How to Successfully Self-Publish a Kindle eBook

There was a time when budding authors would have to jump through countless hoops to get their work noticed by a reputable publisher.

This kept most would-be authors out of the game because publishers were often quite ruthless and very unwelcoming to newcomers. This is no longer the case.

Today, all you need are your words, a computer with an internet connection, and Amazon.com.

Self-publishing is here to stay.

Self-Publishing a Kindle eBook

Self-publishers are quickly making a name for themselves on Kindle − Amazon’s publishing house − with good reason:

• Amazon is the largest paid search engine on the planet
• Amazon holds a majority share of the world’s book market
• Amazon has an excellent marketing system for those who make sales
• Publishing on Amazon is easy and can be done in a matter of hours

You can make a good living selling books for as little as $2.99 on Amazon. If you are thinking that this is the break you have been waiting for, here are the steps you need to take to self-publish an eBook on Amazon.

Step 1: Write a Book

You will need a book to sell, and the first step is to write one. You will need about three drafts:

• The “first draft”: Your rough draft that barely has any direction but captures the general idea or story you want to tell
• The “review draft”: You go over your first draft and give the book structure and form. Turn it into a real story
• The “editorial draft”: This is the final draft that goes through several professionals or friends who know about grammar and story structure as well as elements of style

You don’t HAVE to follow this process but having a structure like this in place will help you develop and write your book without stalling and hitting writer’s block.

Step 2: Formatting and Designing

Formatting for Kindle is a little different from typical formatting. You can do this yourself (use a program called Caliber), or you can hire someone to do it for you at a fee (this is the easier option).

You will also need to have a good book cover designed. You need to be very careful at this stage. Your book cover goes a long way in determining whether or not people will sample and eventually buy your book.

Yes, on Amazon, people mostly judge books by their covers.

Step 3: Publish on Kindle

Once you have double-checked everything and are satisfied, then the next step is to publish it on Kindle:

• Sign up or sign into Kindle Direct Publishing
• Register tax information for your royalty payments
• Click on “Bookshelf” and then go on to “Add New Title”
• Fully fill out the form that pops up (book title, descriptions, keywords and so on)
• Upload your cover file (in JPEG format)
• Upload the book
• Check Amazon online viewer to make sure the book looks right
• Click on “Save and Continue” then head on to the “Rights and Pricing” page
• Choose “Worldwide Rights”
• Choose a price and royalty rate (most books are sold between $2.99 and $9.99 which gives you the 70% royalty rate. Anything else will fall under a 35% royalty rate)
• Save and publish your book

Once all this is done all you have to do is wait for 24-48 hours for Amazon to let you know your book is ready and is on sale at the store.

From then on you need to promote your book through as many channels as possible to maximize sales.