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WARNING: The Kindle Magic Bullet...

by sal64
40 replies
Fellow Warriors,

I wasn't sure if I should start this thread or not, but my conscious said yes.

I have noticed an ever increasing amount of products based on how to make money on Kindle. And frankly, it has me a little disturbed that we are now seeing Kindle being promoted as the next big thing and easy money maker.

Along with this supply, we are also seeing the inevitable spike in demand on how to promote a Kindle book etc.

So I am writing this as a reality check and to perhaps expose a few myths.

Before I get into it, I'd like you to know a bit more about me...

I wrote and self published my first paper book in 2004 - Renovate For Profit about renovating real estate. This went on to become a best-seller down here in Australia. Now to be honest, that equates to just over 10,000 copies (the volume for best seller is lower down here than in the USA).

Never the less, something that I am proud of. This led to me creating a digital version for the USA market which was then always a top 5 seller on Clickbank in the real estate category.

And then came the GFC and my publishing empire collapsed.

Late 2006 I was a coaching student for a 2 times NYT best seller and with him, we set up his Automatic Bestseller Inner Circle - a $397 per month membership and training program for aspiring authors. I believe that this is now just a subscription membership site.

Anyways, that's a bit about me... back to Kindle.

I don't wnat this to be a negative thread. In fact, I am compelled to writing it because I want to help, and hate seeing people being consumed by false hope.

Kindle is no doubt transforming the way ebooks are delivered. It has amazing benefits for sure because of the ease of publishing and of course the targeted free traffic provides. Almost anyone can become an instant Author.

Now that's the good news.

The reality for the majority is that they may never sell enough books to fulfill their income and business goals. Once again, this isn't to discourage you, it's just reality.

I'll give you some suggestions in a moment.

Just do a search on a topic and you will see how many competing books there are in your category.

It's staggering, and let's face it, you cannot sell an ebook on kindle for the same amount as you would on clickbank or online as we know it. This means that you have to sell more and more books, if you are in it for the money.

Sure, you can churn out books by the dozen and forge an income resembling adsense revenue, but like anything, you have to check your metrics... ie the time and cost to publish and then how much return you get on your investment.

So here is my take (based on my experience) for what it's worth, and hopefully it will help you in some way/s...

-Kindle is an awesome, inexpensive way to test if there is a market for your book. If you have aspirations to have real book published - which I hope you do - then kindle is the answer. when I wrote my first book, I paid $13k for a print run of 10,000 books. Luckily, they sold and most times I sold them wholesale for $5 to $15 per book. but it could just as easily flopped and I would have been stuck with a garage full of books and a $13k debt.

That of course came later with 1000 VHS cassettes - another story - doh!

- The same rules apply to Kindle as they do to paper books: First and foremost you need a great book and you need a great hook.

Look, if you really want to maximize your success chances then you have to fully research what you are going to write about. To put yourself in front of the 10,000,000 other titles then you want to be fresh, unique and interesting.

Ask yourself why would someone buy your book? What makes it unique? What problems are people looking to solve?

- As mentioned above, on it's own a kindle book won't be a massive money spinner for most, so you might consider using it as part of an overall strategy to sell higher priced products.

- Consider planning and creating a series of related books that you can promote to existing customers.

- Consider publishing small short books for 99c and using them to generate leads for your business.

There are many ways that you can use Kindle. I am only scratching the surface here and I have no doubt that there are other Warriors who are doing well... but I can almost guarantee that it isn't with just one book.

Finally...

Becoming an Author in print is one of the quickest and best ways to build credibility and Authority. One of the biggest blocks I found with my students was a lack of self-belief in what they wanted to write about.

I don't care who you are or where you've come from... everyone has a story to tell... anyone who has suffered adversity and come through has a message to tell the world and help others.

Wanna write a great book? Easy - PASSION!

write about something that you are passionate about, like I did with my book.

If you are passionate, you can bet that someone else is also as passionate. Tell your story then find them on Kindle.

If you area speaker or want to build your market offline, then write a book about your area of expertize.

Anyway, enough of me.

Hope this helps some. if not, that's cool. Feel free to add your thoughts.

Best of success,

Sal

Disclosure: I have not yet released a book on Kindle, but will be early this year. This post has been a brain dump of ideas. I honestly believe that what applies to paper books also applies to Kindle books. Different medium, same principles.
#bullet #kindle #magic #warning
  • Profile picture of the author sal64
    I think it is an awesome and legit opportunity, but I worry about how it is being hyped up. Can't stop it, but that's life - trends - and the thirst for easy solutions.

    Sal
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
    Great post, I completely agree.

    It's not much different than putting App in the App store...there are millions of them and you won't sell many if you don't build your brand.

    I've always advocated building an author brand and using smart marketing when it comes to the Kindle.

