Tips for Kindle Publishers (or anyone who wants to be one)

219 replies
It seems everywhere I look people are asking questions about Kindle. How about we spend some time sharing tips instead?

I've been doing Kindle publishing for about 8 months now. At one point I had around 100 books on there. I ended up selling the Kindle portion of my business because of some unexpected medical bills, but I've been taking all of the knowledge I learned from the experience and using it to rebuild.

I've learned a lot and want to share a few tips with you and I hope others will join in!

  • Don't use PLR for your Kindle books. Sooner or later Amazon will taken down your books and you could lose your account.
  • Take the time to put together a high quality book. Buyers WILL leave bad reviews and/or return your book for things like spelling errors, bad flow, or bad information.
  • Get a great cover. You want something eye-catching and professional looking. Avoid 3D covers for Kindle. I order my covers from Fiverr but I had to hire 15 different designers before I found one I liked.
  • Get an editor or proofreader. This goes along with the high quality part. Even if you outsource the book, I highly suggest hiring someone to proofread for you.
  • Spend time researching topics that sell well. Look at the best sellers.
  • Test different price points. I used to sell all of my books for $2.99 because they are shorter books, but after some testing I found that quite a few of them sold BETTER at $4.99!
  • Advertise off of Amazon. This isn't necessary, but it helps a lot! I always share mine on Twitter and Facebook. I also do press releases when I put out new books. I even set up a niche site because I had been releasing a lot of books in one niche and started building a list from the site. Now I have a mailing list to promote my books to whenever I release a new one!
That is all for now. I'll come back and post some more tips, but before that I would love to hear what kind of tips others can share!
#kindle #publishers #tips
  • Profile picture of the author MackSell
    hi Amanda,Just thinking to start kindle business,Thanks for the Tips.
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by David Watson View Post

      hi Amanda,Just thinking to start kindle business,Thanks for the Tips.
      Just thinking? What is holding you back? Maybe I can help!
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      • Profile picture of the author MackSell
        Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

        Just thinking? What is holding you back? Maybe I can help!
        I am complete noob in this field but I heard from various Imarketers that there is a lot of money in this business.
        Can you suggest me a good mentor or coach who can give 1 on 1 coaching in Kindle Business.
        Thanks
        David
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        • Profile picture of the author magiclouie
          Originally Posted by David Watson View Post

          I am complete noob in this field but I heard from various Imarketers that there is a lot of money in this business.
          Can you suggest me a good mentor or coach who can give 1 on 1 coaching in Kindle Business.
          Thanks
          David
          Hello David,

          I know a course that covers about Kindle.

          Have you heard of the Money Machine Login by any chance? They have a particular module that explains and walks you through about Kindle.

          They have modules as well about Drop-Shipping and PL & Wholesale.

          Hope that helps!

          Cheers,
          Louie Tugas
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      • Profile picture of the author Cee
        I'm in the process of writing my first ebook so this advice comes at the right time. Thanks for sharing these tips and hope your relaunch is a success!
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  • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
    I haven't seen any one on one mentors but there are tons of great products and tons of free information out there!
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    Great advice Amanda - actually thats more information than I've seen in some WSO's!

    I love your advice on getting an editor - can't stress that enough. I consider myself to be a pretty decent writer and didn't have an editor for my first couple of books. Guess what? Someone found a few spelling errors and gave me a bad review for it! They are brutal about that stuff over there so it pays to make sure your book is edited and formatted correctly.

    Another thing that I have been doing is publishing my books in paperback on Createspace. You have to have a good size book for this - at least 100 pages - otherwise the book is too thin and customers will be disappointed when they get it.

    One of mine is 200 pages so it makes a nice paperback and I sell about one of those a day plus it seems to have increased the sales of my kindle version.

    If you already have the book made, then getting it on createspace is just a matter of some formatting and a cover and you can make some extra money!

    Lee
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    • Profile picture of the author Geolina
      Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

      Great advice Amanda - actually thats more information than I've seen in some WSO's!

      I love your advice on getting an editor - can't stress that enough. I consider myself to be a pretty decent writer and didn't have an editor for my first couple of books. Guess what? Someone found a few spelling errors and gave me a bad review for it! They are brutal about that stuff over there so it pays to make sure your book is edited and formatted correctly.
      I totally agree with this! I have two books published (as "real" books - still back at the times before Kindle and Co.) and about one third of the entire work was the editing part after the book was written. I also consider myself a decent writer, but I was absolutely shocked about the amount of spelling and grammar errors my lector found - it was quite embarrassing!

      But then - when I buy a book there is nothing that puts me off more than bad writing! So it is absolutely essential to let your text proofread.

      I love the possibility Kindle gives writers though - no need to go hunting for an editorial anymore!
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  • Profile picture of the author TDogger
    The first step is that you need to learn how to become a good writer or you need to have good story ideas and can hire a good ghost writer. Poorly written books will never do well for very long on Amazon. I've seen several Kindle books that looked good with the cover design and description, but were slaughtered in the user reviews.

    Good advice, Amanda.

    Where are the best places to find good editors?
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

      Great advice Amanda - actually thats more information than I've seen in some WSO's!

