You’ve probably noticed that many authors are self-publishing their books on Amazon. You’re thinking about their reasons for this. Amazon publishing is more beneficial for authors than traditional publishing. The main benefit is that you can get more money. A new author can make up to 60% royalties on Amazon KDP. Traditional publishing royalties give only 5% for mass-market paperback sales. You can see the big difference here.
So, can you publish a book on Amazon? Yes!
Amazon uses Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to sell novels. This is an eBook publishing platform. KDP lets you self-publish:
- eBooks
- Paperbacks
- Hardcovers
KDP is a publishing platform, and most publishing costs money. You might be thinking, “Does it cost money to publish a book on Amazon?” or “How much does it cost to publish a book on Amazon?”
Most traditional publishing is expensive. But it’s different with KDP. You can self-publish a book on Amazon for free! After reading that, you’re probably eager to figure out, “How do I publish a book on Amazon?”
KDP can be hard to use if you don’t know anything about book publishing. However, don’t let that stress you. Our expert will share their knowledge with you. This will help make your book launch easier.
If you’re ready to be a best-seller, let’s begin.
How to Publish a Book on Amazon?
You know the benefits of KDP. Now, you probably want to know how to self publish a book on Amazon:
- The first thing you need is to make a KDP account
- If you already have an Amazon account, go to Amazon KDP and sign in
- If you haven’t made your account, then go to their site and “Sign up.”
If your account is ready, do this to publish a book on Amazon. You create a detail page for your book. This includes:
- Making a new title
- Writing a product description
- Uploading your manuscript
- Setting a price
If you’re making a new title on Amazon KDP, submit these details:
- Language
- Book title/subtitle
- Series information
- Author name
If you’re done with this, add a product description. You need to use keywords and categories to reach your audience.
Next, upload your manuscript. You need to use the EPUB format. It’s better for Kindle review.
Now, you have to set a price for your book. You have to think about Amazon’s royalty rates when you do this:
- 70% for eBooks between $2.99
- $9.99 and 35% for books outside this range
Correct pricing is very important for your book’s success, so take your time with it.
Now that your details page is live, how do you ensure maximum traffic from potential readers? This is where you need to focus on the categories you pick for your product page. Categories are a part of the Amazon Store where customers can find your book, and you get to pick them while making your details page.
If you’re wondering, “Is it hard to publish a book on Amazon when it comes to picking categories?” then the answer is yes. You have to be careful when you pick categories. You have to make sure that your readers can easily find your book. Amazon has a lot of books with different genres. Readers can get lost in the long list of novels online.
But you don’t have to worry because we’ve compiled the best ways to pick categories that will keep your book at the top of Amazon’s buying page.
So, let’s look at Amazon publishing categories. We’ll also share how you can pick the best ones. This is what you have to do:
- Find Your Category on Amazon
- Check Top 20 Books For Similar Topics In Your Category
- Check The Best Seller List of The Top Books in Your Category
1. Find Your Category on Amazon
- First, identify a suitable category for your book idea on Amazon by heading to the platform and clicking on Departments > Kindle E-Readers & Books > Kindle Books.
- Click “Best Sellers & More” in the menu.
- Scroll down and select “Kindle Best Sellers.”
- Choose “Kindle eBooks” from the menu.
- Pick a category and subcategory that best fits your book idea.
2. Check Top 20 Books for Similar Topics In Your Category
Identify books with themes similar to your own. For instance, if your book is about self-reinvention, look for books on behavior change, personality change, and life improvement. This step answers whether similar books exist. If you can’t find any, revisit your list of ideas. If similar books do exist, go to the next step to assess competition and demand.
3. Check The Best Seller List of The Top Books in Your Category
To gauge potential competition and audience size, examine the Best Seller ranks of top books in your category by carrying out the following steps:
- Scroll down a book’s product page to find its Best Seller rank under Product Details.
- Higher ranks (closer to #1) indicate more sales but also higher competition.
- Categories with rankings above 1,000 are very competitive with high sales.
- Rankings from 1,000 to 30,000 are moderately competitive, with decent sales.
- Rankings below 30,000 are less competitive with lower sales.
Use this information to alter your categories.
You need to choose categories that will take you to the top three list. This will add your book to the “Hot New Releases” list. It will give your book more exposure.
How To Self-Publish a Book on Amazon for Maximum Success?
By now, you’re probably asking, “Is it easy to publish a book on Amazon?” Well, sure, but several technicalities come into play while publishing. You have to create a compelling product description, use the right keywords, and pick the correct categories.
These things define whether your book will be a success or not. Having a book published doesn’t necessarily mean that it will generate sales, so how can you self publish a book on Amazon to maximize profit? We’ve compiled some helpful tips that will help answer that question. Here they are:
- Optimize Your Book for the Kindle Store
- Utilize KDP Select Tools
- Master Kindle eBook Metadata
- Build Your Author Brand
Let’s explore each of these in detail.