    I've given this example many times but it's so good that it's worth repeating: Amanda Hocking is a great example of someone who self published and built a true "author brand" with raving fans. It can definitely be done however, for every Amanda Hocking, there are 10,000 others who are trying to shortcut their way to riches and they think it's as easy as publish and profit.

    The Kindle is a great platform and there is lots of money to be made but hopefully people don't buy in to the people who sell junk products on how to get rich with no work by publishing on the Kindle.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Thanks for the post. I loved it!!

      I am starting to notice that quality+structure is what works.

      Of course it is a duh moment, but... it is important nonetheless.

      I was listening to Tony Robins the other day, and he mentioned that the worse thing that can happen to you starting a business is that things go great. It is an interesting concept.

      The idea is that if you get it right without knowing why, you can´t replicate.

      With my first lil book, I got lucky, or that I thought. Truth is, I had the marketing structure in place (and I didn´t even know it).

      With the second, after the first day of friends and family it got stuck in sales. Now I am understanding what I did before and trying to replicate.

      I am also checking my structure to see how I can use it for this.

      I do believe in the quality of the product. Maybe others might not consider it good, I don´t know... it is my best plus some more.
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  • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
    I found that creating high quality kindle reports can be a great source of traffic to your main offers. I would never consider just relying on kindle as a source of income, but it has made a great additional stream of high quality traffic and sales for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    Originally Posted by Chris Kent View Post

    I don't really think Kindle is any less of a big money maker than any other method really.
    That's the thing though "Kindle" isn't really a method or "money maker". Its a publishing platform.

    IF you ever wanted to publish a book, it offers you the cheapest and fastest way to get it to market. It's an amazing way to make money for those that want to do the work to put out quality books that people want to read.

    But publishing books is a LOT more than just "Kindle". And, like Sal said, being successful takes a lot more time, energy and commitment than a lot of people would have you believe.
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

      Great post, I completely agree.

      It's not much different than putting App in the App store...there are millions of them and you won't sell many if you don't build your brand.

      I've always advocated building an author brand and using smart marketing when it comes to the Kindle.

      I've given this example many times but it's so good that it's worth repeating: Amanda Hocking is a great example of someone who self published and built a true "author brand" with raving fans. It can definitely be done however, for every Amanda Hocking, there are 10,000 others who are trying to shortcut their way to riches and they think it's as easy as publish and profit.

      The Kindle is a great platform and there is lots of money to be made but hopefully people don't buy in to the people who sell junk products on how to get rich with no work by publishing on the Kindle.

      YES


      Originally Posted by nicholasb View Post

      I found that creating high quality kindle reports can be a great source of traffic to your main offers. I would never consider just relying on kindle as a source of income, but it has made a great additional stream of high quality traffic and sales for me.
      AMEN

      Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

      That's the thing though "Kindle" isn't really a method or "money maker". Its a publishing platform.

      IF you ever wanted to publish a book, it offers you the cheapest and fastest way to get it to market. It's an amazing way to make money for those that want to do the work to put out quality books that people want to read.

      But publishing books is a LOT more than just "Kindle". And, like Sal said, being successful takes a lot more time, energy and commitment than a lot of people would have you believe.
      ABSOLUTELY!

      I hasten to add that for any aspiring authors, check your sources. Anyone can whip a book on how to make money on kindle. Even bestsellers themselves have rorted the system.

      Just saying to be careful and have the intelligence to make informed decisions.

      Best,

      Sal
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    • Profile picture of the author ExpertSEOServices
      Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

      That's the thing though "Kindle" isn't really a method or "money maker". Its a publishing platform.

      IF you ever wanted to publish a book, it offers you the cheapest and fastest way to get it to market. It's an amazing way to make money for those that want to do the work to put out quality books that people want to read.

      But publishing books is a LOT more than just "Kindle". And, like Sal said, being successful takes a lot more time, energy and commitment than a lot of people would have you believe.
      This is a very important point to remember than Kindle is still a publishing platform. Way to much Kindle HYPE here on the forum
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
    Internet Marketers use every Marketing Avenue available! Otherwise, what is the sense in Marketing.

    Amazon may be hyped up in the Internet Marketing Industry. There is a reason why it is hyped up.. Amazon Kindle Marketing does in fact produce revenue.

    So, don't discount it as a source of income for any reason.

    True, there are many merchants selling information, services, and software to promote the market. This is common and should be expected. Some merchants offer low quality and some merchants offer high quality. The buyer only needs to make an informed decision about what to buy and who to buy from.

    The hype is pointing a lot of people to a market that actually returns a profit. For many this is the first time a consistent income is doable. So what if they have to create new books on a regular basis and so what if they have to work hard. Thats life.

    What happens when a book is such excellent quality that it resells for years?

    Hey if the hype is hype and wakes up people that Internet Marketing has no magic buttons then it may make a difference in their life.