      I love your advice on getting an editor - can't stress that enough. I consider myself to be a pretty decent writer and didn't have an editor for my first couple of books. Guess what? Someone found a few spelling errors and gave me a bad review for it! They are brutal about that stuff over there so it pays to make sure your book is edited and formatted correctly.

      Another thing that I have been doing is publishing my books in paperback on Createspace. You have to have a good size book for this - at least 100 pages - otherwise the book is too thin and customers will be disappointed when they get it.

      One of mine is 200 pages so it makes a nice paperback and I sell about one of those a day plus it seems to have increased the sales of my kindle version.

      If you already have the book made, then getting it on createspace is just a matter of some formatting and a cover and you can make some extra money!

      Lee
      I totally agree about createspace. Most of my books are short, quick guides so I don't post them on createspace, but I always post my longer ones up there. It also feels great to have a paperback copy of a book you wrote. (They made amazing gifts for my family!)

      Originally Posted by TDogger View Post

      The first step is that you need to learn how to become a good writer or you need to have good story ideas and can hire a good ghost writer. Poorly written books will never do well for very long on Amazon. I've seen several Kindle books that looked good with the cover design and description, but were slaughtered in the user reviews.

      Good advice, Amanda.

      Where are the best places to find good editors?
      There are a few swimming around in the Warriors for Hire section. You could also try oDesk but you will have to be very particular to make sure you actually get a high quality editor.

      I managed to find one that I keep on staff now... they edit everything for me now, from blog posts to ebooks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mbullard
    Those are all good tips. There's a lot more when it comes to marketing your book, but those are all very solid points to start with.

    Createspace not only helps with your business credibility, it also helps sell more books - Kindle and paperback alike. Having a paperback book for sale on amazon, right there along with your kindle version will cause people to psychologically value your book higher than, say, just a Kindle book of another title. Also, having a paperback lets you cover more amazon real estate. Your book can come up in results twice. And, I don't know why, I'm selling more paperbacks than kindle books.

    You have to be sure you know what you need in terms of an editor. A lot of times, you only need a proofreader instead. Proofreaders will go through the book looking for grammatical and sentence structure errors. Editors may proofread as well as change content in your book; among other things. You should be able to get a proofreader cheaper than an editor.

    I do 1 on 1 mentoring/book publishing for self publishers.
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    • Profile picture of the author ocflyfish
      Just wanted to add my 2 cents.

      1. Good quality content is essential. Don't believe any of the hype that PLR can be rewritten and used as new.
      2. You should probably be an expert or at least have some experience in the niche you are selling into. Nothing is more painful then reading a book in which it's apparent the author has no clue about what they are talking about.
      3. Get an editor/proof-reader. I've had a relationship with mine for 12 years now and it's invaluable. A second set of eyes is so important!
      4. Get a killer book cover on Fiverr. You will probably have to lose some money on ones that don't look right but keep working at it until you find a good artist. Mine doesn't even advertise his book covers any more!
      5. Make sure you nail the formatting and TOC correctly. I've seen many great books suffer from 1 & 2 star reviews because they didn't pay attention to this area.
      If you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer.

      Thanks,
      Bryan
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      Frustrated and confused about Kindle formatting?

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      • Profile picture of the author denislav12
        Yes, how do you decide on a niche? I see that the top 100 bestsellers list is mostly fiction..
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  • Profile picture of the author ttdub
    What is a good length to make a book valued at 2.99? Just curious, as I've been thinking about doing this as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shaper
    Great thread!
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  • Profile picture of the author Amy Harrop
    Another one: make full use of your About the Author page on Amazon....they give you free marketing tools, so use them!
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      If you have related books, add a page listing them. This seems to work better with series fiction, but if you are writing for the obsessed niches (think golf and other hobbies with rabid followers), you might be surprised.
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  • Profile picture of the author WriterWahm
    I haven't published anything on Kindle but I have interviewed a couple of bestsellers in the romantic fiction niche and this is what I got from them:

    1. Give the readers what they want to read. This is not hard to figure out, just look at the Top 100 list; a great example in the romantic fiction genre is the current obsession with paranormal romance, I guess we can thank the Twilight saga for that.

    2. Always ALWAYS give killer content. Your book should be one that will have the readers raving because you need them raving so they can leave fantastic reviews for you.

    3. Give them the complete experience. Don't take a single story and break it into 5 different stories simply because you want to charge more from your readers. This is particularly relevant in fiction writing. You can write series, yes; but make each one a complete reading experience for the buyer.

    4. Nail it with the Cover. I'm a buyer and each time, the cover is what makes me decide whether I'm going to click to find out more or not.

    5. Build your platform. You should start this as soon as you start thinking you might want to publish a book. Don't wait till you're already published...get networking; build a blog and relate with other bloggers in your genre.

    There's so much more when it comes to being a successful publisher on Kindle but I hope these help someone.
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  • Profile picture of the author Viramara
    Great advice, Amanda . Okay hate me, but I'm glad that Amazon kicks the publishers that upload the PLR's to Kindle -- that would make this precious marketplace flooded with crap! (sorry for shouting). I've been writing for magazines before I jumped to IM, both fiction and non-fiction, and quality is a MUST if you want to make money in the far longer term.

    I think another tips are :

    1. give your reader a sample.

