyways, congrats on what you're doing. It sounds like you're doing great.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      I'm glad you're excited! However, we've all been down this road before. Remember when the idea was to build a website that makes $1 a day. Then you scale up and build 500 of them?

      The trouble is, quality suffers as you build more and more websites. The same is true of books! Plus, older books will likely sell less as time goes on.

      Wouldn't you be better off writing one big seller?

      Anyways, congrats on what you're doing. It sounds like you're doing great.
      I agree, partially. If you're only creating Kindle books for a quick buck, then yes, it's not a sustainable idea.

      If, on the other hand, you actually like to write, and you're passionate about the subjects you write about, there's no reason why it's not a sustainable plan.

      Quality must always be #1. No PLR, no cheap outsourcing, lots of editing. If you make a quality product, it will stick around.

      My best-seller is my second book I created, 3 months ago. It still sells the most, and doesn't show any signs of stopping. What's worked (for me) is to pick something evergreen. Fiction is tricky, because the buzz dies down eventually. But if you can pick a topic that people are searching for year in and year out (and there are tons of them), there's no reason why your sales can't hold steady, or even grow.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by sb06 View Post

        Very interesting... I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind answering

        1.) You said "Even if you only make one sale a day, that's $2." Does this mean the max amount you can make per book is $2? or does it depend on the length and can you set your own prices or not?
        You can set your price for anything between $0.99 and $200.00. Most people tend to set prices between $2.99 and $9.99 because that lands them in the 70% royalty zone. Outside that range, the royalty is 35%.

        The 70% royalty on a $2.99 book is just over $2, so I'm guessing that's where the OP pulled his numbers.

        Originally Posted by sb06 View Post

        2.) How long does each book have to be at the minimum
        As long as it has to be to create happy buyers. As the OP said, too short and people feel cheated, even at 99 cents.

        Originally Posted by sb06 View Post

        3.) How do you create your ebooks. Do you just use a word processor, export it to a pdf upload it on the site, badda bing badda boom or is there something more complex?
        I'd avoid going the pdf route. I've used both Word and Open Office Writer. The trick is to use minimal formatting and simple styles. Amazon puts out a pretty comprehensive guidebook, for the Kindle (whodathunk?)

        Originally Posted by sb06 View Post

        4.) Can you use images throughout your ebook? (royalty free or paid of course) Would you recommend using images?

        Thanks!
        Yes, you can use images. Follow the guidelines in the guidebook, or check the KDP forums for the latest info. Personally, I'd only use images if they improved the reader experience. Using them for decoration is more hassle than the reward is worth.

        Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

        I'm glad you're excited! However, we've all been down this road before. Remember when the idea was to build a website that makes $1 a day. Then you scale up and build 500 of them?

        The trouble is, quality suffers as you build more and more websites. The same is true of books! Plus, older books will likely sell less as time goes on.

        Wouldn't you be better off writing one big seller?

        Anyways, congrats on what you're doing. It sounds like you're doing great.
        Gee, I guess McGraw-Hill, Pocket Books, and all those other publishing houses have it all wrong...

        Maybe Stephen King and Tom Clancy should have quit while they were ahead?

        The truth is that quality does not have to suffer. The quality slippage usually comes from a combination of boredom and trying to run too far, too fast.

        I'm not trying to be combative, here, but what you say is one possibility, not inevitable fact.
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        • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          Gee, I guess McGraw-Hill, Pocket Books, and all those other publishing houses have it all wrong...

          Maybe Stephen King and Tom Clancy should have quit while they were ahead?

          The truth is that quality does not have to suffer. The quality slippage usually comes from a combination of boredom and trying to run too far, too fast.

          I'm not trying to be combative, here
          Sure you are, buddy

          Yes, the average IM'er is definitely on par with McGraw-Hill and Pocket Books. Yes indeed, comparing them to Stephen King and Tom Clancy is a realistic comparison.

          I have no problem with Kindle. However, I can definitely see an 'IM bubble' forming here fast. There are numerous courses on how to 'bang out books' for easy profits. There are review-sharing scam galore...on and on.

          However, the OP isn't talking about any of that. I have no problem with what he said. He's putting out mini-books at a rapid rate and is making cash. That's a great thing.

          For people who are good at writing - it's a no-brainer.
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          • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
            Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post


            However, the OP isn't talking about any of that. I have no problem with what he said. He's putting out mini-books at a rapid rate and is making cash. That's a great thing.

            For people who are good at writing - it's a no-brainer.
            Exactly this. Personally, I don't think that anyone should spend any money on a Kindle WSO or any "Get Rick Quick with Kindle" guides. That's not what works for this format. You have to enjoy writing and the process of putting together something with quality. It's not for the feint of heart or the people looking to make a quick buck, that's for sure!
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            • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
              Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

              Exactly this. Personally, I don't think that anyone should spend any money on a Kindle WSO or any "Get Rick Quick with Kindle" guides. That's not what works for this format. You have to enjoy writing and the process of putting together something with quality. It's not for the feint of heart or the people looking to make a quick buck, that's for sure!
              Are you sticking with one niche or are you doing lots of them?

              How many pen names are you using?
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              • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

                Are you sticking with one niche or are you doing lots of them?

                How many pen names are you using?
                Right now I'm working...3 main niches, with 3 different pen names. I'm slowly expanding off of those niches ever-so-slightly, using the same pen names. Building continuity with your pen name is key. Customers can find your other work easier and you can put links to your other works at the end of each book. It's a win-win.
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                • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
                  Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

                  Right now I'm working...3 main niches, with 3 different pen names. I'm slowly expanding off of those niches ever-so-slightly, using the same pen names. Building continuity with your pen name is key. Customers can find your other work easier and you can put links to your other works at the end of each book. It's a win-win.
                  That's what I figured. I'm sure those books show up as suggestions once they buy another one of your titles. That's why a big catalog is a perfect idea.

                  I'm psyched about what you're saying!

                  Do you have any tips on picking topics?
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                  • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                    Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post


                    Do you have any tips on picking topics?
                    Pick something you're at least somewhat interested in! You're going to be spending a fair amount of time (particularly in the beginning) dealing with the text (researching, editing, etc), so if it's a topic you have absolutely no interest in, you're going to get bored very quickly, and give up, very quickly.

                    I think this is the part that loses a bunch of IM'ers. There's too much focus on just throwing up a micro-niche site, or building a list, with whatever topic is "hot", regardless of your interest in it. This works for certain formats; Kindle is not one of them, in my experience.

                    If you pick something you have an interest in, that passion will come through in the writing and readers will be drawn to that.
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                    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
                      I was wondering about the size of the books. How big are they?
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                      • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                        Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

                        I was wondering about the size of the books. How big are they?
                        Varies greatly by topic, genre, etc. My shortest is 21 pages. My longest is 268 pages!
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                      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
                        Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

                        Sure you are, buddy
                        OK, maybe a little...

                        Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

                        Yes, the average IM'er is definitely on par with McGraw-Hill and Pocket Books. Yes indeed, comparing them to Stephen King and Tom Clancy is a realistic comparison.

                        I have no problem with Kindle. However, I can definitely see an 'IM bubble' forming here fast. There are numerous courses on how to 'bang out books' for easy profits. There are review-sharing scam galore...on and on.

                        However, the OP isn't talking about any of that. I have no problem with what he said. He's putting out mini-books at a rapid rate and is making cash. That's a great thing.

                        For people who are good at writing - it's a no-brainer.
                        My point actually fits quite nicely with this. If major publishing houses, with multimillion dollar research departments, and top-tier authors, don't depend on one title, why would the average IMer?

                        Telling people to stick to one "big bestseller" is like telling someone to take their whole bankroll and bet it on one number on the roulette wheel. Sure, if that one title hits the jackpot, see how far you can take it. But the odds of hitting that jackpot with a first book are pretty slim, right?

                        I do agree with you about the IM bubble, though. Amazon has already taken steps to burst some of the early GRQ tactics (like slapping up PLR or public domain books) and they're working on the review scams.
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                    • Profile picture of the author Cyber Star
                      YES! thank you. I join Amazon affiliate marketing and I love Kindle product because it sells fast when the traffic is very targeted. Most of my customer comes from tumblr, a place where people don't get judged by saying something. Naturally, a controversial book is selling well in that site.
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            • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
              Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

              Exactly this. Personally, I don't think that anyone should spend any money on a Kindle WSO or any "Get Rick Quick with Kindle" guides. That's not what works for this format. You have to enjoy writing and the process of putting together something with quality. It's not for the feint of heart or the people looking to make a quick buck, that's for sure!
              Exactly. There are way too many people approaching the Kindle like the would a little niche site. You can't put up 1,000 books and expect to make much...you've got to write high quality books and then promote them (and yourself) to get the best bang for the buck.

              I absolutely love the Kindle. When you think about it, ANYBODY can share their message with the world, quickly and easily. It's truly amazing.
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              • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
                If you look at the reviews on the mega selling (70 million copies) 50 Shades book you will see a variety of reviews. Book 1 has over 1,000 negative reviews. The average score is barely above a 3.

                Just shows that;

                ~ not everyone is going to like what you write (and it really doesn't matter)
                ~ you don't have to be the most brilliant writer to sell a LOT of books (but it helps to be a good story teller)
                ~ you can get rich selling eBooks
                ~ no major prior writing experience is necessary to sell a LOT of books
                ~ even butt boring covers like a grey tie can result in mega sales if the word gets out that your book is the bomb (not recommended but obviously doable)
                ~ an unknown writer can become very well known in a short amount of time

                Kindle eBooks = Amazing Opportunity
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                • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
                  Originally Posted by LilBlackDress View Post

                  If you look at the reviews on the mega selling (70 million copies) 50 Shades book you will see a variety of reviews. Book 1 has over 1,000 negative reviews. The average score is barely above a 3.

                  Just shows that;

                  ~ not everyone is going to like what you write (and it really doesn't matter)
                  ~ you don't have to be the most brilliant writer to sell a LOT of books (but it helps to be a good story teller)
                  ~ you can get rich selling eBooks
                  ~ no major prior writing experience is necessary to sell a LOT of books
                  ~ even butt boring covers like a grey tie can result in mega sales if the word gets out that your book is the bomb (not recommended but obviously doable)
                  ~ an unknown writer can become very well known in a short amount of time

                  Kindle eBooks = Amazing Opportunity
                  50 Shades is one of those books that people either love or hate. It's not my cup of tea, but it is tantalizing enough for people that like reading this type of romantic fantasy. This particular story is based off of an already successful hit book/movie series - Twilight.

                  So, for those who enjoy writing fiction, there's a hidden tip in that example. Find a mega hit and write your own version with completely new characters, location and story theme.

                  Another place to find inspiration for fiction is dramatic and reality TV shows.
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                • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                  Originally Posted by LilBlackDress View Post


                  Just shows that;

                  ~ not everyone is going to like what you write (and it really doesn't matter)
                  ~ you don't have to be the most brilliant writer to sell a LOT of books (but it helps to be a good story teller)
                  ~ you can get rich selling eBooks
                  ~ no major prior writing experience is necessary to sell a LOT of books
                  ~ even butt boring covers like a grey tie can result in mega sales if the word gets out that your book is the bomb (not recommended but obviously doable)
                  ~ an unknown writer can become very well known in a short amount of time

                  Kindle eBooks = Amazing Opportunity
                  Exactly. It's daunting, at first. But once you realize that all of the above points are 100% true, it's pretty liberating.
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                • Profile picture of the author Raindance
                  Originally Posted by LilBlackDress View Post

                  If you look at the reviews on the mega selling (70 million copies) 50 Shades book you will see a variety of reviews. Book 1 has over 1,000 negative reviews. The average score is barely above a 3.

                  Just shows that;

                  ~ not everyone is going to like what you write (and it really doesn't matter)
                  ~ you don't have to be the most brilliant writer to sell a LOT of books (but it helps to be a good story teller)
                  ~ you can get rich selling eBooks
                  ~ no major prior writing experience is necessary to sell a LOT of books
                  ~ even butt boring covers like a grey tie can result in mega sales if the word gets out that your book is the bomb (not recommended but obviously doable)
                  ~ an unknown writer can become very well known in a short amount of time

                  Kindle eBooks = Amazing Opportunity
                  Before mentioning 50 shades, you have to consider the gigantic publicity behind its success. The book is everywhere, and it is hitting the perfect spots with regards to targeting its audience. The promotion has been exceptional, and that is the reason why the books are doing so well despite being miserable in quality.

                  If one really wants to look for a book that spread through word of mouth, and made not just millions, but even a billion for its author then it is Harry Potter.
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                  • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                    Originally Posted by Raindance View Post

                    Before mentioning 50 shades, you have to consider the gigantic publicity behind its success. The book is everywhere, and it is hitting the perfect spots with regards to targeting its audience. The promotion has been exceptional, and that is the reason why the books are doing so well despite being miserable in quality.