1. Optimizing Your Book for the Kindle Store
Achieving success in the Kindle Store starts well before your book is published.
You need to focus on details that draw in readers. You have to do this before your page goes live. It’s the first thing that your readers will find when they’re browsing.
If you want people to buy your book, you have to use a good book title and cover. These are the first things that grab a reader’s attention. Your title should be catchy. It should vibe with your book’s content and genre. You can also add relevant keywords. These have to be words that readers could use in their searches.
You need to use something professional and appropriate for the cover design. It also has to match your genre. Your cover needs to display the crux of your book as soon as someone looks at it.
2. Utilize KDP Select Tools
KDP has promotional tools for self-publishers. These help them market their novels. You need to use tools. The best one is the KDP Select program. It’s an optional program. It has additional promotional benefits for your book. But you have to only publish your book on Amazon and no other site.
This has many benefits. Let’s look at them:
• Higher Visibility
KDP Select adds your book to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL.) It’s also added to Kindle Unlimited (KU.) This increases your book’s popularity with Amazon’s huge audience.
• Potential Earnings
Books in KDP Select earn royalties from a global fund based on the number of pages read by KU and KOLL customers, which is additional profit for the author.
• Access to Promotional Tools
Enrollment in KDP Select grants access to exclusive promotional tools like Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions, helping to generate interest and increase sales.
3. Master Kindle eBook Metadata
To stand out in the Amazon Kindle Store, optimizing your eBook’s metadata—keywords, description, and categories—is essential. To do so, add targeted keywords and pick the right categories.
Keywords guide potential readers to your book, so select them carefully to match the search terms your target audience uses.
You need to find keywords that match your book’s:
- Genre
- Theme
- Content
You can do this by looking at books like yours. Try to find ones that are successful on the platform. You have to add these keywords naturally in your book’s:
- Title
- Subtitle
- Description
This will help to improve your search results.
4. Build Your Author Brand
Amazon Kindle Store is very competitive. You have to build a strong author brand. You also have to connect with readers. This is very important for long-term success. A good author brand builds trust and loyalty with readers. This can lead to more sales.
Your author brand is your identity. This should include your writing style and online presence. You can do this by making a detailed author page. An attractive author page lets readers learn more about you. They can also connect with your work.
Amazon has many tools that help you promote your brand. One of these is the Amazon Author Central Account. This tool helps you build an author page that has your:
- Biography
- Blog posts
- Published books
How Long Does It Take to Publish a Book on Amazon KDP?
How long does it take to publish a book on Amazon? It takes about 3 to 10 working days to publish a book on KDP. This happens after you submit your work for review on Amazon. This timeline can change because of:
- The type of book
- The accuracy of your details
- The completeness of your book’s information
You can preview your work to find and fix any issues before publishing. If your submission is at first but later found to have problems, KDP will email you with the needed changes. Resubmitting your manuscript can be frustrating. But it doesn’t have to change your publishing goals.
What Are the Steps to Publish a Book on Amazon?
Now you know everything about KDP’s publishing process. Let’s summarize it into easy points. We’ve also shared helpful tips for guaranteed success:
- Proofread your manuscript for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
- Check formatting consistency (font, headings, spacing).
- Make sure the cover design is visually stimulating and matches your genre.
- Write a concise and engaging book description with related keywords.
- Select appropriate book categories and keywords for better discoverability.
- Confirm you have the right to publish all content, including images and text.
- Decide your pricing strategy.
- Check file format and quality.
- Preview your book.
- Employ your promotional strategy.
- Post Publication.
Reading through all of that might not be very comforting, especially as a new author. You’ve got your plate full of polishing your manuscript, so how will you manage the stress of publishing? KDP might be easy, but it still requires industry and marketing knowledge.
If you don’t have experience, you can mess up your book launch. If you want to avoid this, you can hire professional companies like Maven Ghostwriters. We have a strong team of experts. They can help your book go from a draft to a published novel. It’ll be ready for sale in just a few months!
Check us out to see our list of services. You can pick the one that serves you the best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Amazon KDP pay immediately?
No. Amazon KDP doesn’t pay you on the spot. You’ll get your money sixty days after the end of the month: the month in which the sale happened. The royalties from November will be paid at the end of January.
How soon can I start earning on Amazon KDP?
You can start making money on Amazon KDP when your book is available. It takes seventy-two hours for your book to be on Amazon’s site after publishing.
How long does it take for book sales to show up on Amazon KDP?
You can see your book sales on the Amazon KDP dashboard in twenty-four hours. This lets you track your sales in real-time. However, there can be slight delays. This happens during high-traffic periods. But you can track your sales again when the traffic clears.