    2. make a short sales letter in your blog about your book. not that kind of hard selling, but more of informative article on what this book can do + testimonials from free review.

    3. Involve in a writers community. I joined one in my country, and got tremendous value from it : from writing tips, senior mentors, and people who were willing to be proofreader for my work and giving feedback - all for free of charge. These were the same people who would charge you $$ if you're outside the community. Even if you're doing Kindle for "internet marketing", it indirectly makes you a writer too. Okay, unless you hire a ghostwriter for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mbullard
    Here's some other marketing methods that work. I seen positive results from most of these. Haven't done blog tour yet.

    1. Press releases for your book.
    2. Blog Tour
    3. FB Ads (or other PPC)
    4. Amazon Reviews
    5. KDP Select
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    • Profile picture of the author socialmassmedia
      Originally Posted by Mbullard View Post

      Here's some other marketing methods that work. I seen positive results from most of these. Haven't done blog tour yet.

      1. Press releases for your book.
      2. Blog Tour
      3. FB Ads (or other PPC)
      4. Amazon Reviews
      5. KDP Select
      Hi I have got a kindle ebook published a few months back and it makes on average 2-3 sales per week with no advertising just on the strength of my reviews plus me doing my keyword research well in the first place. I made sure that my keyword phrase was within book title, the description of ebook and of course the keywords itself for the ebook.

      Now I would like to know from your tips above how well the fb ads actually worked for you, what sort of roi are you getting, care to share your niche?

      Thanks Hamed
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  • Profile picture of the author colinph970
    Never believe that the cheaper the price the better since it's not actually true.
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by ttdub View Post

      What is a good length to make a book valued at 2.99? Just curious, as I've been thinking about doing this as well.
      Most of mine are around 3000-5000 words for that price point.

      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      If you have related books, add a page listing them. This seems to work better with series fiction, but if you are writing for the obsessed niches (think golf and other hobbies with rabid followers), you might be surprised.
      This is very important, as well as a link to a Facebook page or website if you have one for your books. It helps you build your brand and develop a readership.

      Originally Posted by Marianne Gonne View Post

      Great tips, Amanda. I especially agree with the need for an editor and proper formatting.

      I'm a professional editor, and I've hired a colleague to copy-edit the books I'm about to publish on Kindle. There's a zero-tolerance attitude to errors with Amazon buyers (unlike the usual IM arenas!).

      With that in mind, I thought it might be helpful to quickly explain the difference between a proofreader, copy-editor and editor.

      A proofreader will check for grammar, punctuation, spelling, typos, page numbers, consistencies.

      A copy-editor does all that and will also improve style, formatting and accuracy (fact-checking, etc.).

      An editor is a notch above a copy-editor, and will (significantly) improve the substance of your manuscript - sometimes entirely rewriting it (just ask Jeffrey Archer ).
      Thanks for the info. I suppose my editor would be a copy-editor/proofreader. He makes sure there are no grammar errors, makes sure everything flows right, and all of that good stuff.
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      • Profile picture of the author geom2000
        -great tips very valuable
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  • Profile picture of the author piney94
    Great thread.

    My issue - I can't find any good info on putting images within a Kindle publication. I am using MS Word and I have my image running along the sides. I know to save the file as a webpage, but when converted to Kindle content - it doesn't translate - images are all messed up. I don't need help with the cover - that is easy. But inner images - there is not a lot of documentation out there. Any help? Thanks!
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    • Profile picture of the author pierrebenoit
      Jpeg picture is Ok.
      I had great success with picture between 400 to 600 px.
      The kindle resize picture less than 350pixel
      I use Calibre to format Word doc to Kindle
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    • Profile picture of the author eternalwarrior
      Originally Posted by piney94 View Post

      Great thread.

      My issue - I can't find any good info on putting images within a Kindle publication. I am using MS Word and I have my image running along the sides. I know to save the file as a webpage, but when converted to Kindle content - it doesn't translate - images are all messed up. I don't need help with the cover - that is easy. But inner images - there is not a lot of documentation out there. Any help? Thanks!
      Hey, I have faced the similar situation with MS Word. Use sigil A WYSIWYG ebook editor. You can get it form sigil - A WYSIWYG ebook editor. - Google Project Hosting
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  • Profile picture of the author cashtree
    What is PLR?
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by piney94 View Post

      Great thread.

      My issue - I can't find any good info on putting images within a Kindle publication. I am using MS Word and I have my image running along the sides. I know to save the file as a webpage, but when converted to Kindle content - it doesn't translate - images are all messed up. I don't need help with the cover - that is easy. But inner images - there is not a lot of documentation out there. Any help? Thanks!
      Make sure your pictures are in .jpg format. I've never had any issue adding images to my Kindle books unless they are in the wrong format.

      Originally Posted by cashtree View Post

      What is PLR?
      PLR stands for Private Label Rights. It comes in many formats including articles, ebooks, audios, and more. Basically, someone creates a PLR product and sells it to many people. Those people can then use the product in any way they wish including selling it as is or editing it to create a new product.
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  • Profile picture of the author brownmarketing1
    Enjoyed reading the thread. Just starting to look at Kindle and this is helpful.
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    • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
      Great idea for a thread Amanda. I hope I'm not being redundant, but I wanted to remind everyone that Amazon has updated their requirements, including the need for the Kindle Navigation system code to go along with the active TOC.