                    If one really wants to look for a book that spread through word of mouth, and made not just millions, but even a billion for its author then it is Harry Potter.
                    Or John Locke. He's made over a million SOLELY on Kindle. And he writes, shall we say, not the greatest prose ever. It's all about proficiency and sticking with it.
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                    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                      Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

                      Or John Locke. He's made over a million SOLELY on Kindle. And he writes, shall we say, not the greatest prose ever. It's all about proficiency and sticking with it.
                      Folks - John Locke is not a good example. He has confessed to purchasing reviews, which rightly or wrongly, has discredited him to a great extent.

                      If you want to look at recent Kindle Select success, check out Konrath.

                      This post is where he talks about recently pulling his books from all other venues and going with Select - He made 100k in 6 weeks

                      A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Exclusivity

                      NOTE - I believe Konrath is 100% Indie

                      This post is recent... I think we can safely read it as ironic/sarcastic ;-)

                      A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath Flip-Flops

                      Someone who is doing BETTER than Konrath is CJ Lyons who has been selling 100k BOOKS/ month (compared to Konrath's $100k/6 weeks, for you beancounters ;-) )

                      Most her books sell for MORE than $2.99 IIRC

                      SPP 032 – How to Sell a Metric Crap-Ton of Books, with CJ Lyons

                      She was selling that number from July 2012 thru Nov 2012, when she did this interview...

                      NOTE - She is a hybrid publisher - she self-pubbs and has at least one Legacy publisher

                      There IS one thing that all three -- Locke, Konrath, Lyons, have in common...

                      They have all written a bucketload of books... which gets us back to this

                      Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

                      It's all about proficiency and sticking with it.
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                      • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                        Other Fiction success stories and a pep talk ;-)

                        Hugh Howey: Self-publishing is the future -- and great for writers - Salon.com

                        Note, one standout example in the article is Robert J Crane - Sales in Jan 2012 - less than $10, Sales in Jan 2013 - about $23K

                        A point he made on a popular forum -- Based on his Jan 2012 sales figures, he should have thrown in the towel... I'll bet, as he laughs his way to the bank, he's happy that he stuck it out...

                        As CJ Lyons says

                        CJ's formula is 1) write great books, 2) give it time to find an audience, 3) encourage that audience to tell their friends, and 4) repeat. Not easy... but simple.
                        Genre fiction writing is NOT a Get Quick Rich Quick scheme, but when you sell to ADDICTS, the results can be powerful...
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                        • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
                          Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                          Other Fiction success stories and a pep talk ;-)

                          Hugh Howey: Self-publishing is the future -- and great for writers - Salon.com

                          Note, one standout example in the article is Robert J Crane - Sales in Jan 2012 - less than $10, Sales in Jan 2013 - about $23K

                          A point he made on a popular forum -- Based on his Jan 2012 sales figures, he should have thrown in the towel... I'll bet, as he laughs his way to the bank, he's happy that he stuck it out...

                          As CJ Lyons says


                          Genre fiction writing is NOT a Get Quick Rich Quick scheme, but when you sell to ADDICTS, the results can be powerful...

                          I'm familiar with both of these guys.

                          As soon as I saw the book cover for the 1st installment of Hugh Howey's Wool I was intrigued. I love that cover - it's so unique. I checked out what it was about and was immediately impressed with his imaginative story.

                          I'm happy that he's having so much success, and it all started with posting his books on Kindle. Really, though, it all starts with a gripping story that grabs the reader and has them drooling for more.

                          I also read Robert Crane's inspirational story. He too has a series that readers enjoy. Everyone reading this thread that is interested in publishing fiction on Kindle should check these guys out.

                          THEN get busy writing.
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                      • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                        Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                        Folks - John Locke is not a good example. He has confessed to purchasing reviews, which rightly or wrongly, has discredited him to a great extent.

                        If you want to look at recent Kindle Select success, check out Konrath.

                        This post is where he talks about recently pulling his books from all other venues and going with Select - He made 100k in 6 weeks

                        A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Exclusivity

                        NOTE - I believe Konrath is 100% Indie

                        This post is recent... I think we can safely read it as ironic/sarcastic ;-)

                        A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath Flip-Flops

                        Someone who is doing BETTER than Konrath is CJ Lyons who has been selling 100k BOOKS/ month (compared to Konrath's $100k/6 weeks, for you beancounters ;-) )

                        Most her books sell for MORE than $2.99 IIRC

                        SPP 032 - How to Sell a Metric Crap-Ton of Books, with CJ Lyons

                        She was selling that number from July 2012 thru Nov 2012, when she did this interview...

                        NOTE - She is a hybrid publisher - she self-pubbs and has at least one Legacy publisher

                        There IS one thing that all three -- Locke, Konrath, Lyons, have in common...

                        They have all written a bucketload of books... which gets us back to this
                        Thanks for the links, some really great advice in there!
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                      • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
                        Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                        Folks - John Locke is not a good example. He has confessed to purchasing reviews, which rightly or wrongly, has discredited him to a great extent.

                        If you want to look at recent Kindle Select success, check out Konrath.

                        This post is where he talks about recently pulling his books from all other venues and going with Select - He made 100k in 6 weeks

                        A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Exclusivity

                        NOTE - I believe Konrath is 100% Indie

                        This post is recent... I think we can safely read it as ironic/sarcastic ;-)

                        A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath Flip-Flops

                        I've been to J.A. Konrath's blog and highly recommend it to aspiring Kindle authors. He rocks!

                        Hey, have you guys ever had a moment when you came across someone else's great idea that you wish you had thought of first?

                        Well, once I saw Konrath's masterfully creative Jack Daniels series I had one of those moments. Basing the theme of a whole series of books on popular bar drinks...Wow.

                        I've seen other authors doing similar things (baked goods), but take a look at his covers and then read the previews. He's a great storyteller. He also co-authors a horror series. I previewed the "Afraid" book and now I just HAVE to read it sometime this summer.
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                        • Profile picture of the author Tinkerbell
                          Just finished reading the April Fools/Tongue in Cheek post on Joe Konrath's blog someone linked to above and was particularly attracted to the part where they were saying "ads" won't work in ebooks because readers won't tolerate them. Hmm.

                          Not completely true. Readers WILL tolerate ads if those ads lead them to interesting books by other authors in their "group". The big publishers do it all the time - in print. I haven't purchased a Kindle book by a top name author, but I'm betting at the end of the story, they include the same page they do in their print books. You know, the one where they give title and blurb for three or four other authors books who write for their publishing house?

                          I don't see why it would be any different if a group of us got together to cross-promote each other by including a single page at the end of our stories with an "If you loved this story, you'll probably like X, Y, and Z as well!" Then put the title and description and link right to the Amazon page for each one.

                          Anyone know what Amazon's policy would be on this? I'd love to get together with a few of you and see how it works if it's acceptable. And I really don't see why it wouldn't be. Do you?
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                  • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
                    Originally Posted by Raindance View Post

                    Before mentioning 50 shades, you have to consider the gigantic publicity behind its success. The book is everywhere, and it is hitting the perfect spots with regards to targeting its audience. The promotion has been exceptional, and that is the reason why the books are doing so well despite being miserable in quality.

                    If one really wants to look for a book that spread through word of mouth, and made not just millions, but even a billion for its author then it is Harry Potter.
                    Not initially. It started as fan fiction, was moved to the author's site, got picked up by a small publishing company and went from there. It is not like she had a well oiled publicity machine before she started...
                    'Fifty Shades Of Grey': Here To Stay?
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    • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      I'm glad you're excited! However, we've all been down this road before. Remember when the idea was to build a website that makes $1 a day. Then you scale up and build 500 of them?

      The trouble is, quality suffers as you build more and more websites. The same is true of books! Plus, older books will likely sell less as time goes on.

      Wouldn't you be better off writing one big seller?

      Anyways, congrats on what you're doing. It sounds like you're doing great.
      The nature of book sales is that each book will rise to a peak and then taper off in sales at some point. I've seen this happen in my account. But, a book that is evergreen in its appeal will always continue to sell, just not at peak level.

      There is no way to predetermine which book is going to be that BIG bestseller. Therefore, the best strategy is to continue writing and publishing quality books and build up a good back catalog of books in different genres and niches. The accumulated sales steadily increases your earning potential.

      I don't rely on one book - not a wise strategy. I DO recommend building a solid foundation with evergreen nonfiction titles. Fiction is more lucrative, but more fickle when it comes to generating steady sales. Some people do great with only fiction, but I like how easier it is to target buyers for nonfiction. I am going to tackle fiction again later this year with a new series.

      Success with Kindle really requires that you create a workable publishing strategy and stick to it.
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  • Profile picture of the author vtotheyouknow
    I totally agree...

    Kindle is so appealing because it doesn't require any marketing (although SOME marketing probably isn't a bad idea).

    It's lovely to think you can just do good research and write with passion and get P-A-I-D.

    It's perfect for a writer masquerading as an Internet Marketer ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Susan A
    Thanks for sharing! I didn't realize that kindle user has growing that fast since the first time it exist. Promoting quality book in Kindle is a good idea, I used to be a teacher so maybe I can sell some of my knowledge to the people who needs it. Making a cover is probably a hard task for me, It requires a good design for promotional element.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gail B
    Thank you for this post
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew D
    Long time ago, I want to start writing an ebook myself, but my content would be potentially controversial. I am afraid to get negative review and that will ruin my credibility as a writer. But after reading your post, I might want to start all over again. One thing for sure, I will make a high quality content that make my reader become a fan.
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    • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
      Originally Posted by Matthew D View Post

      Long time ago, I want to start writing an ebook myself, but my content would be potentially controversial. I am afraid to get negative review and that will ruin my credibility as a writer. But after reading your post, I might want to start all over again. One thing for sure, I will make a high quality content that make my reader become a fan.
      Almost EVERY book on Amazon has bad reviews. You can't please everyone.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Matthew D View Post

      Long time ago, I want to start writing an ebook myself, but my content would be potentially controversial. I am afraid to get negative review and that will ruin my credibility as a writer. But after reading your post, I might want to start all over again. One thing for sure, I will make a high quality content that make my reader become a fan.
      You can always just publish it under a Pen Name, if you're worried about ruining your real name.
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  • Profile picture of the author bestrevenueshare
    Nice to read, that someone making money, writing books, good job.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
    While I agree with the point about nonfiction, in general, being about problem solving, there are plenty of people that are also "addicted" to buying books to improve something in their life, or about something that they just really enjoy doing. One book just isn't enough to satisfy their thirst for information.

    Here's a tidbit I took from a review of a book on writing:

    "I've read dozens of writing craft books, and this one is a gem."

    Take a look at the rack of magazines when you go shopping and you can quickly see that there are all sorts of nonfiction topics that continue to be sold to niche audiences.

    For people that want to focus on nonfiction Kindle books, it is worth pursuing just as much as those interested in fiction.
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  • Profile picture of the author Subseven
    I was inspired by this post and stumbled upon it while already thinking about writing one. I have followed the advice and have written about 15 pages of content (8k words) in the last 12 hours. I will publish it according to the advice and update with my results soon enough. Thanks everyone.
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  • Profile picture of the author tjaysen70
    right on bro and congrats on your success. Question, what genre were your books written in?
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    I have 2 fiction books posted last August and so far I made more than 55K sales. I am releasing a trilogy this December (still in the hands of my editor). Kindle is a long-term process and lifetime result.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Adie View Post

      I have 2 fiction books posted last August and so far I made more than 55K sales.
      More than 55k in less than a year?? Geez...you should be sharing your secrets!
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      • Profile picture of the author Subseven
        Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

        More than 55k in less than a year?? Geez...you should be sharing your secrets!
        Hey Gob, I sent you a message a day ago, haven't heard anything back so far.

        Anyway, when it comes to formatting, I see a lot of people selling templates for a large sum of money, when the formatting really doesn't seem to be anything special apart from a general guideline and a dynamic content page. Is there anything I'm overlooking or are these people just overselling their products?
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        • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
          Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

          Hey Gob, I sent you a message a day ago, haven't heard anything back so far.

          Anyway, when it comes to formatting, I see a lot of people selling templates for a large sum of money, when the formatting really doesn't seem to be anything special apart from a general guideline and a dynamic content page. Is there anything I'm overlooking or are these people just overselling their products?
          Sorry! Been swamped with messages. If you post here, I'll probably have a better chance of finding it.

          As for formatting, I'll give my $0.02:

          Formatting is absolutely crucial. Many bad reviews and refunds are simply due to really poorly formatted works.

          That being said, I would never buy a template. I write in Word. I format in Word. I upload my Word doc straight to Kindle Publishing. And things look great. Never had one complaint about formatting.

          So: yes, it absolutely needs to be formatted properly. And yes, you can do it yourself.
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          • Profile picture of the author Subseven
            Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

            Sorry! Been swamped with messages. If you post here, I'll probably have a better chance of finding it.

            As for formatting, I'll give my $0.02:

            Formatting is absolutely crucial. Many bad reviews and refunds are simply due to really poorly formatted works.

            That being said, I would never buy a template. I write in Word. I format in Word. I upload my Word doc straight to Kindle Publishing. And things look great. Never had one complaint about formatting.

