From Idea to Bestseller: How to Self-Publish a Book On Amazon

It is now easier than ever for writers and authors of all experience levels and backgrounds to get their work into the hands of their readers. The world of self publishing, while maybe not the traditional route, has opened doors and expanded opportunities, making publishing your book easier and more accessible. One of the easiest and most user-friendly self publishing platforms is Amazon. Keep in mind, vanity publishing and self publishing are NOT the same. You should not pay a website hundreds of dollars to publish your work for you. 

 

What makes Amazon’s platform so great? It’s great for authors and consumers alike.

 

• Over 70% of books are sold on Amazon each year
• There were 310 million book buyers through Amazon last year
• Those buyers accounted for over $178 billion in sales

 

Amazon self-publishing uses the platform called Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP which is used to create and manage your ebooks and paperbacks. Technically anyone can self-publish on Amazon, but that doesn’t mean the work will do well and actually sell. Understanding the specifics of the platform, setting up your account, uploading files, and setting pricing is imperative to transforming your efforts into profits and sales. 

 

Here’s how to get started from Scott Allan at Self-Publishing School:

 

Create a Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Account

 

1. Go to https://kdp.amazon.com and register with either your Amazon account or with your email address.

2. Next, click “Update” in your account information and fill in your tax information. It’s important to note that you need to complete your tax information BEFORE you can publish your first book. So don’t skip this step!

3. Once your tax information is complete, click “Finished” and return to the main page.

4. Your profile is complete!

5. With your KDP account set up, proceed to inputting the details of your book.

 

Choose a Book Title and Subtitle

 

In your Kindle Direct Publishing profile, you need to fill in the title and subtitle of your book. While a subtitle is optional, having a good subtitle is something you should definitely consider to bring in more views and create stronger intrigue and help people find your book when searching.

 

Write Your Book Description for Amazon

 

You need a powerful book description to draw potential buyers in and let them know what to expect.  A good cover and title can give readers a general idea of your topic, but a great description can peak their interest and entice them to click Buy Now. 

 

Choose Your Amazon Keywords

 

If you want your book to show up in Amazon and Google search engines, you’ll need the right mix of keywords. Since Amazon allows only seven keywords per book, keyword selection requires strategy.

 

Take advantage of Amazon’s search box to find good keywords. Amazon’s suggestions are based on search history so you want to search for words that are high in demand with little competition.

 

Select Your Amazon Categories

 

Amazon provides a collection of categories and subcategories to choose from. Like keyword selecting, your goal is to look for trending areas that don’t have tons of competition. These categories are what rank bestsellers, which is why you want to make sure you pick fitting categories that are specific, but also not overly competitive or too saturated. You want to stand out.

 

Upload Your Manuscript to Amazon

 

Here’s how to upload your book to Amazon:

 

1. In your Kindle Direct Publishing account, go to “Your Bookshelf”.
2. Locate and click on “Kindle eBook Actions” next to the title of your book.
3. Locate and click on “Edit eBook Content”.
4. Click on “Upload eBook manuscript”.
5. Upload your manuscript file on your computer.
6. Upload complete!
7. Once Amazon finishes uploading your file, a confirmation message will be sent and you can preview the uploaded file to check for any errors.

 

Create Your Book Cover

 

When it comes to publishing a successful book on Amazon, having a perfect book cover design is one of the most important aspects to get right. Contrary to what we were told growing up, people do, in fact, judge a book by its cover. 

 

Price Your Book

 

A question often asked is: “How much should I be pricing my book at after the initial launch is over?”

 

This is up to the author, but generally, the best range to have your book priced is between $2.99 to $9.99. One popular strategy for beginners is to price your book at $2.99 and gradually increase it by $1 per week. At some point, your sales will begin to dip. That’s normal and it tells you the perfect price of your book that guarantees a profit.

 

Does everything about getting a book published seem a little too…complicated?

 

Maybe you’ve drafted ideas around what you want your book to be about.

 

Now you’re ready to KNOW how to go get that book written and published, and have something in your business you can RELY ON to generate revenue consistently…month in, and month out.

 

💥If that sounds like you, then you need to join me for the Publishing and Publicity Mastermind.💥

 

In the Publishing and Publicity Mastermind, we’ll be diving into exactly what those things are so you can finally have a clear path to getting your book published. If you’re ready, click the link below to join us!

 

It starts April 14th: https://programs.eatonpress.com/PPMastermind