      I know I'll get there, but right now the whole process seems like quite a lot to learn and get through to upload and sell books.

      I certainly agree that it is important to have someone else recheck your work who is capable to help you. From some of the reviews I've seen placed on some books, sharp and caustic commenting might eventually become a new Olympic sport because it is so popular.
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      • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
        Originally Posted by AprilCT View Post

        Great idea for a thread Amanda. I hope I'm not being redundant, but I wanted to remind everyone that Amazon has updated their requirements, including the need for the Kindle Navigation system code to go along with the active TOC.

        I know I'll get there, but right now the whole process seems like quite a lot to learn and get through to upload and sell books.

        I certainly agree that it is important to have someone else recheck your work who is capable to help you. From some of the reviews I've seen placed on some books, sharp and caustic commenting might eventually become a new Olympic sport because it is so popular.
        Thanks for that.

        On that note, ALWAYS make sure you have a clickable table of contents... I have seen so many great books get 2 or 3 star reviews because they didn't add a clickable table of contents.
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  • Profile picture of the author menj
    This is very helpful to me...I will definitely have to start on a book project. Thanks for the tips!
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Yeah definitely don't use PLR as your Kindle products. I know a fellow who got his account and products closed because of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author carolf
    Why you need self esteem eBook: Carol Finlayson:...Why you need self esteem eBook: Carol Finlayson:...
    I would so appreciate feedback esp about the cover. I use 3d on my website but you might be right about not using 3d on kindle.

    Di Heuser from the forum did all the formating for Kindle and she is simply awesome at this stuff
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  • Profile picture of the author Napoleon Solo
    This is a great thread. I've had some success with my Kindle books, with one being especially successful and reaching the number 1 position in a couple of categories. What I do find difficult is keeping the momentum going concerning sales. As time goes by the sales slowly decrease to only a handful as more competition comes along.

    Does anyone have ideas for keeping the momentum going a bit longer? I always enroll in the KDP Select and have used their promotions to good effect, but I find the second time I use the promotion it becomes far less effective. I guess one part of this depends on how competitive the niche is, but I would be interested if anyone has any other ideas for reinvigorating sales or is it just best to move on and concentrate on publishing new titles?

    I like the idea of press releases and using a proofreader/editor is also a great suggestion. Thanks.
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    • Profile picture of the author TheAtHomeCouple
      You have to continue advertising - that's all there is to it!

      Build an active Facebook page, blog, run ads, press releases, whatever you have to do to keep the sales coming in. Even better, take some of your profits and hire a company/person to manage your marketing/PR campaign for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Heidi White
    Three Tips:

    1. If you've gone to the trouble of writing a book... don't limit yourself to Kindle.

    If your book is long enough (100+ pages) consider a hard copy version by self-publishing on Createspace.

    After that, look into other distribution channels including Smashwords, ePubit, and MYO.

    2. Think long and hard before enrolling in KDP Select:

    Don't enroll in KDP Select without weighing the pros and cons. Biggest con right now - you can't distribute in other channels while you wait for KDP Select to expire and if you aren't careful - the 90 day term will turn into a 180 day term - because 'as a courtesy' Amazon will auto re-enroll you into their KDP Select program at the end of the first 90 days.

    Also, giving away free books doesn't necessarily improve your sales or rankings (in the long run)...so, being locked into that program for 180 days (if you don't opt-out of auto enroll) could be beneficial for Amazon but not for you.

    3. Join writing groups, master mind Facebook and Skype and G+ groups, and forums for writers. Writing is a lonely business and some groups can help you with everything from writing techniques to editing to marketing suggestions.
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    • Profile picture of the author Social Media Ava
      Don't skip out on your description! Write a detailed synopsis and provide the reader with as much information as possible. Consider the things you want to know before you purchase an ebook, fiction book, or WSO online. Include chapters or a good handful of topics covered in your book.

      I second what Amanda said about TOCs. Must have!

      Use a page at the end of your book to promote your other ebooks, ebooks written by friends/contacts, or even sell a couple advertising links to other's products. Don't do too much...just a couple suggestions...NO affiliate links!

      Here's my repertoire of Kindle Publishing links that got me started:

      Delicious.com - Discover Yourself!

      I also found Zoe Winters' book Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author extremely helpful and entertaining to read....plus it's under $5!
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by Heidi White View Post

      2. Think long and hard before enrolling in KDP Select:

      Don't enroll in KDP Select without weighing the pros and cons. Biggest con right now - you can't distribute in other channels while you wait for KDP Select to expire and if you aren't careful - the 90 day term will turn into a 180 day term - because 'as a courtesy' Amazon will auto re-enroll you into their KDP Select program at the end of the first 90 days.

      Also, giving away free books doesn't necessarily improve your sales or rankings (in the long run)...so, being locked into that program for 180 days (if you don't opt-out of auto enroll) could be beneficial for Amazon but not for you.

      3. Join writing groups, master mind Facebook and Skype and G+ groups, and forums for writers. Writing is a lonely business and some groups can help you with everything from writing techniques to editing to marketing suggestions.
      For low priced books, as in $4.99 and under, I always enroll them in KDP Select for the first 90 days. I use those free days to get some reviews on my books.