            So: yes, it absolutely needs to be formatted properly. And yes, you can do it yourself.
            No problem. Anyway, considering formatting, is there any resource I can use to help me on my way? I have searched for templates and formatting help, all I get is paid templates... No ideas on how to format it specifically for Kindle.
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            • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
              Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

              No problem. Anyway, considering formatting, is there any resource I can use to help me on my way? I have searched for templates and formatting help, all I get is paid templates... No ideas on how to format it specifically for Kindle.
              Honestly, about the only thing you need to know is how to make a clickable Table of Contents. The rest is easy.

              K.I.S.S.
              Keep It Simple, Stupid (not you, personally)

              Kindle won't recognize crazy fonts, bullet point lists, indented number patters, etc.

              Times New Roman, font 11 or 12 (it will put it into its own Kindle-size anyways.

              Insert Page Break when you want to start a new chapter/section.

              It's helpful if you download the free Kindle Preview reader thing

              It lets you upload your document and check out what formatting issues you may have.

              Then it's just a matter of trial and error. Once you get it down, save that file in 10 different places, so you don't lose it.

              Then, for your next book, just open that file, replace with all new content (while keeping the format), and you're golden.
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            • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
              Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

              No problem. Anyway, considering formatting, is there any resource I can use to help me on my way? I have searched for templates and formatting help, all I get is paid templates... No ideas on how to format it specifically for Kindle.
              I am about to release a book about formatting (a visual guide). Probably tomorrow. If you want to be a beta reader, feedback is always good.

              Sandra
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              • Profile picture of the author Subseven
                Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

                I am about to release a book about formatting (a visual guide). Probably tomorrow. If you want to be a beta reader, feedback is always good.

                Sandra
                I'd be most interested in that. Please let me know the details and I'll be sure to give you some feedback based on my limited experience if that's ok. =)

                Thanks Gob, that's pretty much what my thoughts were, it's good to have some acknowledgement.
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                • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
                  Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

                  I'd be most interested in that. Please let me know the details and I'll be sure to give you some feedback based on my limited experience if that's ok. =)

                  Thanks Gob, that's pretty much what my thoughts were, it's good to have some acknowledgement.
                  Sending PM now.
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                  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
                    Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                    As CJ Lyons says


                    Genre fiction writing is NOT a Get Quick Rich Quick scheme, but when you sell to ADDICTS, the results can be powerful...
                    A point I've brought up in just about every "what's the best niche" thread I've been in. Sure beats trying to figure out what to sell someone after they buy your "how to cure toe fungus" masterpiece...

                    Sorry for the sidetrack...
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            • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
              Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

              No problem. Anyway, considering formatting, is there any resource I can use to help me on my way? I have searched for templates and formatting help, all I get is paid templates... No ideas on how to format it specifically for Kindle.
              I use a template for word and an inexpensive tool that formats for me automatically - fast and easy.
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              Pen Name + 8 eBooks + social media sites 4 SALE - PM me (evergreen beauty niche)

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            • Profile picture of the author babyleaps
              Before I published on Kindle, I spent a lot of time lurking at Kindleboards Writers' Cafe

              I found it was educational, free, and a good community and resource for all my questions. Best of luck to you all!

              I am curious about outsourcing for books-- how do you find someone who would do that?
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              • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                KBoards is a great resource for fiction writers, but be aware... they have little respect for warriors, especially those trying to game the system.

                Also good for fiction - the FaceBook group for Michelle Spiva's Good Fiction Fast and Geoff Shaw's Kindling FaceBook group...

                These three places are where I spend my time these days... when I'm not butt in chair writing...

                At the moment, I am writing the first love scene in Book 1 of my next romance series... LOL

                So... back to work!
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              • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                Originally Posted by babyleaps View Post

                Before I published on Kindle, I spent a lot of time lurking at Kindleboards Writers' Cafe

                I found it was educational, free, and a good community and resource for all my questions. Best of luck to you all!

                I am curious about outsourcing for books-- how do you find someone who would do that?
                Kboards is a great resource, for sure.

                As for outsourcing, the usual suspects apply: odesk, elance, freelancer, etc. They all have their pros and cons.
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  • Profile picture of the author PolicyMaker
    Also make Sure to Put Your Website Address at Front PAGE and Final Page for Capuring EMAILS...

    And when you write in same niche next time...First Promote to Your List...

    Also build this asset while building your presence on Kindle...

    Awesome Advice by the way...

    Keep Delivering...
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  • Profile picture of the author pizzatherapy
    I want to say a BIG thanks for this post.

    I have gotten lots of useful, hands on knowledge from this packed to the brim, Kindle post.

    I want to echo what Long Beach Nathan, said about Kindle Select: you need to be very careful making sure your book has NOT been published anywhere else.

    And GobBluthJD

    I now have 20 books up and am averaging a new book every 2 to 3 days. My latest book was just released last week and, well, since then it's sold 500+ copies. I know, I still can't believe it when I look at the reports, but it's not going away. At even $2/book profit, that's not too shabby.
    Not to shabby indeed. I think the problem with making Kindle books is the follow through.

    I have several Kindle books and need to put some more up!

    Thanks again for this very motivational post!
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by pizzatherapy View Post

      And GobBluthJD

      I have several Kindle books and need to put some more up!

      Thanks again for this very motivational post!
      No problem. Get those books ready! The only way to progress, is by taking action and moving forward
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  • Profile picture of the author vtotheyouknow
    Like the OP said, you can write in Word and just create a clickable table of contents. Google it...takes 5 minutes and anybody could do it. I use Open Office and it's also super easy.
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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    Hi GobBluthJD:

    I live in miami. Well, I have never seen you. Do you go to the book fair?

    Like it is big in miami. I try to go every year. Last year it was raining.

    KDP is for the birds as you earn no money. I mean I spent a lot of time doing book promos.

    Basically, it is hard to compete with one million 99 cent e-books and more are on our way.

    Please do your research on what is going on. KDP is great for amazon. I have trouble getting 500 downloads a day when I am doing a FREE give away. People on amazing amazon do not like to spend money. Still, you can always try to release a book into a niche that is not over crowded - GOOD LUCK!
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by seobro View Post

      Hi GobBluthJD:

      I live in miami. Well, I have never seen you. Do you go to the book fair?

      Like it is big in miami. I try to go every year. Last year it was raining.

      KDP is for the birds as you earn no money. I mean I spent a lot of time doing book promos.

      Basically, it is hard to compete with one million 99 cent e-books and more are on our way.

      Please do your research on what is going on. KDP is great for amazon. I have trouble getting 500 downloads a day when I am doing a FREE give away. People on amazing amazon do not like to spend money. Still, you can always try to release a book into a niche that is not over crowded - GOOD LUCK!
      Hey there, fellow Miamian! Yes, my wife and I love the book fair. Went in the rain last year to hear Kurt Vonnegut's son speak. Great time.

      I'll have to respectfully disagree with your statement that KDP is for the birds though. Maybe if you're putting out low quality, $0.99 stuff. I never sell mine at that price for longer than 2 weeks. After that, it all gets bumped up to at least $2.99. At those prices, you're making $2/sale, whereas you make $0.30 if your book is priced at $0.99.

      You're right though, it's all about finding those niches!
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  • Profile picture of the author shunks
    The kindle is one of the best products i have bought, ever. Definitely worth every penny. I also shop a lot of ebooks from the store. It is just too convenient.
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  • Profile picture of the author Subseven
    So does anyone here apart from using KDP use any other sort of promotion for their non-fiction Kindles? I've read some articles about using some eBook sites for promotion, but that's mainly for fiction. How do you do it personally? I also see people stressing to promote it in the KDP free days, which I don't really get.
    My idea was to just offer the book for free for a couple of days, get people who are interested to read it (on WF as well, actually) and leave reviews, then use KDP free days to boost the downloads and ranking after some reviews. Any flaws in this plan?
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    • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
      Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

      So does anyone here apart from using KDP use any other sort of promotion for their non-fiction Kindles? I've read some articles about using some eBook sites for promotion, but that's mainly for fiction. How do you do it personally? I also see people stressing to promote it in the KDP free days, which I don't really get.
      My idea was to just offer the book for free for a couple of days, get people who are interested to read it (on WF as well, actually) and leave reviews, then use KDP free days to boost the downloads and ranking after some reviews. Any flaws in this plan?
      I have a stop smoking hypnosis ebook that's sold a few copies on Amazon. I've done nothing to promote it because I'm focusing more on fiction. I was thinking the other day to get a landing page up for that market. I've got several thousand words of good content I can turn into tips and tricks to stop smoking, etc. and create an email series. I actually picked up two absolutely unbelievable domain names for the stop smoking market the other day. I can't believe they were available. One was a .net, the other, .org

      I'll offer a freebie to subscribers along with a series of stop smoking tips. Each of those emails will contain a link to my waaaay under priced Kindle title. I'd expect to get some sales that way. Before I do this though I also want to find a decent stop smoking offer so I can alternate the two.

      That's sort of an MMO-style method. The wildcard is that "general" traffic won't have as many eReader owners as Amazon traffic. But this will be a test and if they don't buy my book they'll also have a chance to buy a more expensive alternative. Not sure when I'll get around to this though because I'm working like crazy to get more salable books out, including nonfiction.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

      So does anyone here apart from using KDP use any other sort of promotion for their non-fiction Kindles? I've read some articles about using some eBook sites for promotion, but that's mainly for fiction. How do you do it personally? I also see people stressing to promote it in the KDP free days, which I don't really get.
      My idea was to just offer the book for free for a couple of days, get people who are interested to read it (on WF as well, actually) and leave reviews, then use KDP free days to boost the downloads and ranking after some reviews. Any flaws in this plan?
      I promote it. Book site, free publishing platforms (weebly, wordpress, squidoo), post the feeds of the blog in any place where it is well received, and do internal SEO targeting keywords, plus twitter and pinterest... I also added the book to goodreads, didn´t play with shelfary yet. That is for non fiction.

      When you have the free days, you also promote them, there are sites where you register the free days. I will probably be adding one of the lists with frames in my own site. They are easy to do.
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    • Profile picture of the author cashcow
      Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

      So does anyone here apart from using KDP use any other sort of promotion for their non-fiction Kindles? I've read some articles about using some eBook sites for promotion, but that's mainly for fiction. How do you do it personally? I also see people stressing to promote it in the KDP free days, which I don't really get.
      My idea was to just offer the book for free for a couple of days, get people who are interested to read it (on WF as well, actually) and leave reviews, then use KDP free days to boost the downloads and ranking after some reviews. Any flaws in this plan?
      You would promote it much the same way you would promote your blog or a click bank product.

      Naturally you would want to setup a blog whose purpose is to presell the book. Then write articles, press releases, videos etc... and link to either the book on Amazon or your blog depending on your goals.

      You might also consider a Facebook fan page and twitter account to disperse information about your topic.

      If you offer it for free on WF, then you can't have it in KDP select as it is against their terms, therefore you wouldn't be able to get reviews on Amazon that way.
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      • Profile picture of the author Subseven
        Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

        You would promote it much the same way you would promote your blog or a click bank product.

        Naturally you would want to setup a blog whose purpose is to presell the book. Then write articles, press releases, videos etc... and link to either the book on Amazon or your blog depending on your goals.

        You might also consider a Facebook fan page and twitter account to disperse information about your topic.

        If you offer it for free on WF, then you can't have it in KDP select as it is against their terms, therefore you wouldn't be able to get reviews on Amazon that way.
        Seems logical. However, OP suggested he didn't actually do much marketing for it... which is also a big advantage to me. If you would make a blog / social media page to promote your product, I'd say publishing it as a guide with a higher price would be more accessible and attractive..

        I would offer it for free, but promote the kindle via Amazon instead of a standalone guide. That would mean I wouldn't publish it anywhere else and just promote the kindle which is still only on Amazon's KDP select.
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        • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
          Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

          Seems logical. However, OP suggested he didn't actually do much marketing for it... which is also a big advantage to me. If you would make a blog / social media page to promote your product, I'd say publishing it as a guide with a higher price would be more accessible and attractive..

          I would offer it for free, but promote the kindle via Amazon instead of a standalone guide. That would mean I wouldn't publish it anywhere else and just promote the kindle which is still only on Amazon's KDP select.
          Yea, I've never done much off-marketing Amazon; that's one of the allures (personally). I suppose if you set up a separate page for the book, blast FB and Twitter, etc, you'll probably get a bit more traffic. But I've found, as long as you pick a good niche, you have a smart/strong title, you optimize your keywords well, you have a good cover, you write a great description....after ALL that, the book will sell itself.

          After that, I prefer to spend my time working on new books and building up a library, rather than off-page marketing.
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        • Profile picture of the author cashcow
          Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

          Seems logical. However, OP suggested he didn't actually do much marketing for it... which is also a big advantage to me. If you would make a blog / social media page to promote your product, I'd say publishing it as a guide with a higher price would be more accessible and attractive..
          I think the OP is pretty lucky/skillful at picking topics to write books about. Most of the rest of us have to do marketing.

          Of course, if you are publishing books at the rate he is, you might make up for it in volume… some won't make sales but every once in a while you will hit it good with another.

          Most of mine that I don't market make 5 - 10 sales a month, but I do have a couple that make around 100 sales a month… I get the impression the OP is doing much better with his.

          Be curious to see what other people who don't market their books results are.