    At least somewhere down the line of hype - people come to understand that Amazon Kindle pays with hard work.

    Now, if you referred to those spammy get rich schemes that promote rags to riches by clicking a magic button - then I would understand your concern. But to compare concern for hype that people actually have real chance to make real money from a real Internet Giant, aka Amazon!

    Jeffery 100% :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      Originally Posted by Jeffery View Post

      Internet Marketers use every Marketing Avenue available! Otherwise, what is the sense in Marketing.

      Amazon may be hyped up in the Internet Marketing Industry. There is a reason why it is hyped up.. Amazon Kindle Marketing does in fact produce revenue.

      So, don't discount it as a source of income for any reason.

      True, there are many merchants selling information, services, and software to promote the market. This is common and should be expected. Some merchants offer low quality and some merchants offer high quality. The buyer only needs to make an informed decision about what to buy and who to buy from.

      The hype is pointing a lot of people to a market that actually returns a profit. For many this is the first time a consistent income is doable. So what if they have to create new books on a regular basis and so what if they have to work hard. Thats life.

      What happens when a book is such excellent quality that it resells for years?

      Hey if the hype is hype and wakes up people that Internet Marketing has no magic buttons then it may make a difference in their life.

      At least somewhere down the line of hype - people come to understand that Amazon Kindle pays with hard work.

      Now, if you referred to those spammy get rich schemes that promote rags to riches by clicking a magic button - then I would understand your concern. But to compare concern for hype that people actually have real chance to make real money from a real Internet Giant, aka Amazon!

      Jeffery 100% :-)

      Used in context of a broader vision, yes I agree. No one is saying that you cannot make money from it... even if the chances are minimal for some.

      Sal
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
        Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

        Used in context of a broader vision, yes I agree. No one is saying that you cannot make money from it... even if the chances are minimal for some.

        Sal
        For many "minimal" is a start. Crawl before you walk. The concept is to build on momentum even if the initial momentum is minimal.

        Jeffery 100% :-)
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

          I think it is an awesome and legit opportunity, but I worry about how it is being hyped up. Can't stop it, but that's life - trends - and the thirst for easy solutions.

          Sal
          There are a couple of things involved with this particular gold rush that might ease some of your worries.

          One, Amazon has made the process hard to automate. Their review process, along with the public review system, has made the kind of mass exploitation that killed the Adsense golden goose nearly impossible. You still have to submit your books one at a time, and they still have to be approved.

          Two, without that mass automated exploitation, the numbers in the IM crowd actually willing to attempt pushing the easy button are small enough in comparison to the marketplace that any damage will likely be localized and minimal. Amazon has already shown that they won't put up with gaming things when they effectively banned PLR and Public Domain submissions.

          Removing phony, purchased reviews was another good step.

          "Kindle" represents both a platform and marketplace with great potential. The royalties/commissions may not rival fleecing suckers on Clickbank, but the long-term potential looks amazing.
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

    The reality for the majority is that they may never sell enough books to fulfill their income and business goals. Once again, this isn't to discourage you, it's just reality.

    Just do a search on a topic and you will see how many competing books there are in your category.

    It's staggering, and let's face it, you cannot sell an ebook on kindle for the same amount as you would on clickbank or online as we know it. This means that you have to sell more and more books, if you are in it for the money.

    - The same rules apply to Kindle as they do to paper books: First and foremost you need a great book and you need a great hook.

    Look, if you really want to maximize your success chances then you have to fully research what you are going to write about. To put yourself in front of the 10,000,000 other titles then you want to be fresh, unique and interesting.

    Ask yourself why would someone buy your book? What makes it unique? What problems are people looking to solve?

    Sal

    Disclosure: I have not yet released a book on Kindle, but will be early this year. This post has been a brain dump of ideas. I honestly believe that what applies to paper books also applies to Kindle books. Different medium, same principles.

    The only place I really disagreed with you Sal is where you said to look at how many competitors you have in your niche. Too much competition is not a bad thing, for a few reasons:

    1. It often shows that there should be a lot of interest within that niche -- aka, a lot of buyers.

    2. It is easier to stand out from the crowd, when you are actually standing in a crowd.

    3. Having a lot of competitors is only a problem, if you are unwilling to compete with and be better than the best authors in your niche.


    Kindle is only one platform from which to sell your books. In the digital ebooks marketplace, Kindle holds about 50% of the market share, while about 9 competitors hold the other 50% of market share.

    If an author is only willing to make their books available in the Kindle marketplace, they are telling 1 of every 2 potential customers to go fly a kite. Doing so is rather short-sighted in my view.

    Then, digital ebooks is only one format from which to sell your books. There is also print books, audio books, and more comprehensive product platforms like ClickBank where you can add videos to your packaging. It is true that within Amazon, the volume of ebook sales has surpassed the volume of print book sales, but 45 in 100 of Amazon's book sales are in a non-digital format.

