Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing

[LastLostIdols]

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[R. Richard]

Does anybody on the site use it?

I'm just wondering if it's easy to use, and if it's worth giving it a go? If not what would you say is the easiest quickest way to get published for short stories?

I use it and it does generate some sales. You have to register and then the process is simple. You do need a cover, for each story.

 

[Over_Red]

I've used it to great success. It's probably the quickest and easiest way to self-publish, along with Smashwords, which is essentially the same thing (on a smaller scale but with a broader distribution). You may want to check out the terms of Kindle Select; it requires you to go exclusive with Amazon, but offers some promotional benefits that can be helpful if this is your first time publishing.

Self-publishing is relatively easy; getting the word out that you exist and that people should spend their time reading your stories is much more difficult.

Here are some free resources published by Mark Coker, the owner of Smashwords, that go a bit more in-depth without how to format and market ebooks. They're all free!

Smashwords Style Guide:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52

Book Marketing Tips:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/305

Ebook Publishing:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/145431

 

[robertreams]

Smashwords is not economically very beneficial, but otherwise easy and satisfying. If you have a jillion relatives or a guadrillion facebook friends, then maybe, but otherwise marketing of e-books is difficult.

Be careful of Amazon they like to rip off writers. And do not let anyone talk you into giving a story "free" for a while to get it out there. On the one day I offered my book free, Amazon bought 62 copies, not one since.

 

[Trip_Dalton]

I've been using smashwords for years, and I love it. Nice profit margin and a great user interface.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I use both Smashwords and Amazon KDP. Once you register, both are easy to use.

Both require covers. Both accept Word .doc files, although Smashwords is not accepting .EPUB files.

I have found that in the long run Amazon does product more sales than Smashwords.

Smashwords does however publish you work immediately, where Amazon holds back until it is vetted. Also, Smashwords will accept items, such as true incest whereas Amazon will not. Amazon will accept faux incest as long it isn't apparent in the title or description, which is kind of foolish.

Once you have the format down both will rarely bounce back your work for format errors.

Take a look at my websites...in my sig...there are links to both Smashwords and Amazon.

 

[R. Richard]

The publishing a of a single book in Amazon, is one book among millions. You will need to publicize your book. The only effective way that I have found to do so is to publish multiple books and keep 'em coming.

 

[SandraMustard]

Alright guys, thanks so much I'll have a look at those sites. And just wondering one last question, how is tax handled is it simple and done online or would you need to use something external to announce the extra income?

I can't speak for the authors making big bucks publishing but for small dollar sales, they send a 1099-MISC. You are responsible for showing the income when you file.

 

[sr71plt]

First, although my publisher is toying with Kindle Direct, he has continually advised against giving any distributor an exclusive. My books get distributed though nearly a dozen distributors. They all go through feast and famine periods for sales. Amazon is currently a famine distributor for us with others being feast. If you only have one point of sale, you are both restricting your total sales and leaving yourself at the mercy of how that distributor is doing with buyers at a certain moment in time.

On the tax question, I have a business writing and editing and all my erotica sales just get dumped in with the mainstream writing and editing and are reported as a single line item.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

You will get 1099-MISC forms from both Smashwords and Amazon. They will be filed with the IRS for tax purposes.

The amounts will be listed in the Royalties section of the form.

 

[DreamCloud]

I would think promotion would be the hard part. Marketing is a talent, social or traditional.

 

[sr71plt]

I would think promotion would be the hard part. Marketing is a talent, social or traditional.

There isn't much to be done with promotion with e-books. The buyers don't pay much attention to it--certainly not in terms of making it cost effective. Making sure that the product is top quality, that you keep product coming, and getting the cover, blurb, and tags right for on-line distributors are more important in the e-book world than the types of promotion you should do in the traditional publishing world.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Also writing what the buyer is looking for. My incest stuff does a lot better than my loving wives stuff.

On the non-erotic side, my sci-fi stuff doesn't do bad.

 

[DreamCloud]

There isn't much to be done with promotion with e-books. The buyers don't pay much attention to it--certainly not in terms of making it cost effective. Making sure that the product is top quality, that you keep product coming, and getting the cover, blurb, and tags right for on-line distributors are more important in the e-book world than the types of promotion you should do in the traditional publishing world.

So, with a few million books out there, how do your readers find you the first time?

 

[Zeb_Carter]

So, with a few million books out there, how do your readers find you the first time?

Actually, Amazon makes it really hard to find adult ebooks on their kindle site. Yet people are resourceful and seem to find stuff they like anyway. It's all in the tags, as Laurel is apt to say.

Smashwords on the other hand make it easy in comparison.

 

[sr71plt]

So, with a few million books out there, how do your readers find you the first time?

Think I noted how. Content that rises above and scratches a niche itch that isn't overserved. Killer cover, at least hinting at the content. A title that cleverly treats the content. A blurb that beats them over the head with the content. Repeated offerings so that they move to looking for the author name--because the author has scratched their itch before. Keeping the name in front of them by continuous offerings.

On-line buyers are pretty much not reading blogs (although word-of-mouth always helps) and a cover ad at the distributors will eat up any profits you'd make for the book and more. (So, if you do it, do it only initially to get name recognition with a killer book serving a buying niche. Which means you have to honestly assess whether you have that to offer).

Getting the books published by a publisher and reviewed by a reviewer recognized in the genre and blurbing that on your book listings--especially for the first few books--will help. What you'd be fighting with self-publishing e-booking is the perception from the getgo that it's crap. You need others to be shown as buying into it and taking a risk with it. Reviews on Amazon are mostly seen as your friends giving you (not your writing) support.

The cover displays are helpfully democratic. The book covers will run right up there side by side with best-sellers on on-line distributors. That's a leg up in promotion never given in the traditional bookstore scenario. Take advantage of that.