          P.S. I agree that it is much more enjoyable to spend your time writing more books as opposed to marketing them.
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          • Profile picture of the author mlhearing
            Go to Reddit and check out a guy who calls himself throwaway_writer. It's from November of 2011 I think, but well worth a read.

            Also, look at kboards writers cafe and see what Tattoed Writer, Belinda ne "something," and SM Reine have to say.

            It can work. I've had some small success myself . . . till I got lazy and quit getting things out there. Ya gotta keep publishing.
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          • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
            Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

            Be curious to see what other people who don't market their books results are.
            I have one that has sold well from day one without promotion of any kind. It's nonfiction. In fact, you wrote a very nice review for it a couple years back well before I put it on Kindle. It hasn't been up long, just a little over a month. It started out selling one every other day. That went on for a couple of weeks and bumped up to one a day and then one and a half, now it's up to three a day.

            For the first month I didn't even have any reviews. Then I picked up a one-star review from a guy who said the writing was bad. Of course, he left a one star review on another title because, while he actually liked the book, it didn't arrive fast enough for him. I rebutted his review pointing to Amazon's "Take A Look" feature saying anyone could judge the writing there. It's actually one of my better writing efforts. Within 12 hours of the one star review I had four more sales. Since then I've picked up a totally legitimate five star review. You just never know...

            Today it made it to #10 in its primary category, which makes it a best seller I guess. It's drifted back down a bit. Obviously it's not in a very briskly selling category. It's ranking top 100 in three Psychology sections. I've got a feeling it's going to be as popular on Kindle as it was in another venue. It's just taking longer. Amazon is actually touting it.

            I put it on free promo for five days a couple of weeks ago and only got 805 downloads. And it actually took a little wind out of its sales. Some stuff just goes beyond reason and logic. I'd love to see this puppy at a couple hundred a month. But to get back to the point, I haven't done a thing to promote it. It has a killer title, cover and blurb though and the topic is very interesting.
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            • Profile picture of the author cashcow
              Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

              I have one that has sold well from day one without promotion of any kind. It's nonfiction. In fact, you wrote a very nice review for it a couple years back well before I put it on Kindle. It hasn't been up long, just a little over a month. It started out selling one every other day. That went on for a couple of weeks and bumped up to one a day and then one and a half, now it's up to three a day.
              I remember the book - it deserves to sell well!
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          • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
            Originally Posted by cashcow View Post


            Of course, if you are publishing books at the rate he is, you might make up for it in volume... some won't make sales but every once in a while you will hit it good with another.
            This is my key I mean, if I can get a book done in a day or two, and spend maybe $20 on it, then if it sells 5 copies a month, it pays for itself in 2 months. After that, it's all profit on cruise control. Of course, if a book is obviously doing way better, I'll throw it on FB, Twitter, etc. But I'm more than happy to keep producing ones that sell 5-10 a month and turn a profit after a month.

            Not everyone's preferred method; just sharing what's worked for me.
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            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

              If you have to promote your book hard - then what's the advantage over selling it yourself and making more per unit? If Amazon isn't helping to make sales - Kindle becomes 'sort of' pointless.
              If you want another perspective on the traditional vs. Amazon route, check this book out...

              Amazon.com: How I Made Over $42,000 in 1 Month...Amazon.com: How I Made Over $42,000 in 1 Month...
              [Note: Don't skip this just because the title snippet might sound a little hypey.]
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Ten
    I have about 3 books on Kindle and I have never had a sale. I think that I just need to keep trying and persevering.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Michael Ten View Post

      I have about 3 books on Kindle and I have never had a sale. I think that I just need to keep trying and persevering.
      How long have you had the books up? I saw one of your books. Few comments about your book on Amazon, just from 10 seconds on the page:

      1) Cover is very lackluster, unimaginative, and does not make me want to look inside.

      2) Price is very high for a 61 page book.

      3) The description tells me almost nothing about what the book is actually about. It does not engage me as a reader and make me want to buy it to find out more.

      If you change even 1 of those 3 things, you'll have a chance. Change 2, you'll make a sale. Change all 3, you'll really be on the right track.

      A book isn't just something you can throw up haphazardly (like, say, a micro-niche site back in the day). You have to pay attention to things like cover design, book description, finding the right pricing, etc. They all tie into one another, and if you really want to see sales, you have to address them all.

      Just my $0.02. (I know, you didn't ask, but I couldn't help myself).
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
      Originally Posted by Michael Ten View Post

      I have about 3 books on Kindle and I have never had a sale. I think that I just need to keep trying and persevering.
      Michael,
      Unfortunately, your situation is not unique. There are many authors who write books and think/hope that their sales will take off or all they have to do is make the book free for a few days and then they will start making loads of money.

      The fact is, once you write and publish your book, you need to work hard at promoting yourself and your books. Building an author brand is the difference between a multi millionaire like Amanda Hocking and someone who makes $20 per month from their Amazon books.

      Focus on connecting with your potential readers on a daily basis, blogging, social media, marketing, and building your author brand.
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  • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
    If you have to promote your book hard - then what's the advantage over selling it yourself and making more per unit? If Amazon isn't helping to make sales - Kindle becomes 'sort of' pointless.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      If you have to promote your book hard - then what's the advantage over selling it yourself and making more per unit? If Amazon isn't helping to make sales - Kindle becomes 'sort of' pointless.
      There is only one way to find out if it is pointless or not... split test.

      What I noticed is that Amazon has a great structure to promote your book once it gained traction. So the promotion is as close as set and forget as it can be. You push it a bit, and then it works on its own.
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    • Profile picture of the author cashcow
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      If you have to promote your book hard - then what's the advantage over selling it yourself and making more per unit? If Amazon isn't helping to make sales - Kindle becomes 'sort of' pointless.
      That's actually a good question. Like Sandra says, you would want to test it to see which method makes you more money.

      There is a big advantage to being on Amazon though - once your book starts to make sales, it gets put on the "also bought" lists for other books. This gives it exposure to all the shoppers looking for books in that niche/genre. If you make enough sales, you can get listed at the top of your category, thus giving it even more exposure.

      BUT, you have to do something to get it to make consistent sales before you can benefit from Amazon's promotional machine. That's where the promotion comes in.

      So, if you promote it on your own site, you could, perhaps, charge more for it but you aren't getting the benefit of the bazillions of customers that Amazon might expose your book to. Only testing will tell which benefits you more financially.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      If you have to promote your book hard - then what's the advantage over selling it yourself and making more per unit? If Amazon isn't helping to make sales - Kindle becomes 'sort of' pointless.
      There are many points that gives Amazon the advantage:

      1. Credibility. Everyone knows and trusts Amazon.
      2. Vehicle for delivery. Amazon makes it easy to purchase and consume your ebook, second to none.
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      • Profile picture of the author cashcow
        Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

        There are many points that gives Amazon the advantage:

        1. Credibility. Everyone knows and trusts Amazon.
        2. Vehicle for delivery. Amazon makes it easy to purchase and consume your ebook, second to none.

        And they take care of customer support too.
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  • Profile picture of the author WordpressManiac
    I thought about Kindle for some time now, but I can't decide which niche would be profitable. Any advice? I'm not sure if I could do a fiction book and get sales without being a famous author...

    Thanks for any help :-)

    Phil
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by WordpressManiac View Post

      I thought about Kindle for some time now, but I can't decide which niche would be profitable. Any advice? I'm not sure if I could do a fiction book and get sales without being a famous author...

      Thanks for any help :-)

      Phil
      Picking a niche: Research what's hot and trending on Kindle; compare that with Google keyword tool; compare that with your interests (because you should be interested in what you write, or that will show through in your writing).

      Fiction: Others can answer better than me (and have, in the posts above), but it's entirely doable with: hard work, writing skills, being prolific, and a little bit of luck.

      If you 2 of those 4, it'll be an uphill battle. If you have 3 of those 4, it can work. If you have all 4, you'll be golden.
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    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
      Originally Posted by WordpressManiac View Post

      I'm not sure if I could do a fiction book and get sales without being a famous author...

      Thanks for any help :-)

      Phil

      In fiction - Being a famous author is not necessary... you find your readers and BECOME a *famous author* ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    For a while (back about a year ago), they were sending out warnings to people whose books showed up on pirate sites, but the authors would get the book taken down (from the pirate site) or answer Amazon and tell them it had been pirated and Amazon re-instated the book.

    I haven't heard of this happening in recent times, so I think maybe Amazon has figured out how to tell which sites are pirating the books?

    I don't know of anyone that got their account shut down, but some people did get their books taken off sale temporarily while they straightened everything up out with Amazon (which btw, can be a painfully slow process).

    Anyway, like I said I have not heard of any such thing in recent times, so I don't think you should spend time worrying about it.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

      For a while (back about a year ago), they were sending out warnings to people whose books showed up on pirate sites, but the authors would get the book taken down (from the pirate site) or answer Amazon and tell them it had been pirated and Amazon re-instated the book.

      I haven't heard of this happening in recent times, so I think maybe Amazon has figured out how to tell which sites are pirating the books?

      I don't know of anyone that got their account shut down, but some people did get their books taken off sale temporarily while they straightened everything up out with Amazon (which btw, can be a painfully slow process).

      Anyway, like I said I have not heard of any such thing in recent times, so I don't think you should spend time worrying about it.
      I too have never heard of an account being shut down for this. Sounds like someone's reasoning for not doing any work and putting their books up on Kindle! :rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author Borja Obeso
    Very good thread, thanks for the share. You should write a WSO on how the process goes step by step. I would buy it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
      Originally Posted by Bomx View Post

      Very good thread, thanks for the share. You should write a WSO on how the process goes step by step. I would buy it.
      The Warrior Book Club on this forum has good information to get started. There are also already several Kindle WSOs that go into how to write and publish for Kindle.
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      • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
        Originally Posted by Fun to Write View Post

        The Warrior Book Club on this forum has good information to get started. There are also already several Kindle WSOs that go into how to write and publish for Kindle.
        Would be nice to have a non-paid Kindle section here. There certainly is enough interest.
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        • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
          Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

          Would be nice to have a non-paid Kindle section here. There certainly is enough interest.
          I LOVE this mega thread.

          We're creating it right here
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        • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
          Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

          Would be nice to have a non-paid Kindle section here. There certainly is enough interest.
          I agree. I brought that up in the "Suggestions" sub-forum....it's been pretty quiet though. I understand that someone is making money off the Paid Kindle forum, but, it seems to go against the goals of WarriorForum..
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          • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
            Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

            I agree. I brought that up in the "Suggestions" sub-forum....it's been pretty quiet though. I understand that someone is making money off the Paid Kindle forum, but, it seems to go against the goals of WarriorForum..
            I'm not sure having a public forum for Kindle stuff would hurt the paid section at all. I've checked into joining but it seems their focus is more on nonfiction than fiction.

            There was something in the initial pitch post about having a fiction module in place "soon" but when I asked the operator he responded saying it would be up earlier this year. Maybe it is, I haven't checked.
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            • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
              Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

              I'm not sure having a public forum for Kindle stuff would hurt the paid section at all. I've checked into joining but it seems their focus is more on nonfiction than fiction.

              There was something in the initial pitch post about having a fiction module in place "soon" but when I asked the operator he responded saying it would be up earlier this year. Maybe it is, I haven't checked.
              Yea, exactly! Having free forums for every other topic certainly hasn't hurt WSO sales or other paid options. If anything, I bet it would actually benefit them, because more people would be able to learn about Kindle, become more interested, become more involved, etc. They'd probably see more signups in the end.
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            • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
              Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

              I'm not sure having a public forum for Kindle stuff would hurt the paid section at all. I've checked into joining but it seems their focus is more on nonfiction than fiction.
              At the moment, I agree, the emphasis does seem to be more NF... I am a member and I participate but I do find it frustrating... My primary resources are two FB groups that are tied to fiction WSOs...
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              • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
                Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                At the moment, I agree, the emphasis does seem to be more NF... I am a member and I participate but I do find it frustrating... My primary resources are two FB groups that are tied to fiction WSOs...
                After I made my post I went to check. Someone else asked the same question on Jan. 18. The reply came on the 19th.

                Originally Posted by chuckles View Post

                My questions are:-

                1. When will you be adding the promotion guides for fiction?
                2. Can you confirm the promotion guides are not just "do a kindle free day","build a facebook fanpage","make a youtube video and hope for the best? i.e. it will include strategies that work and not just vague ideas of what might work.
                3. Will you include worked examples showing one of your fiction books and it's success?

                Thanks.
                Originally Posted by Bryan Kumar View Post

                The goal was to add them by the end of this month, but that may not be happening. I don't have a definite date right now.
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                • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                  At the moment, I am getting far more out of the FB groups, each of which have a large and varied Fiction contingent...

                  But it would be nice to have more fiction discussion in the WFBC ;-) Or have a Kindle Sub Forum where it was discussed in greater depth, along with non-fiction,as well.
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                  • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                    Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

                    At the moment, I am getting far more out of the FB groups, each of which have a large and varied Fiction contingent...