    This is an off-shoot of the same topic, but generally unrelated to Kindle specifically. According to this page, the number of people who speak English as a primary of secondary language is about 480 million people, or roughly, 7% of the world's global population.



    The one thing that you said that speaks most loudly to me is this:

    Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

    The same rules apply to Kindle as they do to paper books: First and foremost you need a great book and you need a great hook.

    According to David Davidar, founder of Penguin Books India, in 2006, there were only about 100,000 books being published each year. And of those, "Most novels sell only about 400 or 500 copies. If it's a good seller it will sell 5000 copies if it won an award and got great reviews."

    Davidar also said that fewer than 1% of all books released in the open market will become superstar, best-selling books, selling more than 100,000 copies.

    Davidar also emphasized the same concepts that you emphasized, "great books with great marketing."



    If my experience hiring freelance writers is any indication, then fewer than 1% of all freelance writers have the skills or determination necessary to write great books.

    And as we have seen again and again with all kinds of products, the best product doesn't always win!! However, the best marketing will win every time.

    One quick example... Let's look at the Video Cassette Recorder. Most every reviewer in consumer electronics industry said that Sony's Betamax format was the superior product. But, JVC's VHS format had the better marketing. Then, JVC's lesser-quality VHS video tape crushed Sony's Betamax in the VCR wars.

    The bottom line is that no matter how good of a book we can create, the better book marketers will get the win!!



    Davidar established that fewer than 1% of books will become best-sellers in the print market. My experience has shown that fewer than 1% of writers have the requisite skills and commitment to make a great book.

    And in all manners of marketing, the really successful can usually be counted in the single-digit percentages.

    A couple of years ago, ClickBank indicated that fewer than 10% of their affiliates got a check every month, and less than 1% of their total affiliates made enough sales every month to make a living from ClickBank.

    Even here is the Warrior Forum, it has been estimated that fewer than 5% of the members actually make a living with their business, without needing a job to supplement their income.



    Those who have "a great book and a great hook" have only the requisite foundation to succeed as a book author.

    Even if we have "the best book and the best hook" of the calendar year, if the people most likely to buy our books don't find them, then being best counts for nothing!!

    To be successful with our books, we must also master the art of marketing our books. We must learn:
    • How to create a great book that people will be happy to have read and happy to have paid to receive;
    • How to create good sales copy for our books;
    • To whom we should deliver our sales messages -- Who is in our target audience;
    • How to best reach those people who are most likely to buy what we are selling;
    • How to get our target audience to our sales page at a profit.

    At every step in the process, we should strive to be the best we can be...

    But typically, most book authors stop being the "best they can be", when they get their manuscript ready for the publisher...

    And the truth is that if you stop being great when you stop writing, then you will never see the true success as a book author that you truly deserve!!

    No matter how good your product, you must either be a great marketer also, or be willing to hire a great marketer to promote your books on your behalf.



    Yes, most book authors will fail... Simply because they are not willing to do everything that needs to be done to ensure their overall success...

    Most will only do part of what needs to be done, then ignore those things that they don't enjoy doing...

    The bottom line is that if you are only willing to half of what is required to be successful as a book author, then you are only half-right when you complain that no one liked your book enough to buy it.
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  • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
    Shock o shocks...I have found Kindle one of the easiest and fastest ways to make money online.

    The key...something people want to read along with a quality book and good promo and honestly it is not that hard to figure out.
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  • Profile picture of the author OldLodgeSkins
    Hi,

    I'll add to this that publishing on amazon.COM - where the biggest market is supposed to be - isn't easy for non-US people. Well actually you can publish, the difficulty is getting paid...
    The $100 payment threshold is just a detail, but the US government takes you 30% (there's some paperwork to do to reduce that but I went to the US embassy here in France and I've been told those tax numbers rarely get delivered nowadays and you need to prove you're already receiving money made on the US soil anyway!), and then Amazon only pays by check and bringing a US check to a non-US bank means... Big fees.
    So when you add all this... You have the reason why I've decided to pull my English books out of Amazon and publish them on my own in the e-bookstore I've created. I'm only publishing French books on Amazon now. I still have a couple of English books enrolled in the KDP program, but I'm simply waiting until their term is up so I can pull them.

    Seb.
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  • Profile picture of the author carloszeb
    Kindle IS indeed a great way to make money if you know how to use it, great post!
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  • Profile picture of the author Publisher1953
    Like most things in the IM world, the marketing hype and actual substance diverge for most (but the model works well for a few). Just as AdSense opened the doors to "publishing" (and indirect advertising sales to millions, Kindle and self-publishing models have created opportunities to write and publish books for "everyone," not just the few who could find an agent and a real publisher to take things forward.