      What I do is edit my book immediately after publishing it and upload an edited version where I link to the book's page within the book asking people to review it.
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      • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
        What I do is edit my book immediately after publishing it and upload an edited version where I like to the book's page within the book asking people to review it.
        I read this four times without understanding it. Then the light dawned. I believe you mean:

        What I do is edit my book immediately after publishing it and upload an edited version where I LINK to the book's page within the book asking people to review it.
        Yes?

        Marcia Yudkin
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      • Profile picture of the author sanhal
        Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

        For low priced books, as in $4.99 and under, I always enroll them in KDP Select for the first 90 days. I use those free days to get some reviews on my books.

        What I do is edit my book immediately after publishing it and upload an edited version where I link to the book's page within the book asking people to review it.
        Hi Amanda

        I have just found this interesting thread as I was searching for ways to get reviews for my Kindle book which I have just published. Wish I had seen this into first!

        Can you explain a bit more about editing and uploading an edited version.
        How much of it do you edit and where do you upload it to for people to review?

        thanks

        Sandy
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      • Profile picture of the author danemorgan
        Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

        What I do is edit my book immediately after publishing it and upload an edited version where I link to the book's page within the book asking people to review it.
        The reason for this work flow is that it must be published in order to know what the link is correct?

        Do you have any sense that using a redirect from your own website would reduce CTR on this?
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    • Profile picture of the author PublishingMadeEz
      Originally Posted by Heidi White View Post

      Three Tips:

      1. If you've gone to the trouble of writing a book... don't limit yourself to Kindle.

      If your book is long enough (100+ pages) consider a hard copy version by self-publishing on Createspace.

      After that, look into other distribution channels including Smashwords, ePubit, and MYO.

      2. Think long and hard before enrolling in KDP Select:

      Don't enroll in KDP Select without weighing the pros and cons. Biggest con right now - you can't distribute in other channels while you wait for KDP Select to expire and if you aren't careful - the 90 day term will turn into a 180 day term - because 'as a courtesy' Amazon will auto re-enroll you into their KDP Select program at the end of the first 90 days.

      Also, giving away free books doesn't necessarily improve your sales or rankings (in the long run)...so, being locked into that program for 180 days (if you don't opt-out of auto enroll) could be beneficial for Amazon but not for you.

      3. Join writing groups, master mind Facebook and Skype and G+ groups, and forums for writers. Writing is a lonely business and some groups can help you with everything from writing techniques to editing to marketing suggestions.
      I completely agree! So many writers/publishers limit themselves to Kindle because it is the big player in the market. I have successfuly published to Nook via PubIt and in print via CreateSpace and the sales numbers while not as high as Kindle are still sales, plus it gives the buyer looking for your ebook options and to me options = sales.

      Regarding KDP Select - I tried it with a couple of my ebooks only to sit and wait for the 90 day period to pass so I could post them on B&N and CreateSpace. I have heard both pros and cons to this program but as you can tell I don't use it anymore because then I can offer the ebook on other websites including my own.

      Great post Heidi! Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author mmarkm
    Hi Amanda, good tips!! Know of any good ideas for getting reviews that won't violate Amazon's terms and conditions. I like the idea of gifting books to someone that will read and review in exchange for the same. I wonder if there are any takers for that sort of thing here on the Warrior Forum?
    53
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by mmarkm View Post

      Hi Amanda, good tips!! Know of any good ideas for getting reviews that won't violate Amazon's terms and conditions. I like the idea of gifting books to someone that will read and review in exchange for the same. I wonder if there are any takers for that sort of thing here on the Warrior Forum?
      53
      I review books for people all the time. I also contact blog owners in my niche and offer them free copies. As a bonus, most blog owners also tell their blog about the book after they review it!
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      • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
        When you have someone read your book and proof it for you prior to publication, are you also giving that person a chart of the characters in the book, their descriptions, personalities, relationships between them, etc. or just the draft of the book itself?

        I like to organize a chart of the book's characters, even small, seemingly insignificant ones, with meaningful information pertaining to each one of them, as well as their relationships is helpful to be sure my writing about them does not get off track. The chart builds up over time and is quite helpful when writing to review it to avoid mistakes.

        Perhaps an overview of your book with what you wanted to accomplish could also be helpful to an editor/proofreader.

        Before asking for editing/proofreading, you should read it over yourself two or three more times, run it through a spell check and something other than your document processor grammar checker so that the person you give it to can really concentrate more on the content you wrote than distractions to correct a lot of errors in spelling and grammar that should have been eliminated.
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        • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
          Originally Posted by AprilCT View Post

          When you have someone read your book and proof it for you prior to publication, are you also giving that person a chart of the characters in the book, their descriptions, personalities, relationships between them, etc. or just the draft of the book itself?

          I like to organize a chart of the book's characters, even small, seemingly insignificant ones, with meaningful information pertaining to each one of them, as well as their relationships is helpful to be sure my writing about them does not get off track. The chart builds up over time and is quite helpful when writing to review it to avoid mistakes.

          Perhaps an overview of your book with what you wanted to accomplish could also be helpful to an editor/proofreader.