                    But it would be nice to have more fiction discussion in the WFBC ;-)
                    What are the FB groups? If you can share...or if they're exclusive...point me in the right direction
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                    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
                      Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

                      What are the FB groups? If you can share...or if they're exclusive...point me in the right direction

                      I believe they are paid upsells to the WSOs, but I don't know for sure.

                      PM me and I'll give you the WSO details... I have pointed a couple of people in that direction in the last couple of months.

                      I am an active poster on both and have an Accountability subgroup for one of them ;-)
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Bomx View Post

      Very good thread, thanks for the share. You should write a WSO on how the process goes step by step. I would buy it.
      I did it, not a wso... a kindle book. Have to walk the walk and not only talk the talk.

      First link in my sig. Released it yesterday.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Bomx View Post

      Very good thread, thanks for the share. You should write a WSO on how the process goes step by step. I would buy it.
      I'm finishing up a guide today, actually. It won't be a WSO, it won't be in the Kindle Member only thread, and it won't be for sale on Amazon.

      It will be free.

      This is the type of information that should be shared. No reason to try and profit off of it.

      I'll update this thread when it's finished!
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  • Profile picture of the author pizzatherapy
    GobBluthJD:

    I applaud you and I thank you. I greatly appreciate your willingness to share knowledge.

    I do not have any issue with anyone making money from their knowledge or insight, about Kindle books, however.

    I recently paid for a membership in the private Kindle Forum here.
    IMHO it is well worth the price of admission. The information contained, for me has been extremely valuable.

    I also purchased Sandra Martinez Kindle Visual Guide. And while I have not gone through all of it yet, it again is a great tool for my Kindle Tool Box.

    I have made money from my Kindle books and I feel re-investing some of it to learn new tricks and tips will only help me to become a better Kindle author.

    Again: I want to sincerely thank you for all you have done GobBluthJD for all Kindle Authors here at the WF.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by pizzatherapy View Post

      GobBluthJD:

      I applaud you and I thank you. I greatly appreciate your willingness to share knowledge.

      I do not have any issue with anyone making money from their knowledge or insight, about Kindle books, however.

      I recently paid for a membership in the private Kindle Forum here.
      IMHO it is well worth the price of admission. The information contained, for me has been extremely valuable.

      I also purchased Sandra Martinez Kindle Visual Guide. And while I have not gone through all of it yet, it again is a great tool for my Kindle Tool Box.

      I have made money from my Kindle books and I feel re-investing some of it to learn new tricks and tips will only help me to become a better Kindle author.

      Again: I want to sincerely thank you for all you have done GobBluthJD for all Kindle Authors here at the WF.
      I'm just trying to share what little knowledge I have! I've picked up a lot of great advice for free on WF throughout the years, so now that I finally had a little bit of success, I wanted to pay it forward and give back a bit.
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  • Profile picture of the author IM Lover
    GobBluthJD I have to agree actually, Kindle is certainly being over looked. I for one am guilty of that myself, I would love to have a go at writing and getting some books out there.

    You mentioned a couple of things I would like to learn about, when you say formatting what exactly does that mean. Lastly, based on the cover design do you have any useful sources I could possibly use.

    Any help or suggestions on that would be awesome.

    Regards
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Real Fast Views View Post

      You mentioned a couple of things I would like to learn about, when you say formatting what exactly does that mean. Lastly, based on the cover design do you have any useful sources I could possibly use.

      Regards
      By formatting, I mean making sure your book looks good when someone reads it on a Kindle. There are a few certain rules you have to follow to make sure that everything appears as it should, but honestly, once you get those down, it's easy to write and format at the same time. I make all my books in Word and just upload the Word doc to KDP and it works fine. But I had to learn the formatting first. One of the main reasons for bad reviews and refunds is the simple fact that the author didn't properly format the book and people can't even read it!

      As for cover design, I make mine myself. Free stock photography sites and GIMP are your friends. If you can't/don't want to do that, then find a good outsourcer. The cover is one thing you absolutely do not want to skimp on. People DO judge a book by its cover, so its important to have a good one!
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  • Profile picture of the author oppyeaunome
    So on average what do you guys think is a reasonable price for non-fiction books on kindle? Do you guys charge by the size of the book or do you charge the same price on every book no matter the size?
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by oppyeaunome View Post

      So on average what do you guys think is a reasonable price for non-fiction books on kindle? Do you guys charge by the size of the book or do you charge the same price on every book no matter the size?
      Depends on length, type of non-fiction (cookbook? how to guide? historical research?), and quality.

      Definitely do not charge the same on every book no matter the size. You gotta keep testing and find that sweet spot where customers buy at a good price.
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      • Profile picture of the author oppyeaunome
        Hey GobBluthJD I sent you a PM hit me up bro! Lol Also where do guys start out do you start from low to high? If so where do you guys start out? 2.99?
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        • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
          Originally Posted by oppyeaunome View Post

          Hey GobBluthJD I sent you a PM hit me up bro! Lol Also where do guys start out do you start from low to high? If so where do you guys start out? 2.99?
          Totally depends on the length, quality, and genre of your book. Mine range from $0.99 to $7.99 (for a collection of stories). Lots of experimenting to find a sweet spot for each book though.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

        Depends on length, type of non-fiction (cookbook? how to guide? historical research?), and quality.

        Definitely do not charge the same on every book no matter the size. You gotta keep testing and find that sweet spot where customers buy at a good price.
        Just to add a note on pricing...

        The goal is not to see what the highest price you can charge is. The goal is to find the price that generates the most money.
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        • Profile picture of the author Subseven
          So I just published my first book. I filled in 2.99 as price, however it still shows 6.04. I can't believe VAT and taxes add this much, is there something I am overlooking?
          It's here: Stepping into social media: Creating a social...Stepping into social media: Creating a social...
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          • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
            Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

            So I just published my first book. I filled in 2.99 as price, however it still shows 6.04. I can't believe VAT and taxes add this much, is there something I am overlooking?
            It's here: Stepping into social media: Creating a social media state of mind with methods, tricks, tips, statistics & marketing principles: Andrew Mcentire: Amazon.com: Kindle Store
            It shows up as $2.99 when I clicked on it! I think it'll be okay. Good job for taking action!
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          • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
            Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

            So I just published my first book. I filled in 2.99 as price, however it still shows 6.04. I can't believe VAT and taxes add this much, is there something I am overlooking?
            It's here: Stepping into social media: Creating a social media state of mind with methods, tricks, tips, statistics & marketing principles: Andrew Mcentire: Amazon.com: Kindle Store
            Congrats!!!! I´m so happy for you!

            Now...
            I just had a look at the Look inside.

            You are using a structure for the book different from the traditional one, was it on purpose?

            Just in case it was not exactly a choice, in the traditional structure you have:

            First page: will have the image that Amazon pastes, nothing to do here.
            Second page, title and author in big fonts (you might leave this one out).
            Third page, copyright and disclaimer.
            Forth page, dedication (you might leave this one out).
            Fifth page, Table of contents.
            Sixth page, starts the book.
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            • Profile picture of the author Subseven
              Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

              Congrats!!!! I´m so happy for you!

              Now...
              I just had a look at the Look inside.

              You are using a structure for the book different from the traditional one, was it on purpose?

              Just in case it was not exactly a choice, in the traditional structure you have:

              First page: will have the image that Amazon pastes, nothing to do here.
              Second page, title and author in big fonts (you might leave this one out).
              Third page, copyright and disclaimer.
              Forth page, dedication (you might leave this one out).
              Fifth page, Table of contents.
              Sixth page, starts the book.
              Thanks, your guide helped me a bunch!
              Hmm, felt like including the Introduction for the "sample", and thought the copyright was already settled by Amazon when you enter the book.
              I don't know, it's kind of on purpose since I just want to cut out any of the info that is not crucial from my point of view, but I might change it for the next one if I get feedback that people want to see a traditional structure or if it's more convenient to have it that way.

              Guess I messed something up. I entered the settings screen and it changed the status back to draft. Now I changed the price to qualify for 70% royalty in Brazil and it's set to "in review" again. hmmm....
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  • Profile picture of the author Subseven
    Might be because I'm located in the Netherlands. Yeah, I'm curious as to how it will go, hopefully people find it useful. I planned in 1 day for KDP select tomorrow, planning on promoting it on my site itself as it might serve useful for musicians. Do you suggest on using just 1 day at a time or all at once?

    I can't believe you would be able to publish a book a day though, that'd be crazy. I might look to outsource the writing, but I'm not entirely sure where to start... Let's just see how this goes. Thanks for all the great info, hopefully I delivered something which is of value to people...
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  • Profile picture of the author jchengery
    Hello GobBluthJD,

    Great job with your Kindle success - keep it up!

    I just started on it myself (see the sig link). I'm finding it enjoyable to see more sales come in (though I still have to get more reviews - have 1 so far, though it was a 5-star review).

    I'm not sure why - I've kept revising the book, but Amazon won't accept it into KDP Select. I don't know if it's the subject matter (Wheat Belly - I know Dr. Davis, the one who coined the phrase to my knowledge with his book - his books aren't in KDP Select, nor are some other Wheat Belly books by other authors, though a few are. Amazon says that the information is not exclusive or is in the public domain. Of course, I didn't copy or rewrite Davis' book or any other book, just extrapolating on some points, adding some ideas and a 7-day meal plan, etc.).

    Therefore, I've had to do some of my own marketing- it's been a little slow to start, but it's starting to work. I'm currently #6 for "Wheat Belly" (had been #9) and #2 for "Whole Grain" and "Whole Grains" (was #1 briefly). I have more marketing planned, but certainly, I plan on writing (and outsourcing) many more publications for Kindle in the coming weeks and months. I certainly am enjoying it.

    If I can't get into KDP Select, I could also promote on Apple's iBookStore and B&N's NookPress right away, so there's always a positive.

    I agree, too, that a good cover is essential, being that it's the first thing most prospects will see- fortunately, they don't have to cost that much (even some good ones on Fiverr - I think my cover is solid, and it was done on Fiverr). I also plan on creating my own covers as well, as I have some software and templates to do that.

    Again, congrats on your success and for the advice- greatly appreciated! Good luck in the future!

    TinkBD - thank you also for that link - I wasn't aware of it either, but it definitely looks like good info!

    Take care,

    Joe Chengery
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  • Profile picture of the author thedanbrown
    Kindle is the shiznit
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  • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
    Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

    Good job. You can post your free day to some FB groups for a little extra press!
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

    I'm impressed. Excellent intro. I'm not really your market and I'm curious as to what the rest might be like. I downloaded the book. I'm not promising a review as I have about a dozen others in front of yours. But if you've kept the magic flowing that I found in the "Look Inside" section I might just stop what I'm doing and write one up. Congratulations on a nice piece of work!
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    • Profile picture of the author Subseven
      Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

      I'm impressed. Excellent intro. I'm not really your market and I'm curious as to what the rest might be like. I downloaded the book. I'm not promising a review as I have about a dozen others in front of yours. But if you've kept the magic flowing that I found in the "Look Inside" section I might just stop what I'm doing and write one up. Congratulations on a nice piece of work!
      Thanks so much for the first peice of detailed feedback I've gotten, I really appreciate it. In the rest of the book, the info is also based on my personal experience. It also contains quite a bit of facts that are just plain interesting even if it's not your cup of tea, and some basic marketing insights that I use in my work. Well, see if you find some time, and if you do find time to do a review I'd be very grateful!

      Gob, you're right. However, it gets harder and harder to choose subjcts, doesn't it? I mean, this one was pretty obvious as I spend a lot of time on social media, but I only have about 3 more subjects before I get to the point where I am really not confident or knowledgeable enough. Do you only outsource at this point?
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  • Profile picture of the author Subseven
    Can't let this very useful thread die!
    In what way does everyone here use the free days. 5 in a row, or spread out? I have used 1 free day, got good feedback on Reddit / FB and about 200 downloads, but I'm not on any ranked list today since it's paid again. Is this normal or should I change my strategy?
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

      Can't let this very useful thread die!
      In what way does everyone here use the free days. 5 in a row, or spread out? I have used 1 free day, got good feedback on Reddit / FB and about 200 downloads, but I'm not on any ranked list today since it's paid again. Is this normal or should I change my strategy?
      Do some experimenting, find out what works for you. I used to try a day or two here, then paid, then a few more free days. Now I tend to do all 5 free days at once. It shoots you up the charts and you stay there longer. I've found I've gotten a lot more free downloads, and then stay up in the charts for sales after that.

      But again, might not work for everyone. Depends on your niche, content, etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

      Can't let this very useful thread die!
      In what way does everyone here use the free days. 5 in a row, or spread out? I have used 1 free day, got good feedback on Reddit / FB and about 200 downloads, but I'm not on any ranked list today since it's paid again. Is this normal or should I change my strategy?
      Most of the advice I've seen says that one-day promos are a waste for most. One two-day and one three-day promo per 90 days seems to be the rule of thumb.

      That said, you need to find what works for you.

      One combo that's crossed my mind, although I haven't tested it yet, is to schedule a one-day promo and email your list and anyone in your network that might be interested. Stress that you want honest reviews, star ratings, shares if worthy. Basically, ask for a favor.

      Once you have a few reviews/likes/ratings, schedule a two-day promo and announce it anywhere that will let you. There are a lot of lists of such sites - find one and use it.