    Like the OP, I've achieved some success with self-published books. My first book, available in hard cover (print on demand) and as an e-book volume (through Kindle and all other distributors -- check out smashwords.com for a cheap and easy way to market if you want to get to places like the Apple IStore and Barnes and Noble) generates a couple of hundred dollars in sales a month. Thinking I could replicate this success, I agreed to publish a consultant's book. After proofing, design and production costs, we sold over two years, five books. (Fortunately, the consultant reimbursed my costs.) A third e-book for my specialized niche, on social media marketing techniques, that sells for $5.00 online, has generated about $200 in revenue over six months.

    I'm not complaining. The first volume certainly has been successful, resulting in some really profitable spin-off business and ongoing sales offline. I know of some peers in my specialized niche who have also achieved meaningful results, but none of us are planning to quit our day jobs just yet.

    There are overnight successes out there, but by the time the masses start chasing the dream, you are (following the basic marketing principals of achieving success by being first) the results may be less-than-overwhelming for most.

    Should you still self-publish? Sure, go ahead. But think about quality, don't restrict yourself to Kindle (see the smashwords reference above) and remember that success here for most publishers will be incremental rather than life-changing.
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      Funny because when I wrote my first book, I had no marketing experience whatsoever. I figured its a great topic so everyone will want it.

      Even the title: Renovate For Profit was a rip off from Host4Profit.com.

      Luckily I had a very targeted magazine about real estate with a book store... which saved my ass.

      Biggest mistake was that I coined the title, but never trade marked it. Now many TV shows use that phrase.

      If I had my time over, I would use my marketing nous and make sure I had a list of targeted buyers ready etc.

      Whilst it wasn't a book, a great example of this was Armand Morin's country and western song where it got to #1 by sheer force of marketing as I recall.

      Sal



      Originally Posted by Publisher1953 View Post

      Like most things in the IM world, the marketing hype and actual substance diverge for most (but the model works well for a few). Just as AdSense opened the doors to "publishing" (and indirect advertising sales to millions, Kindle and self-publishing models have created opportunities to write and publish books for "everyone," not just the few who could find an agent and a real publisher to take things forward.

      Like the OP, I've achieved some success with self-published books. My first book, available in hard cover (print on demand) and as an e-book volume (through Kindle and all other distributors -- check out smashwords.com for a cheap and easy way to market if you want to get to places like the Apple IStore and Barnes and Noble) generates a couple of hundred dollars in sales a month. Thinking I could replicate this success, I agreed to publish a consultant's book. After proofing, design and production costs, we sold over two years, five books. (Fortunately, the consultant reimbursed my costs.) A third e-book for my specialized niche, on social media marketing techniques, that sells for $5.00 online, has generated about $200 in revenue over six months.

      I'm not complaining. The first volume certainly has been successful, resulting in some really profitable spin-off business and ongoing sales offline. I know of some peers in my specialized niche who have also achieved meaningful results, but none of us are planning to quit our day jobs just yet.

      There are overnight successes out there, but by the time the masses start chasing the dream, you are (following the basic marketing principals of achieving success by being first) the results may be less-than-overwhelming for most.

      Should you still self-publish? Sure, go ahead. But think about quality, don't restrict yourself to Kindle (see the smashwords reference above) and remember that success here for most publishers will be incremental rather than life-changing.
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  • Profile picture of the author sal64
    Hey great comments and invaluable input. I wanted to spark a discussion because I believe it is one that should be had.

    I do not for one second dispute that it's bout the marketing. But on any given day, a well marketed good book will always outsell a well marketed lemon.

    I can only speculate that if your book sucks, all you need are one or two bad reviews to make it sink. That's the difference between kindle and say selling an ebook on your own site. On your site you can choose to not publish any negative feed back.

    Secondly, I am not saying that you cannot make money from Kindle, but like anything, it isn't as easy as some will have you believe.

    Finally, I agree that marketing is important. So let me ask you a rhetorical question...

    If people cannot market other products on line like their own ebooks etc... why would their results be any different with kindle?

    Sal
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

      If people cannot market other products on line like their own ebooks etc... why would their results be any different with kindle?

      Sal

      Simply because the marketplace is so big and its customers are committed buyers, a lot of poorly marketed books will continue to see a few sales.
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      • Profile picture of the author sal64
        Originally Posted by tpw View Post

        Simply because the marketplace is so big and its customers are committed buyers, a lot of poorly marketed books will continue to see a few sales.
        LOL a few sales isnt exactly killing it or crushing it... or whatever hyperbole some people attach to it.

        Sal
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    • Profile picture of the author cashcow
      Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

      If people cannot market other products on line like their own ebooks etc... why would their results be any different with kindle?
      I think you hit the nail on the head with that question. It used to be easier to make sales on there simply by putting the book up.

      But that was last year.