          Before asking for editing/proofreading, you should read it over yourself two or three more times, run it through a spell check and something other than your document processor grammar checker so that the person you give it to can really concentrate more on the content you wrote than distractions to correct a lot of errors in spelling and grammar that should have been eliminated.
          For an actual editor rather than a proofreader, yes stuff like that will help. A book editor will make major edits for flow so they need to know what is most important.

          For proofreading, just a copy of the book is fine. Same for if you are only looking for light editing.

          Really, it depends on what you are looking for out of the experience, which you should talk to your editor about before hiring them!
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  • Profile picture of the author lindafulkerson
    Thanks so much for this thread! I'm going to go back through it and take notes. I have a self-pubbed nonfiction book that came out in 2003, and with all the Kindle craze I've been reading about, I've been wanting to re-release it in digital format. I appreciate everyone's input & suggestions!
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  • Profile picture of the author PsychoProfits
    Hi Amanda,

    How do you decide on your titles and subject matter?
    I want to know:
    (i) the keyphrases people are searching for in the MMO niche on Kindle, and (ii) how to appear at the top of an Amazon Kindle search?

    Thanks
    Richard
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  • Profile picture of the author eguinan
    This was a great thread Amanda. I've been wanting to try Kindle. You should put your experience together in a WSO! I would buy it!
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  • Profile picture of the author Norfolk
    Great thread. I'm slowly starting on my fiction book series and will want to self publish them. a couple of questions:

    1. Does publishing more than one book at once actually help with Amazon listing results?

    2. Can anyone recommend good online forums and communities for writers?
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    • Profile picture of the author WriterWahm
      Originally Posted by Norfolk View Post

      Great thread. I'm slowly starting on my fiction book series and will want to self publish them. a couple of questions:

      1. Does publishing more than one book at once actually help with Amazon listing results?

      2. Can anyone recommend good online forums and communities for writers?
      Try writers' cafe, google Kindle boards + writers' cafe.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Ogbin
    PLR is totally prohibited in Amazon Kindle, a lot of accounts get closed permanently as a result of that.

    I am still learning kindle publishing.

    Do you recommend any product or products for that?

    Mike,
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  • Profile picture of the author Lori Kelly
    Great thread. Thanks for starting it Amanda. I too am writing ebooks and will be publishing them on Amazon.
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  • Profile picture of the author jzgirl
    I'd suggest that people not put all of their (ebook) eggs in one basket, aka Amazon. I'm coming from the fiction part of the equation, and there's an ongoing debate among Indies/self publishers on whether or not to just upload at Amazon and nowhere else.

    Personally, I think this is shortsighted. The more and different people who see your ebook, the better.

    But I digress. :-)

    Two sites you might want to consider - Barnes and Noble (B&N) and Smashwords (SW). With Smashwords, you can upload your book and, thru their Meatgrinder, they will slice and dice your Word doc until it's in several different formats: mobi (Kindle); ePub (Nook, etc.); iBook (esp. good for those of us who don't have Macs :-)); PDF; and couple of other formats I can't think of.

    SW is also good for those outside the U.S. who want to get on B&N (Nook), since B&N doesn't allow non-U.S. people to upload to their site (silly, I know). I could have set up a separate account at B&N, but I'm lazy, so I let SW do that for me. It's really great to go into my SW dashboard and see books that have sold on Sony, for example.

    Just something to consider. :-)

    Nancy
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  • Profile picture of the author jzgirl
    I'd suggest that people not put all of their (ebook) eggs in one basket, aka Amazon. I'm coming from the fiction part of the equation, and there's an ongoing debate among Indies/self publishers on whether or not to just upload at Amazon and nowhere else.

    Personally, I think this is shortsighted. The more and different people who see your ebook, the better.

    But I digress. :-)

    Two sites you might want to consider - Barnes and Noble (B&N) and Smashwords (SW). With SW, you can upload your book and, thru their Meatgrinder, they will slice and dice your Word doc until it's in several different formats: mobi (Kindle); ePub (Nook, etc.); iBook (esp. good for those of us who don't have Macs :-)); PDF; and some other formats I can't think of.

    SW is also good for those outside the U.S. who want to get on B&N (Nook), since B&N doesn't allow non-U.S. people to upload to their site (silly, I know). I could have set up a separate account at B&N, but I'm lazy, so I let SW do that for me. It's really great to go into my SW dashboard and see books that have sold on Sony, for example.

    Just something to consider. :-)

    Nancy
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by PsychoProfits View Post

      Hi Amanda,

      How do you decide on your titles and subject matter?
      I want to know:
      (i) the keyphrases people are searching for in the MMO niche on Kindle, and (ii) how to appear at the top of an Amazon Kindle search?

      Thanks
      Richard
      I don't do anything with the MMO niche on Kindle. Those books just don't seem to sell as well...

      Also, for my subject matter I take a look at top sellers in different categories. I also use magazines to get ideas for what types of information people are looking for. I always try and pick a catchy title rather than worrying about keywords.

      To get to the top of an Amazon Kindle search, keywords are a small factor. Sales and reviews also play a HUGE part.

      Originally Posted by eguinan View Post

      This was a great thread Amanda. I've been wanting to try Kindle. You should put your experience together in a WSO! I would buy it!
      I've thought about it but I'm more than happy to give away my knowledge for free. Feel free to hit me up on Skype if you want to talk more about Kindle!