      A few weeks later, schedule your other two-day promo and send news releases, do the announcement thing, and whatever social media you do.

      > If anyone has comments or suggestions on this plan, bring 'em on...

      [Subseven, I grabbed a copy of your book. I'm just getting into it, but what I've seen so far, I'm impressed with. Good job.]
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      • Profile picture of the author Subseven
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        Most of the advice I've seen says that one-day promos are a waste for most. One two-day and one three-day promo per 90 days seems to be the rule of thumb.

        That said, you need to find what works for you.

        One combo that's crossed my mind, although I haven't tested it yet, is to schedule a one-day promo and email your list and anyone in your network that might be interested. Stress that you want honest reviews, star ratings, shares if worthy. Basically, ask for a favor.

        Once you have a few reviews/likes/ratings, schedule a two-day promo and announce it anywhere that will let you. There are a lot of lists of such sites - find one and use it.

        A few weeks later, schedule your other two-day promo and send news releases, do the announcement thing, and whatever social media you do.

        > If anyone has comments or suggestions on this plan, bring 'em on...

        [Subseven, I grabbed a copy of your book. I'm just getting into it, but what I've seen so far, I'm impressed with. Good job.]
        Yeah, that was my plan at first. I've gotten feedback, but for some reason people seem to not like leaving reviews on the site. I got around 220 downloads yesterday after promoting and getting good feedback on twitter / facebook / reddit.. to be honest I think most of those downloads come from my promotion rather than the Amazon promotion, so I'm not to certain yet as to how effective it was. I'll schedule in another 2 day promo next week if I don't seem to get results and see how it affects my rankings.

        Thanks for the feedback by the way, that's good to hear. With what I mentioned above, it would be very appreciated if you could leave a review after you're done with it. Thanks once again. :-)

        TinkBD, I think if I am having good organic sales I won't use the free days as it is not needed and will just get me downloads which I could've normally gotten money for. Thanks for the heads up, though!
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    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
      Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

      Can't let this very useful thread die!
      In what way does everyone here use the free days. 5 in a row, or spread out? I have used 1 free day, got good feedback on Reddit / FB and about 200 downloads, but I'm not on any ranked list today since it's paid again. Is this normal or should I change my strategy?
      Be aware - I have been hearing that if you are having good, organic sales, putting your book for free can tank your sales and rankings because the algos read those days as -- days without sales...

      I have not tried this so I can't report personally, but it needs to be considered.
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      • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
        Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

        Be aware - I have been hearing that if you are having good, organic sales, putting your book for free can tank your sales and rankings because the algos read those days as -- days without sales...

        I have not tried this so I can't report personally, but it needs to be considered.
        It's true. I was picking up momentum with one title and then had five days of free promo and it took more than a week just to get back where I was before the promo period. I won't make that mistake again.
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        • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
          Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

          It's true. I was picking up momentum with one title and then had five days of free promo and it took more than a week just to get back where I was before the promo period. I won't make that mistake again.
          Wow, first I've heard of this. I've found that doing a 5-day Free blast in a row right when I release a book is a great way to drum up downloads, shares, reviews, and word of mouth.

          Guess it just proves the maxim that one thing does not work for everybody!
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          • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
            Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

            Wow, first I've heard of this. I've found that doing a 5-day Free blast in a row right when I release a book is a great way to drum up downloads, shares, reviews, and word of mouth.

            Guess it just proves the maxim that one thing does not work for everybody!
            We're not talking about the release. I had a book that was selling a couple of copies a day from like, the second day it was up. That went on for a month until I did the free promo. When it came off the promo I expected to see a lot of sales but it did nothing for more than a week. No sales at all. And when it started up again it followed a pattern similar to that of the initial publication. Actually, it took off slower the second time. One for a few days, one and a half, two, two and a half a day, etc.

            If you've got a virgin title, no sales and no interest right out of the chute, I agree. Go all the way with five days free.
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            • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
              Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

              We're not talking about the release. I had a book that was selling a couple of copies a day from like, the second day it was up. That went on for a month until I did the free promo. When it came off the promo I expected to see a lot of sales but it did nothing for more than a week. No sales at all. And when it started up again it followed a pattern similar to that of the initial publication. Actually, it took off slower the second time. One for a few days, one and a half, two, two and a half a day, etc.

              If you've got a virgin title, no sales and no interest right out of the chute, I agree. Go all the way with five days free.
              Yes... this is what I was talking about... if the title has been up a while and is gaining traction -- with or without previous free runs... don't get greedy. Be aware that you run a risk of tanking it... ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
    I've heard you can hope for one review from every 100+ sales/freebies. I'd say anywhere from 100-200 is more accurate. But just keep at it, keep promoting, and once you get a review or two, they start to snowball and grow and grow.
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  • Profile picture of the author vtotheyouknow
    Subseven, maybe ask for reviews in your description and in your actual book?

    I don't know how much I can attribute the reviews I've received to my calls to action, but reminding people to leaves reviews HAS to be more effective than just expecting them to do so.

    My feeling is that if you don't remind people to leave a review, they won't. Just like if you don't remind people to "buy now" they won't. A call to action is a big deal in IM for a reason..
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    • Profile picture of the author Subseven
      Originally Posted by vtotheyouknow View Post

      Subseven, maybe ask for reviews in your description and in your actual book?

      I don't know how much I can attribute the reviews I've received to my calls to action, but reminding people to leaves reviews HAS to be more effective than just expecting them to do so.

      My feeling is that if you don't remind people to leave a review, they won't. Just like if you don't remind people to "buy now" they won't. A call to action is a big deal in IM for a reason..
      I did ask for reviews where I promoted the book myself, but indeed not in the book or description. I added it to the description now, might add it in the book once I go for more free days. Not seeming to get much sales now it's not free, I'll throw in more free days as I am currently not even ranked.

      Thanks for the tip on CreateSpace. My book is a bit too short, might be able to add a few pages to comply with the minimum.
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  • Profile picture of the author vtotheyouknow
    And also, I'd say make a paperback copy of your book on createspace. I've heard people saying don't do it unless your book is 100+ pages because it will look flimsy, but if you clearly state the page count at the beginning of your description, you won't violate expectations.

    Plus, you can charge more for your paperback and earn a larger royalty. My paperback version earns 2x the commission of the kindle version and despite my book being only 40 pages, people still order it, which warms my cockles to think somebody has a physical copy of my book in their homes. Don't you all want warm cockles?
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    • Profile picture of the author WikiWarrior
      Originally Posted by vtotheyouknow View Post

      And also, I'd say make a paperback copy of your book on createspace. I've heard people saying don't do it unless your book is 100+ pages because it will look flimsy, but if you clearly state the page count at the beginning of your description, you won't violate expectations.

      Plus, you can charge more for your paperback and earn a larger royalty. My paperback version earns 2x the commission of the kindle version and despite my book being only 40 pages, people still order it, which warms my cockles to think somebody has a physical copy of my book in their homes. Don't you all want warm cockles?
      I agree, having a paperback version makes a lot of sense for long books or say a collection of short stories. For example, I bought a paperback last month for £6.99 that I could have downloaded on Kindle for £1.49. I don't have a Kindle and although I do have the desktop app I wanted the book for some light bed-time reading so I happily spent the money for the convenience factor.
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      • Profile picture of the author edlewis
        Yep...too many people forget about CreateSpace. You may not sell as many copies...but sometimes the profit margin on each sale is 2 or 3 times higher than it is on Kindle.

        It also makes your book look more LEGIT.

        And it may give you more exposure in the search results...

        Plus, some people don't have a Kindle...or just prefer a real PAPER version.

        Don't forget that some people buy books for the simple reason of putting them on their BOOKSHELF to "show off"....you can't show off how many Kindle ebooks you have.
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  • Profile picture of the author SimonR
    Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

    It's the most successful way I've found to make money online. Yes, it has a lot of drawbacks (which I'll mention in a minute), but holy s*** do the rewards ever make up for them! I only seriously started attempting to make money with Kindle ~3 months ago. I wrote, prepped, and released a book a week, until I figured out a better outsourcing system. I now have 20 books up and am averaging a new book every 2 to 3 days. My latest book was just released last week and, well, since then it's sold 500+ copies. I know, I still can't believe it when I look at the reports, but it's not going away. At even $2/book profit, that's not too shabby.

    Okay, this isn't to say that this is easy or there aren't cons. There are. Lots of them. Which is why, I imagine, there's not a lot of Kindle talk around this forum.

    Con #1: It's a LOT of work. Even if you're outsourcing. I started by doing it all myself: research, writing, formatting, cover design, uploading, marketing. Everything. It's a huge time investment, and I suspect this is the step that scares most people off.

    Con #2: It's NOT instantaneous. We're always looking for quick money in the IM world. Kindle is not that. It takes time and effort to build up an audience, to learn how to outsource correctly, to streamline the process for efficiency. It's worth it, but it does take a great deal of time.

    Con #3: Kindle is not PLR friendly, is not article spinning friendly, is not black hat friendly, etc, etc. This probably also scares a lot of people off. Mess with Kindle, and it will blacklist you. But even playing by the rules has gotten me much more than black hat stuff ever did.

    Okay, it's not all doom and gloom. Let's see some pros.

    Pro #1: Once you've uploaded a book, it's (nearly) set, forget, and earn. My very first book took me a long time to research, write, format, etc. It was a pain. But you know what? Since I uploaded it 2 months ago, I have done zero marketing, zero promotion, and have spent zero effort on it. Guess what: it's still averaging about 10 sales per day. That's with zero work on my part. IMO, that's well worth the initial effort. A few days pain for recurring money daily - I'll take that any day.

    Pro #2: Tied in with Pro #1 is the fact that, if you sign up for KDP Select, you hardly have to do any marketing (unless you want, of course). I have a series of books in a non-fiction, educational sort of niche. I have done zero marketing on them. No blogs, no twitter, no fb, nada. All 4 books are in the Top 10 in their Kindle category. If you create a quality book, Amazon will market it for you. It will start showing up in people's feeds, in "people who bought X, also bought Y", and all that type of stuff. It's beautiful. Set and forget.

    Pro #3: Once you get a system down, you can easily produce a book a day. Even if you only make one sale a day, that's $2. You have 10 books? That's $20 a day. You have 50 book? Hello, $100 per day. The possibilities are endless. Literally.

    Okay, okay, enough of the rant. Just wanted to share what (I think) is an under-looked market on this forum. Yes, it's not black hat. Yes, it's not quick and easy money. But it's sustainable and, if done right, really profitable.

    My tips:

    Do your research (I'll post more on this later, if wanted)
    Produce (or outsource) quality content.
    Enroll in KDP.
    Set a goal of 1 book per month, per week, or per day even (if the quality doesn't suffer).
    Use the same pen name for similar books, to build up an audience and make each book easier to find.
    Put links to your books at the end of all of your other books, to make them easier to find.
    Sit back and enjoy.
    Rinse, Lather, Repeat
    wow thank you! great read ! its something ill definitly take look at it in a near future
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  • Profile picture of the author BettyM
    Loved this thread. I have a neighbor who was a first time fiction writer. I helped him with his book cover plus gave him keyword and formatting info.

    He was a top seller in his category. Totally unknown author before.

    He did a lot of self promotion on facebook. Asked his friends to buy the book and review it. Kept on encouraging people to read and review. He has 40+ reviews. 95% of his reviews are 5 and 4 stars which helped his sales.

    Plus he did a lot of radio interviews. Not sure what he makes on his book but it is cool to know a "best selling" Kindle author.
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    • Profile picture of the author ParkerArrow
      When I was starting out as an aspiring writer, authors like Stephen King were going Godzilla and eating all the midlist assets for their gargantuan advances. This was just prior to the Web. Publishing was becoming a proverbial "walled garden." Would-be writers had slim hope for any kind of sustainable returns after the publishing houses took their lions' shares. Bestselling authors were not even making a living at writing!

      Now, even though there is no longer a bookstore in my local mall, I think people are reading more than ever.

      Great thread!
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
      Originally Posted by BettyM View Post

      Loved this thread. I have a neighbor who was a first time fiction writer. I helped him with his book cover plus gave him keyword and formatting info.

      He was a top seller in his category. Totally unknown author before.

      He did a lot of self promotion on facebook. Asked his friends to buy the book and review it. Kept on encouraging people to read and review. He has 40+ reviews. 95% of his reviews are 5 and 4 stars which helped his sales.

      Plus he did a lot of radio interviews. Not sure what he makes on his book but it is cool to know a "best selling" Kindle author.
      See, that is awesome. He didn't just publish a book on Amazon and hope for reviews or sales, he went out and worked and hustled for it by doing interviews, promoting on social media, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dina293
    Thank you for sharing.Your information is incredible thanks again

    Regards,
    Dina
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  • Profile picture of the author greenowl123
    Sorry if this has already been asked (I did not read every post in the thread) but have you tried Smashwords ? And if so, what is your experience with it ?

    Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author vtotheyouknow
    Amazon gives you an amazing, easy to use platform that will sell your books FOR you in VOLUME. That's the trade off. And as John said, it stings the ego to sell your hard work for less than what you think it's worth but if you make more revenue, then you're actually getting as much as it IS worth.
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    • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
      Originally Posted by vtotheyouknow View Post

      Amazon gives you an amazing, easy to use platform that will sell your books FOR you in VOLUME. That's the trade off. And as John said, it stings the ego to sell your hard work for less than what you think it's worth but if you make more revenue, then you're actually getting as much as it IS worth.
      Exactly. Well said!
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    • Profile picture of the author Subseven
      Originally Posted by vtotheyouknow View Post

      Amazon gives you an amazing, easy to use platform that will sell your books FOR you in VOLUME. That's the trade off. And as John said, it stings the ego to sell your hard work for less than what you think it's worth but if you make more revenue, then you're actually getting as much as it IS worth.
      Those were exactly my thoughts.
      I just sold my first few units, and while it may not be much, it's a good start for me. I still decided to use up the free days in the next 4 days in order to see what it does for my ranking. Maybe I wouldn't have planned in the free days after I saw I made my first few sales seeing that put me in the ranking, I'm still curious as to see how it turns out. Time to start my next book and let the free days do their work.
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    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
      Originally Posted by vtotheyouknow View Post

      Amazon gives you an amazing, easy to use platform that will sell your books FOR you in VOLUME. That's the trade off. And as John said, it stings the ego to sell your hard work for less than what you think it's worth but if you make more revenue, then you're actually getting as much as it IS worth.
      I totally agree... and for fiction - which can be far more evergreen than non-fiction, the pricing is pretty close with the rewards FAR greater than going with a traditional publisher...

      Here is an example ;-)

      Sharing Royalty Info: One Book From My Back List Still In Publisher's Control

      We are living in wonderful times. If you can write, now is the time to buckle down.

      And <wink, wink> it is my contention that it is easier to make the transition from non-fiction to fiction...
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      • Profile picture of the author Subseven
        Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

        I totally agree... and for fiction - which can be far more evergreen than non-fiction, the pricing is pretty close with the rewards FAR greater than going with a traditional publisher...

        Here is an example ;-)

        Sharing Royalty Info: One Book From My Back List Still In Publisher's Control

        We are living in wonderful times. If you can write, now is the time to buckle down.

        And <wink, wink> it is my contention that it is easier to make the transition from non-fiction to fiction...
        Haha, I spent a lot of time last night in bed thinking about whether I could write fiction. I came to the conclusion, however, that I think the fact that I am Dutch and English is my second language will make it hard to describe things in a way that will keep the reader entertained. I'm also not sure about my creative spirits. I might just give it a shot some time, though.
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        • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
          Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

          Haha, I spent a lot of time last night in bed thinking about whether I could write fiction. I came to the conclusion, however, that I think the fact that I am Dutch and English is my second language will make it hard to describe things in a way that will keep the reader entertained. I'm also not sure about my creative spirits. I might just give it a shot some time, though.
          I know of a fair number of Warriors tackling fiction who hire someone to do the final look over/edit... You could always handle it that way ;-)
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          • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
            Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

            Haha, I spent a lot of time last night in bed thinking about whether I could write fiction. I came to the conclusion, however, that I think the fact that I am Dutch and English is my second language will make it hard to describe things in a way that will keep the reader entertained. I'm also not sure about my creative spirits. I might just give it a shot some time, though.
            Give it a shot. Even if you start out concentrating on non-fiction, just the exercise of trying to write fiction - characters, plots, scenes and descriptions - will make you a better non-fiction writer.

            The fact that you're Dutch and have English as a second language should not deter you. Just pick your stories so that is a strength. For example, how about a detective series featuring an ex-pat Dutchman as the hero?

            Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

            I know of a fair number of Warriors tackling fiction who hire someone to do the final look over/edit... You could always handle it that way ;-)
            Stephen King, Tom Clancy and JK Rowling all had editors...
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        • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
          Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

          Haha, I spent a lot of time last night in bed thinking about whether I could write fiction. I came to the conclusion, however, that I think the fact that I am Dutch and English is my second language will make it hard to describe things in a way that will keep the reader entertained. I'm also not sure about my creative spirits. I might just give it a shot some time, though.
          Tell me about it... English is my second language as well. And there is still a third one... I keep mixing expressions from one language to the other and prepositions kill me!

          yet

          even when people do notice there is something a bit off... it is going pretty well...

          Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The Pearl (Elearah Chronicles, Book 1)

          The book is under a second edition process right now, here is my editor:

          Rogena*Mitchell-Jones Manuscript Service - Rogena Mitchell-Jones | Manuscript Service

          She is very cool.
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
          Originally Posted by Subseven View Post

          Haha, I spent a lot of time last night in bed thinking about whether I could write fiction. I came to the conclusion, however, that I think the fact that I am Dutch and English is my second language will make it hard to describe things in a way that will keep the reader entertained. I'm also not sure about my creative spirits. I might just give it a shot some time, though.
          You should give it a shot for sure. Fiction outsells Non Fiction by a country mile so there is so much opportunity.

          Of course, you have to market and promote, any major making money won't happen automagically, but that's true with everything else anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author FostinWD
    I love this post. I plan on diving into kindle, but I'm kind of curious about the outsourcing part of it. I have zero time to research. What's the best way to outsource book creation?
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
      Originally Posted by FostinWD View Post

      I love this post. I plan on diving into kindle, but I'm kind of curious about the outsourcing part of it. I have zero time to research. What's the best way to outsource book creation?

      Find a great writer, test them, sign them to a contract, and be prepared to spend at least $500+ for a quality book. Stay far away from crappy places like Fiverr as well.

      Make sure that the writer guarantees that they are giving you 100% original and unique content and that you will be the ONLY one they give it too. Many people get screwed because after the first sale, the "writer" sells the exact same book to other unsuspecting authors.

      Check reviews, feedback, etc, and expect to pay for quality.
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  • Profile picture of the author oppyeaunome
    I have a question can you use peoples names in your non fiction kindle books e.g I want to talk about tony robbins or tim ferriss maybe bill gates but nothing negative about them though its merely to use them as examples. I am wondering is it legal to do that or do I have to seek permission?
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by FostinWD View Post

      I love this post. I plan on diving into kindle, but I'm kind of curious about the outsourcing part of it. I have zero time to research. What's the best way to outsource book creation?
      There are two approaches. First, as has already been mentioned, you can hire a ghostwriter to create a 'work for hire'. Second, you can outsource the actual research to someone else and do the actual writing yourself.

      Originally Posted by oppyeaunome View Post

      I have a question can you use peoples names in your non fiction kindle books e.g I want to talk about tony robbins or tim ferriss maybe bill gates but nothing negative about them though its merely to use them as examples. I am wondering is it legal to do that or do I have to seek permission?
      Since people like the ones you mentioned are public figures, you can use them as examples. I try to stick to information that's already public.

      As a wild example, contrast using Gates or Jobs as examples of garage entrepreneurs who got rich vs. the hackers who posted various public figures' and celebrities' personal financial info.
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      • Profile picture of the author BillyPilgrim
        "Stay far away from crappy places like Fiverr as well"

        Nonsense! I pay my Fiverr ghostwriter $70 for 15000 words (fiction) and she makes me money.
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        • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
          Originally Posted by BillyPilgrim View Post

          "Stay far away from crappy places like Fiverr as well"

          Nonsense! I pay my Fiverr ghostwriter $70 for 15000 words (fiction) and she makes me money.
          Prepare for everyone here asking you: What's her name!???!

          But really, you found a diamond in the rough, I'd say! Keep it tight.
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          • Profile picture of the author BillyPilgrim
            I've already told some folks here. And she has enough work now. I'll give her name out in my first WSO .
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            • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
              Originally Posted by BillyPilgrim View Post

              I've already told some folks here. And she has enough work now. I'll give her name out in my first WSO .
              Haha okay, great, will be looking forward to that
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
          Originally Posted by BillyPilgrim View Post

          "Stay far away from crappy places like Fiverr as well"

          Nonsense! I pay my Fiverr ghostwriter $70 for 15000 words (fiction) and she makes me money.
          Will she sell you a Lamborghini for $1,000 too?
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          • Profile picture of the author Maecenas23
            Originally Posted by BillyPilgrim View Post

            "Stay far away from crappy places like Fiverr as well"

            Nonsense! I pay my Fiverr ghostwriter $70 for 15000 words (fiction) and she makes me money.

            Not for Kindle projects ( because I've recently started them and need some accommodation) but for my Amazon projects I have content writers who are writing very good content for 3$/450-500 words. My earnings from Amazon ( 3000$+/month) are a good proof for the quality of their work.

            Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

            Will she sell you a Lamborghini for $1,000 too?
            You should stop being arrogant for no reason. If someone wants to buy a cover for $70 or for $200 or get a content writer for 20$/1000 words it's their problem, but with some time and research you can find very decent prices for any of the 2.
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          • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
            Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

            Will she sell you a Lamborghini for $1,000 too?
            Does Amazon have any country limitation to access kindle? The only way I see someone working for those numbers are a combination of cheap living and not access to kindle himself.
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            • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
              Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

              Does Amazon have any country limitation to access kindle? The only way I see someone working for those numbers are a combination of cheap living and not access to kindle himself.
              Not sure about that Sandra, good question though. I do know of people who will work for that but their work is always very low quality and many times, they "sell" it to many sources while telling each source it's only for them.
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              • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

                Not sure about that Sandra, good question though. I do know of people who will work for that but their work is always very low quality and many times, they "sell" it to many sources while telling each source it's only for them.
                Very true. The maxim "You get what you pay for" seems to ring extra true in the world of outsourcing.
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                • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
                  Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

                  Very true. The maxim "You get what you pay for" seems to ring extra true in the world of outsourcing.
                  Not always. I have worked for peanuts in projects I never did before, just for the fun of the learning experience. Of course... no recurring business there, as soon as I knew the market value and compared qualities, it was over.
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            • Profile picture of the author MovingAround
              Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

              Does Amazon have any country limitation to access kindle? The only way I see someone working for those numbers are a combination of cheap living and not access to kindle himself.
              Internet has broken international barriers; nowadays you can outsource work for 1/5 or even 1/10 of what it'd cost in the US or Europe. This is why you get people from South East Asia (and India) doing real proper work for peanuts. What's more is that the competition is fierce, a guy in Malaysia or the Philippines can live very well of with $1000 month, which means that these guys will fight hard for an extra $; as more people in this region of the world get access to the internet, more of them will spring out. I see this every day online, it's crazy (as in crazy good).

              As an aside, I think it is wrong and unethical to outsource a book to someone so you sell it pretending it's yours. Books are supposed to be personal, to be attached to you: you are communicating a message with a solution, so you need to bind to the reader, which can only be done by YOU writing the damn book. I've written 2 books (almost 400 pages each on Kindle) and I put my life in it. The result? The books become bestsellers and people thank me for engaging them and they truly trust me (these are eople I can tell them to buy X or Y and they'll buy it).

              Outsourcing to someone else to get a cheap book that it's not yours and then pretend (ie. deceive) it's yours to your audience who supposedly trust you? Those of you who outsource "books" should for one day pretend to "write" a book; you'll see how much dedication it takes. Gee, it's so fake and scammy; I'd never buy a book from someone who does that; in fact, I'd never trust someone who does that.

              Sorry, rant over :rolleyes: (Sara this is not related to you, I just happened to quote that bit of yours )
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              • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
                Originally Posted by MovingAround View Post

                Internet has broken international barriers; nowadays you can outsource work for 1/5 or even 1/10 of what it'd cost in the US or Europe. This is why you get people from South East Asia (and India) doing real proper work for peanuts. What's more is that the competition is fierce, a guy in Malaysia or the Philippines can live very well of with $1000 month, which means that these guys will fight hard for an extra $; as more people in this region of the world get access to the internet, more of them will spring out. I see this every day online, it's crazy (as in crazy good).

                As an aside, I think it is wrong and unethical to outsource a book to someone so you sell it pretending it's yours. Books are supposed to be personal, to be attached to you: you are communicating a message with a solution, so you need to bind to the reader, which can only be done by YOU writing the damn book. I've written 2 books (almost 400 pages each on Kindle) and I put my life in it. The result? The books become bestsellers and people thank me for engaging them and they truly trust me (these are eople I can tell them to buy X or Y and they'll buy it).

                Outsourcing to someone else to get a cheap book that it's not yours and then pretend (ie. deceive) it's yours to your audience who supposedly trust you? Those of you who outsource "books" should for one day pretend to "write" a book; you'll see how much dedication it takes. Gee, it's so fake and scammy; I'd never buy a book from someone who does that; in fact, I'd never trust someone who does that.

                Sorry, rant over :rolleyes: (Sara this is not related to you, I just happened to quote that bit of yours )
                I don't outsource books. I write them myself. But I'm not against people who do. And it's not fake or scammy. Do you think celebrities write their own books? I suppose a few do but I'd guess the majority hire ghostwriters.

                Having someone write something for you is a business arrangement. Nothing more or less. If the actual writer grants you an unlimited license to do whatever you want with the material I see nothing wrong with calling it your own.