      Now there are more books, buyers are weary after buying junky crap books so it's not so easy anymore.

      I liken "The Kindle Craze" to the early days of websites. Remember when you could put up a traffic equalizer site and get traffic and be making money the next day? That was fun. But those days are gone, and soon the ability to just put a book on Kindle and make money will be gone too. It's already happening and over the next year the market will likely even out more.

      But, that's good news for people who want to work at publishing and marketing their books. Just like people who want to work at building and marketing good websites.
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  • Profile picture of the author GetRichMatrix
    I couldn't agree more.

    I have 3 books on Kindle as we speak, together they earn me between 1.000 and 3.000 USD in royalties every month.

    But it isn't easy.

    What I don't like about this new gold rush, is that a lot of hustlers are entering the market. They create books FOR THE MONEY, not for the readers.

    So it won't take long before the "Kindle slap" will come, and all of those who were not creating true, genuine content will be out. I can't wait for that to happen, to be honest, since of course some hustlers published books that are eating my profits. I've however already seen Amazon removing some of those books.

    If you write a book with the end-user in mind, the reader of your book, and not a dollar sign, you can make passive income with Kindle.
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      That's a fir comment. A little effort will go a long way. And therein lies the problem... the hustlers are also telling others that you can buck the system.

      It's similar to loading your blog with spinned articles. Your pages may get ranked, but the visitor experience is cr@p... so in the end it probably costs you more business than it brings in.

      Best to all,

      sal

      Originally Posted by GetRichMatrix View Post

      I couldn't agree more.

      I have 3 books on Kindle as we speak, together they earn me between 1.000 and 3.000 USD in royalties every month.

      But it isn't easy.

      What I don't like about this new gold rush, is that a lot of hustlers are entering the market. They create books FOR THE MONEY, not for the readers.

      So it won't take long before the "Kindle slap" will come, and all of those who were not creating true, genuine content will be out. I can't wait for that to happen, to be honest, since of course some hustlers published books that are eating my profits. I've however already seen Amazon removing some of those books.

      If you write a book with the end-user in mind, the reader of your book, and not a dollar sign, you can make passive income with Kindle.
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  • Profile picture of the author J Bold
    I believe the "Kindle slap," as GetRichMatrix said, has already been happening.

    Occasionally they do something big in order to try and keep quality and honestly in their marketplace, and they don't always get it right (for instance the removal in recent times of tons of completely legitimate reviews that were removed along with many bought and incentivized reviews of Kindle books). But I suppose the core of Amazon's intent is exactly where it should be.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kbunny
    I have been meaning to post something on here about that, so I'm glad I came upon this thread.

    I got a product called Amazon Money Machine that was very high end and expensive and hyped to the gills. I also got lesser products like the Kindle Cash Machine.

    I'm a bestselling author already with an agent, big publisher -- the old model.

    I followed -step-by-step what the Amazon Money Machine said to do. Releasing 3 ebooks, referred to each in the other, priced what they said. My books are KILLING it, in top 20 in several categories each one.

    BUT I'm making -- at most -- a couple of extra grand a month. Not bad, but certainly not MILLIONS.

    So, if you get these products, don't expect to make gazillions off Kindle. I'm a test case -- big following, popular subject, already-established who is finding success but the money does not come from Kindle. It's great to use for LEADS, new folks finding out about your work and products. It has really infused my business with new life.

    But in terms of making 6 figures or millions off Kindle alone-- can't see it happening unless you become a phenomenon on a grand scale.

    I think that if you were going to become an amazon affiliate, selling high ticket stuff that perhaps THAT part of the Amazon Money Machine would reap more rewards. If you do the percentages and the pricing, you see the volume wouldn't have to be as much.

    I like the material, and the help, but the hype -- the overpromising -- is IMMENSE. I would probably not spend the money and time I did to get this up and running if I'd known the rewards were so much less than promised.

    Just my .02 but I've seen this question posed before, and wanted to report in, because if anyone is set up to make millions from Kindle, it would be me.
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    • Profile picture of the author midnight peacewave
      Originally Posted by Kbunny View Post

      I have been meaning to post something on here about that, so I'm glad I came upon this thread.

      I got a product called Amazon Money Machine that was very high end and expensive and hyped to the gills. I also got lesser products like the Kindle Cash Machine.

      I'm a bestselling author already with an agent, big publisher -- the old model.

      I followed -step-by-step what the Amazon Money Machine said to do. Releasing 3 ebooks, referred to each in the other, priced what they said. My books are KILLING it, in top 20 in several categories each one.

      BUT I'm making -- at most -- a couple of extra grand a month. Not bad, but certainly not MILLIONS.

      So, if you get these products, don't expect to make gazillions off Kindle. I'm a test case -- big following, popular subject, already-established who is finding success but the money does not come from Kindle. It's great to use for LEADS, new folks finding out about your work and products. It has really infused my business with new life.