      Originally Posted by Norfolk View Post

      Great thread. I'm slowly starting on my fiction book series and will want to self publish them. a couple of questions:

      1. Does publishing more than one book at once actually help with Amazon listing results?
      I've heard that publishing more than one book at once helps and I've seen some people provide documentation to back it up, but I haven't personally tried it.

      Originally Posted by Mike Ogbin View Post

      PLR is totally prohibited in Amazon Kindle, a lot of accounts get closed permanently as a result of that.

      I am still learning kindle publishing.

      Do you recommend any product or products for that?

      Mike,
      I haven't been a huge fan of any all-in-one product, but Bill Platt and Sam England have put out tons of Kindle products on various parts of Kindle publishing including promoting and coming up with ideas. I've bought several of them and they were all great.

      In my experience, these "targeted" products are much better than the all-in-one products.

      Originally Posted by jzgirl View Post

      I'd suggest that people not put all of their (ebook) eggs in one basket, aka Amazon. I'm coming from the fiction part of the equation, and there's an ongoing debate among Indies/self publishers on whether or not to just upload at Amazon and nowhere else.

      Personally, I think this is shortsighted. The more and different people who see your ebook, the better.

      But I digress. :-)

      Two sites you might want to consider - Barnes and Noble (B&N) and Smashwords (SW). With SW, you can upload your book and, thru their Meatgrinder, they will slice and dice your Word doc until it's in several different formats: mobi (Kindle); ePub (Nook, etc.); iBook (esp. good for those of us who don't have Macs :-)); PDF; and some other formats I can't think of.

      SW is also good for those outside the U.S. who want to get on B&N (Nook), since B&N doesn't allow non-U.S. people to upload to their site (silly, I know). I could have set up a separate account at B&N, but I'm lazy, so I let SW do that for me. It's really great to go into my SW dashboard and see books that have sold on Sony, for example.

      Just something to consider. :-)

      Nancy
      I agree! I enroll mine in KDP Select for the first 90 days, meaning they can't be posted anywhere else. I use my free days to gather reviews and after the first 90 days I post them up on other sites.
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      • Profile picture of the author geoio
        I am in the same niche, thanks for your advices, very useful for me!
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      • Profile picture of the author fayepeanut
        Amanda, thanks for starting this thread. There's a wealth of info here!
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    • Profile picture of the author dml8131
      Excellent thread! I am just looking into publishing my first Kindle project in a few weeks and stumbled onto this thread.

      Can any of you recommend a good proofreader or editor you have used in the past?

      Thanks!

      Dave
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  • Profile picture of the author ratracegrad
    I am a real estate investor and currently have 24 rental units. What suggestions do you have for someone like me where I published my first book on real estate investing. Here is my bookHere is my book . I have done zilch to promote the book that was published on Kindle last year and in print on December 31, 2011. In the 30 days of April I have sold a combined 49 copies. What do you recommend that I do now that my book has been published to generate some noise about it, increase sales and get it moving up the amazon rankings?
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by ratracegrad View Post

      I am a real estate investor and currently have 24 rental units. What suggestions do you have for someone like me where I published my first book on real estate investing. Here is my book. I have done zilch to promote the book that was published on Kindle last year and in print on December 31, 2011. In the 30 days of April I have sold a combined 49 copies. What do you recommend that I do now that my book has been published to generate some noise about it, increase sales and get it moving up the amazon rankings?
      You are already selling physical copies, which is great. What I would suggest is setting up a Facebook fan page to promote with, contacting blog owners in your niche, and maybe even writing several smaller books on related subjects and pricing them for less, then linking to that book at the end. You will make money with these "satellite" books and also get more traffic to your main book.
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      • Profile picture of the author craig2012
        Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

        You are already selling physical copies, which is great. What I would suggest is setting up a Facebook fan page to promote with, contacting blog owners in your niche, and maybe even writing several smaller books on related subjects and pricing them for less, then linking to that book at the end. You will make money with these "satellite" books and also get more traffic to your main book.
        Word.

        More great advice. Thanks Amanda. What a cracker of a thread this one is - a gold mine of great advice and food for thought. A big thank you to everyone who's put in their 5 cents' worth.

        @ratracegrad I noticed from your Amazon page that the book has 11 reviews, 9 of which are 5-star. Your book might sincerely generate 5-star reviews, but it looks a bit suss - a book about money-making with almost a perfect score when it comes to reviews? In the real world that's not likely. If it were 9 4-star and 2 5-star reviews instead, you might find your sales increasing. Somehow kindle consumers can smell an internet marketer a mile away. Sad but true.

        For example, as a consumer of Kindle books myself, I have noticed a couple of things about the top review (Anna Poe) alone -

        1. Your book was launched on the Kindle Platform on 01MAR2011 and yet Anna's 5-star review is dated 03MAR2011 and she's rabbiting on about how the methods "really work". She's implemented them two days after downloading the Kindle book? I don't think so.

        2. Anna's review is for the kindle edition, but it's not a verified purchase review. Back in the day this would have been fine, but not today. It's not verified, so how did she get a copy? Email? Fiverr? Looks fake.