                I do understand such a deal would be outside the morals or ethics of some. And to them I say, more power to you.
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              • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
                Originally Posted by MovingAround View Post

                Outsourcing to someone else to get a cheap book that it's not yours and then pretend (ie. deceive) it's yours to your audience who supposedly trust you? Those of you who outsource "books" should for one day pretend to "write" a book; you'll see how much dedication it takes. Gee, it's so fake and scammy; I'd never buy a book from someone who does that; in fact, I'd never trust someone who does that.

                Sorry, rant over :rolleyes: (Sara this is not related to you, I just happened to quote that bit of yours )
                No worries, I have no idea who Sara is.

                About the outsourcing... it is a matter of finding the angle, pen names come handy in this case. Those who outsource are usually not in it for the glory, but for the money. A second option is the combination between pen names and creating a publishing company.

                When it is a win-win situation, I don´t see any problem with it. I worked as a ghost writer for a long time, mostly developing membership websites´ material or clouds. and I´m not exactly slave material... you can ask those who tried to play smart with me (I can curse in five languages).

                Now, when I started doing books that ended in kindle... that was the end of it.

                I still take jobs here and there, but choose only fun ones, and no more books. Some heavy research articles and translations.
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                • Profile picture of the author oppyeaunome
                  Ok so I have a quick question. Do you guys think I should build a blog and then building a following so that when I launch my kindle book I'll have more sales. Or should I just launch my kindle book from the get go?

                  Thanks

                  Opp
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                  • Profile picture of the author amakar
                    Originally Posted by oppyeaunome View Post

                    Do you guys think I should build a blog and then building a following so that when I launch my kindle book I'll have more sales. Or should I just launch my kindle book from the get go?
                    If you're going to add free bonuses, an email subscription opt-in or want to offer additional products, I'd build a blog to support your book. If you have an authority site, it will be easier to launch your book to your readers.

                    With a blog, you can integrate it into your Author Central page as well.

                    You can still successfully launch a book without a supporting site, but I'd build one as part of your long term marketing strategy.

                    Andy
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                  • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
                    Originally Posted by oppyeaunome View Post

                    Ok so I have a quick question. Do you guys think I should build a blog and then building a following so that when I launch my kindle book I'll have more sales. Or should I just launch my kindle book from the get go?

                    Thanks

                    Opp
                    From my books, the one with more sales already had structure in place, and there are people asking me for the second one.

                    For the other two I built the structure after publishing the books, and I am starting to build a list. They are moving slowly, but they are moving.

                    The "problem" is that they are all in different niches so far, no series.
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                    • Profile picture of the author MovingAround
                      Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

                      I don't outsource books. I write them myself. But I'm not against people who do. And it's not fake or scammy. Do you think celebrities write their own books? I suppose a few do but I'd guess the majority hire ghostwriters.

                      Having someone write something for you is a business arrangement. Nothing more or less. If the actual writer grants you an unlimited license to do whatever you want with the material I see nothing wrong with calling it your own.

                      I do understand such a deal would be outside the morals or ethics of some. And to them I say, more power to you.
                      Absolutely, I was expressing my opinion. Just because celebrities have their books ghostwritten it don't mean it's OK. It's a business, of course, it is; what I was saying is that I find it unethical to put your name in something you haven't written, especially when the book carries your name as a brand.

                      Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

                      If the actual writer grants you an unlimited license to do whatever you want with the material I see nothing wrong with calling it your own.
                      Well, that's where we differ in opinion. I see it as wrong and unethical, but that's because I don't take my followers for granted and I actually believe in trust between them and I. I would never put my name in a book that someone else wrote because that's lying to the people who trust me. My books are selling like candy because people know my name and they trust it, thus the money comes as a consequence of putting effort into the work and being transparent; of course, I'm not in IM or MMO, so I don't have the whole "get rich quick and then leave" mindset that populates these aforementioned niches.

                      If you don't follow my line of thinking where trust and transparency is key, then more power to you and your audience, but that's my opinion and I wanted to voice it.

                      Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

                      No worries, I have no idea who Sara is.
                      Apologies. I sincerely thought it was Sara as I'm sort of new and I had seen your name before but recalled it as Sara!


                      EDIT: I went through my post again and I realize it may come across as somewhat rude or negative towards some of the people here who do use this method of outsourcing. I apologize if anyone has taken my opinion in a bad way; I'm taking this lightly and some healthy discussing is good. As much as I may not like this method, I'm not against people who use it per se, so long as the book doesn't put someone's health in danger (e.g. I saw a book on diabetes that was factually dangerous and contacted the affiliate about it; it so happened that the book was outsourced to some guy in Malaysia who spent weeks on Webmd and the likes).

                      In any case, please take my discussion lightly, and I apologize if it may come as negative
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                  • Profile picture of the author GobBluthJD
                    Originally Posted by oppyeaunome View Post

                    Ok so I have a quick question. Do you guys think I should build a blog and then building a following so that when I launch my kindle book I'll have more sales. Or should I just launch my kindle book from the get go?

                    Thanks

                    Opp
                    It certainly doesn't hurt to have a blog in place! That said, launching without one is perfectly fine too (and what I've done, for the most part). If you have a successful blog though, of course that should help your traffic and initial downloads, to get the ball rolling.
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  • Profile picture of the author pizzatherapy
    I have a question can you use peoples names in your non fiction kindle books e.g I want to talk about tony robbins or tim ferriss maybe bill gates but nothing negative about them though its merely to use them as examples. I am wondering is it legal to do that or do I have to seek permission?
    I will assume you are asking a legitimate question:
    You may certainly use public figures as examples in your books.
    You can even quote them...

    you may not libel them, that is:

    Libel - Legal Dictionary | Law.com
    dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=1153 Similar
    libel.

    1) n. to publish in print (including pictures), writing or broadcast through
    radio, television or film, an untruth about another which will do harm to that
    person ...

    But anything else is fair game.
    This is what newspapers and magazines do all the time...
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  • Profile picture of the author amakar
    Do any of you participate in Pat's First Kindle Book (From Start to Finish) on Facebook?
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/357112331027292/

    It is an excellent discussion group that is active and a supportive community. I've tried a few LinkedIn groups but Pat's group has been the most supportive.

    As I read through this thread, I still think it is important to promote your books across your own channels vs. set and forget it.

    For example, if your sales start to dip, you need a strategy to increase sales and change your book description, title or cover.

    I haven't tried to outsource a title just yet mainly because I want to be the expert in my niche and bring my own voice to the end product. In the end, it is a higher quality product.

    Andy
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  • Profile picture of the author luna522
    Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

    It's the most successful way I've found to make money online. Yes, it has a lot of drawbacks (which I'll mention in a minute), but holy s*** do the rewards ever make up for them! I only seriously started attempting to make money with Kindle ~3 months ago. I wrote, prepped, and released a book a week, until I figured out a better outsourcing system. I now have 20 books up and am averaging a new book every 2 to 3 days. My latest book was just released last week and, well, since then it's sold 500+ copies. I know, I still can't believe it when I look at the reports, but it's not going away. At even $2/book profit, that's not too shabby.

    Okay, this isn't to say that this is easy or there aren't cons. There are. Lots of them. Which is why, I imagine, there's not a lot of Kindle talk around this forum.

    Con #1: It's a LOT of work. Even if you're outsourcing. I started by doing it all myself: research, writing, formatting, cover design, uploading, marketing. Everything. It's a huge time investment, and I suspect this is the step that scares most people off.

    Con #2: It's NOT instantaneous. We're always looking for quick money in the IM world. Kindle is not that. It takes time and effort to build up an audience, to learn how to outsource correctly, to streamline the process for efficiency. It's worth it, but it does take a great deal of time.

    Con #3: Kindle is not PLR friendly, is not article spinning friendly, is not black hat friendly, etc, etc. This probably also scares a lot of people off. Mess with Kindle, and it will blacklist you. But even playing by the rules has gotten me much more than black hat stuff ever did.

    Okay, it's not all doom and gloom. Let's see some pros.

    Pro #1: Once you've uploaded a book, it's (nearly) set, forget, and earn. My very first book took me a long time to research, write, format, etc. It was a pain. But you know what? Since I uploaded it 2 months ago, I have done zero marketing, zero promotion, and have spent zero effort on it. Guess what: it's still averaging about 10 sales per day. That's with zero work on my part. IMO, that's well worth the initial effort. A few days pain for recurring money daily - I'll take that any day.

    Pro #2: Tied in with Pro #1 is the fact that, if you sign up for KDP Select, you hardly have to do any marketing (unless you want, of course). I have a series of books in a non-fiction, educational sort of niche. I have done zero marketing on them. No blogs, no twitter, no fb, nada. All 4 books are in the Top 10 in their Kindle category. If you create a quality book, Amazon will market it for you. It will start showing up in people's feeds, in "people who bought X, also bought Y", and all that type of stuff. It's beautiful. Set and forget.

    Pro #3: Once you get a system down, you can easily produce a book a day. Even if you only make one sale a day, that's $2. You have 10 books? That's $20 a day. You have 50 book? Hello, $100 per day. The possibilities are endless. Literally.

    Okay, okay, enough of the rant. Just wanted to share what (I think) is an under-looked market on this forum. Yes, it's not black hat. Yes, it's not quick and easy money. But it's sustainable and, if done right, really profitable.

    My tips:

    Do your research (I'll post more on this later, if wanted)
    Produce (or outsource) quality content.
    Enroll in KDP.
    Set a goal of 1 book per month, per week, or per day even (if the quality doesn't suffer).
    Use the same pen name for similar books, to build up an audience and make each book easier to find.
    Put links to your books at the end of all of your other books, to make them easier to find.
    Sit back and enjoy.
    Rinse, Lather, Repeat

    A to the MEN!!! It is a lot of work, but you're right, the rewards are ridiculous! I think a lot of people will be pleased with the fact that you are literally done after you upload it then you reap the rewards!
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  • Profile picture of the author metaarticles
    Originally Posted by GobBluthJD View Post

    It's the most successful way I've found to make money online. Yes, it has a lot of drawbacks (which I'll mention in a minute), but holy s*** do the rewards ever make up for them! I only seriously started attempting to make money with Kindle ~3 months ago. I wrote, prepped, and released a book a week, until I figured out a better outsourcing system. I now have 20 books up and am averaging a new book every 2 to 3 days. My latest book was just released last week and, well, since then it's sold 500+ copies. I know, I still can't believe it when I look at the reports, but it's not going away. At even $2/book profit, that's not too shabby.

    Okay, this isn't to say that this is easy or there aren't cons. There are. Lots of them. Which is why, I imagine, there's not a lot of Kindle talk around this forum.

    Con #1: It's a LOT of work. Even if you're outsourcing. I started by doing it all myself: research, writing, formatting, cover design, uploading, marketing. Everything. It's a huge time investment, and I suspect this is the step that scares most people off.

    Con #2: It's NOT instantaneous. We're always looking for quick money in the IM world. Kindle is not that. It takes time and effort to build up an audience, to learn how to outsource correctly, to streamline the process for efficiency. It's worth it, but it does take a great deal of time.

    Con #3: Kindle is not PLR friendly, is not article spinning friendly, is not black hat friendly, etc, etc. This probably also scares a lot of people off. Mess with Kindle, and it will blacklist you. But even playing by the rules has gotten me much more than black hat stuff ever did.

    Okay, it's not all doom and gloom. Let's see some pros.

    Pro #1: Once you've uploaded a book, it's (nearly) set, forget, and earn. My very first book took me a long time to research, write, format, etc. It was a pain. But you know what? Since I uploaded it 2 months ago, I have done zero marketing, zero promotion, and have spent zero effort on it. Guess what: it's still averaging about 10 sales per day. That's with zero work on my part. IMO, that's well worth the initial effort. A few days pain for recurring money daily - I'll take that any day.

    Pro #2: Tied in with Pro #1 is the fact that, if you sign up for KDP Select, you hardly have to do any marketing (unless you want, of course). I have a series of books in a non-fiction, educational sort of niche. I have done zero marketing on them. No blogs, no twitter, no fb, nada. All 4 books are in the Top 10 in their Kindle category. If you create a quality book, Amazon will market it for you. It will start showing up in people's feeds, in "people who bought X, also bought Y", and all that type of stuff. It's beautiful. Set and forget.

    Pro #3: Once you get a system down, you can easily produce a book a day. Even if you only make one sale a day, that's $2. You have 10 books? That's $20 a day. You have 50 book? Hello, $100 per day. The possibilities are endless. Literally.

    Okay, okay, enough of the rant. Just wanted to share what (I think) is an under-looked market on this forum. Yes, it's not black hat. Yes, it's not quick and easy money. But it's sustainable and, if done right, really profitable.

    My tips:

    Do your research (I'll post more on this later, if wanted)
    Produce (or outsource) quality content.
    Enroll in KDP.
    Set a goal of 1 book per month, per week, or per day even (if the quality doesn't suffer).
    Use the same pen name for similar books, to build up an audience and make each book easier to find.
    Put links to your books at the end of all of your other books, to make them easier to find.
    Sit back and enjoy.
    Rinse, Lather, Repeat
    Great to know about your Kindle success. Its very encouraging.
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