      But in terms of making 6 figures or millions off Kindle alone-- can't see it happening unless you become a phenomenon on a grand scale.

      I think that if you were going to become an amazon affiliate, selling high ticket stuff that perhaps THAT part of the Amazon Money Machine would reap more rewards. If you do the percentages and the pricing, you see the volume wouldn't have to be as much.

      I like the material, and the help, but the hype -- the overpromising -- is IMMENSE. I would probably not spend the money and time I did to get this up and running if I'd known the rewards were so much less than promised.

      Just my .02 but I've seen this question posed before, and wanted to report in, because if anyone is set up to make millions from Kindle, it would be me.
      thank you for your experience and sharing it. i have just had a reality check!
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      • Profile picture of the author sal64
        Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

        I have a question regarding IM books... is it there any criteria to know when to go the publishing platforms route, or when to go the older routes like clickbank, jczoo, etc?

        I just finished a step by step with the publishing process (the mobi way), and I really don´t know what to do with it...

        The first logical answer is: do everything. But the typical price ranges are very different.
        Sandra, it's really up to you. This guide is not related to your book. Just wondering if it would be of value to publish it in your native language? I would assume that there is a market for this given that Spanish is the 2nd biggest language in the USA.

        Bottom line is that you have to decide which direction you want to go in because doing one takes away from the other. Follow your passion.

        Originally Posted by midnight peacewave View Post

        thank you for your experience and sharing it. i have just had a reality check!
        There you go... it's not just me. The reality for most is that you don't make a lot of money selling books. I found a great article which I will dig out and post the link.

        Print books have a very short shelf life. I'd be interested if there were similar stats available for kindle books.

        There are 2 major benefits for kindle as far as I can see...

        1- it is a low point entry for would be authors. Very inexpensive. So this attracts a lot of people from IM. Now if your IM product isn't making money, then a book certainly won't unless it is good and is used as a gateway for selling the IM version.

        2- Instant access to a 24/7 book store.

        Best of success to all!

        Sal
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        • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
          Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

          Sandra, it's really up to you. This guide is not related to your book. Just wondering if it would be of value to publish it in your native language? I would assume that there is a market for this given that Spanish is the 2nd biggest language in the USA.

          Bottom line is that you have to decide which direction you want to go in because doing one takes away from the other. Follow your passion.
          Yes, I will start releasing Spanish versions as well. I will setup the site first, and then.. well, see what I do. I´m already having some ideas.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    GREAT discussion and that you for making the OP.

    -Kindle is an awesome, inexpensive way to test if there is a market for your book. If you have aspirations to have real book published - which I hope you do - then kindle is the answer. when I wrote my first book, I paid $13k for a print run of 10,000 books. Luckily, they sold and most times I sold them wholesale for $5 to $15 per book. but it could just as easily flopped and I would have been stuck with a garage full of books and a $13k debt.
    +1000! I completely concur with this. It's a way to test a market, but it's also a great way to generate leads in some markets.

    I love the Kindle platform and have just begun to scratch the surface of it's potential. There are definitely many different angles one can approach this platform. I'm also looking at other platforms such as the Nook at BN.com, uploading audio at iTunes, etc.

    The Kindle platform is also a great way to generate leads, opt-ins, etc. not just sales. I'm testing the waters by writing a bunch of shorter, very topic-specific e-books and the early results are very encouraging. I'll be joining Bryan Kumar's Kindle club very soon, that one sounds like a no-brainer to me.

    I think once people get a grip on the reality of what it takes to start and maintain a business, they will eventually (and hopefully) lose the "magic bullet" mindset and realize that is takes effective content and marketing to make it on platforms such as this.

    RoD
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      I couldn't agree more Rod.

      It saddens me that people are promoting it as the next magic bullet.. because to many, it ain't.

      You have to sell a helluva lot more books to make the same roi as a standard ebook on CB.

      What I like about kindle is that it gets you highly targeted traffic. But like anything else, you need a decent back end for the pay off.

      I am in the process of writing a report on the same strategy you have outlined. My focus will be on th writing side of things as opposed to the strategy itself.

      Sal

      Originally Posted by Rod Cortez View Post

      GREAT discussion and that you for making the OP.

      +1000! I completely concur with this. It's a way to test a market, but it's also a great way to generate leads in some markets.

      I love the Kindle platform and have just begun to scratch the surface of it's potential. There are definitely many different angles one can approach this platform. I'm also looking at other platforms such as the Nook at BN.com, uploading audio at iTunes, etc.

      The Kindle platform is also a great way to generate leads, opt-ins, etc. not just sales. I'm testing the waters by writing a bunch of shorter, very topic-specific e-books and the early results are very encouraging. I'll be joining Bryan Kumar's Kindle club very soon, that one sounds like a no-brainer to me.

      I think once people get a grip on the reality of what it takes to start and maintain a business, they will eventually (and hopefully) lose the "magic bullet" mindset and realize that is takes effective content and marketing to make it on platforms such as this.

      RoD
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      • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
        Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

        I couldn't agree more Rod.

        It saddens me that people are promoting it as the next magic bullet.. because to many, it ain't.

        You have to sell a helluva lot more books to make the same roi as a standard ebook on CB.

        What I like about kindle is that it gets you highly targeted traffic. But like anything else, you need a decent back end for the pay off.

        I am in the process of writing a report on the same strategy you have outlined. My focus will be on th writing side of things as opposed to the strategy itself.

        Sal
        I have a question regarding IM books... is it there any criteria to know when to go the publishing platforms route, or when to go the older routes like clickbank, jczoo, etc?

        I just finished a step by step with the publishing process (the mobi way), and I really don´t know what to do with it...

        The first logical answer is: do everything. But the typical price ranges are very different.
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  • Profile picture of the author kencalhn
    kindle = lead gen value

    hey what's the best / top 2-3 'how to publish on kindle' tips courses, anyone (for us veteran/ advanced marketers?)
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    • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
      Originally Posted by kencalhn View Post

      kindle = lead gen value

      hey what's the best / top 2-3 'how to publish on kindle' tips courses, anyone (for us veteran/ advanced marketers?)
      Ken, the way to go here is Bryan Kumar's Kindle Club, you'll find the link on the main page that lists all the subforums under "private forums". The material in there is on par, if not better, than courses that have cost me 5x as much.

      There are some decent courses in the War Room too, just do a keyword search (I see that you're a member), but they aren't as comprehensive.

      RoD
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
      Originally Posted by kencalhn View Post

      kindle = lead gen value

      hey what's the best / top 2-3 'how to publish on kindle' tips courses, anyone (for us veteran/ advanced marketers?)
      Yes, it's excellent for that without a doubt. Some authors focus on the traditional process (while publishing on the Kindle) but in the past year, I've seen many more small biz people who are not "traditional authors" publish on the Kindle to not only get leads but also build authority as well.

      Works great!
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  • Profile picture of the author +newportone
    thanks, good advice
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  • Profile picture of the author sal64
    That's awesome, Sandra!

    Good job.

    Sal
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  • Profile picture of the author kencalhn
    thanks guys for the recommendation; I just joined per your recommendations; I know both of you are good guys -- thx for the tip; hadn't even heard of it til this thread, but am keen to start publishing on kindle, since I've published so much in my industry already. looks like a thriving community w/useful reports and tips... exactly what i was looking for
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  • Profile picture of the author Cyberdog1
    Disclosure: I have not yet released a book on Kindle
    You offer all this wonderful advice but have never actually published to Kindle - Ummm, sorry but I think I'll take your 'experiences' with a grain of salt
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  • Profile picture of the author AnneE
    I would agree that Kindle as a money-making platform is over-hyped, just like most "make money online" options are overhyped. Yes, you can make money with Kindle and I think the percent of people who publish on Kindle and end up with a profit is MUCH higher than many other venues because the investment with Kindle is very modest. But I can believe that many people are disappointed with how much money they earn after hearing other people talk about earning hundreds or thousands of dollars each month with little or no promotion.

    I have purchased several products in the last couple years that undelivered on sales letter expectations. If they cost more than $27 and I gave the products a sincere effort to use successfully, I always ask for a refund. A less expensive purchase I'm not going to worry about, but whenever someone is selling products where the sales letter implies, yes, you are going to spend a lot, but soon you will be making a lot -- and then I'm not, I submit (and so far have always received) a refund. Unless people call others on the carpet for the product not living up to the expectations that a sales letter set, then we will continue to get overhyped sales letter and be disappointed in our results. It's easy for people to get discouraged and feel either that something is wrong with them that they earn so little or that the world of online marketing is filled with big fat liars.

    One thing I will say for Kindle sales is that it's not unusual for earnings to gradually build. I was extremely disappointed with my first few months of Kindle sales, but am seeing strong steady growth in sales overall, even as individual titles have big sales peaks and valleys. My Kindle income is 3 figures per month... can I get it to 4 figures per month? Only time will tell. And it's not my only source of income.
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  • Profile picture of the author sal64
    Very valid Anne.

    Thing is...

    The approach to authoring, kindle etc is whole lot different from the other side of the fence (industry) compared to the IM world.

    So in our world we get people who have one success and build a product around it that promises you can do the same. Which is a shame. But that's what sells in this industry.

    The other problem is that people churn out garbage books and wonder why they don't sell.

    I learnt years ago that book promo involves skilled work and good marketing, so as stated above, if you are no good at selling info products online then chances are that Kindle won't be your saviour.

    Best of success,

    Sal
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