        I may have it all wrong - perhaps Anna bought the hard copy of the book six months earlier and reviewed the kindle version by mistake... Most buyers of your books simply won't give you the benefit of the doubt unless you're squeezing out Young adult/vampire/romance novels. The massive brown plume of PLR that polluted Kindle last year especially, has served to make the buying public wary.

        @ratracegrad - Please note that my urging 4-star reviews for your book is no reflection on the quality. I haven't read it, so I'm not qualified to comment on the content, just how it looks to the potential buyer of it. I can guarantee you that when the 4 stars outnumber the 5 stars, as counterintuitive as it may sound, your sales will increase.
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  • Profile picture of the author TechGeek
    What is the estimated up-front cost required? For front cover design, proof reading, promoting, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author mello
    Great thread, Amanda. I'm one of those looking to move into self publishing using Kindle anors.

    What's the go with pen names? Some say you should publish under your own name to build a brand. Others say go pen names for different genres/niches.

    Which is the better option?
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    • Profile picture of the author jzgirl
      Originally Posted by mello View Post

      Great thread, Amanda. I'm one of those looking to move into self publishing using Kindle anors.

      What's the go with pen names? Some say you should publish under your own name to build a brand. Others say go pen names for different genres/niches.

      Which is the better option?
      I don't know if Amanda has answered as yet (and I'm speaking more from the fiction niche), but the answer is...it depends. There's no hard and fast rule. A general guideline (again, in fiction) is that if you write science fiction (SF) and then write a romance with no one heading to outer space ;-), then you should come up with a different name for that romance, since it's so far removed from the SF you normally write.

      Here's my own example. I write mainly in the fantasy genre, but I wrote a romantic comedy novelette that had no fantastical elements. It was sort of similar to a romantic comedy series written by a sort-of well known writer, so I went for a similar-sounding name as a pen name.

      Not sure if that helps in the non-fiction arena, but hope it helps.

      Nancy
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      • Profile picture of the author jzgirl
        And for those who are intimidated by formatting a Word document, I can steer you toward an ebook that helped me a lot (and still does), as long as you d/l either Open Office or Libre Office (basically the same program, except Libre Office is supported; NOT written by me, BTW): Formatting eBooks with Open Office Writer Smashwords — Formatting eBooks with Open Office Writer — A book by Dr. Kerry R. Bunn.

        He has all sorts of suggestions for automating some of the set up stuff (paragraphs, chapter headings, table of contents) and even offers his own templates at his website (for free).

        So don't be upset or put off by having to format differently for Kindle/mobi; apply yourself to the techniques and tips in this short ebook and get to it! :-)

        Nancy
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  • Profile picture of the author 2ndopkate
    Amanda,

    Huge help in this thread. From what I've read, seen and experienced, I think your offer to mentor new authors would be popular. Can you re-kindle your former Kindle book biz into a mentoring service?

    Kater
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  • Profile picture of the author RickCopy
    I have a question in regards to marketing Kindle products....

    You mentioned doing PRs and setting up a niche site to market your book. Wouldn't it be better to use that marketing method to direct your traffic to a non-kindle sales page to keep the full amount of your sale? Or do you have to use Amazon site for the customer to physically DL the book onto the eReader?
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  • Profile picture of the author Mbullard
    I've noticed people will buy your book from Amazon and lot quicker than they will from your own site. I think there's a bit of credibility with Amazon which makes it so much easier for people to 'trust'.

    It does look suspect when there are a lot of 5 star reviews with nothing else. When I ask friends/reviewers to write me a review, I'll actually ask for a couple 4 stars. Also, there's a copywriting technique that involves a very well scripted 1 star review that actually can help sell your book and reduce refunds. This is valuable because a lot of people can see the most popular 5 star review compared next to the 1 star review. It's nice to tackle the 1 star review before somebody else does. But hopefully, you don't get any more 1 star reviews.
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  • Profile picture of the author janet beal
    There's an old saying that good teachers are generous. Clearly, it applies to writers as well. Thanks, Amanda, for a lot of info, and a good read.
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by 2ndopkate View Post

      Amanda,

      Huge help in this thread. From what I've read, seen and experienced, I think your offer to mentor new authors would be popular. Can you re-kindle your former Kindle book biz into a mentoring service?

      Kater
      I probably could, but I generally prefer to share the information with anyone who asks for it.

      Originally Posted by RickCopy View Post

      I have a question in regards to marketing Kindle products....

      You mentioned doing PRs and setting up a niche site to market your book. Wouldn't it be better to use that marketing method to direct your traffic to a non-kindle sales page to keep the full amount of your sale? Or do you have to use Amazon site for the customer to physically DL the book onto the eReader?
      I get sales from Amazon itself, not just from my site. Also, having the book on Amazon helps potential customers trust they are safe putting their credit card info in. Generally I also have a niche product on the site for sale, but it is higher priced so most people opt for the Kindle books, which works out just fine for me.

      Originally Posted by janet beal View Post

      There's an old saying that good teachers are generous. Clearly, it applies to writers as well. Thanks, Amanda, for a lot of info, and a good read.
      Thanks! I love Kindle publishing and really enjoy sharing my knowledge.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ashlindz
    Thanks Amanda for the post. I have just began publishing my first ebook and will be using kindle to get started. This is really useful information. I will have to use the tips in developing and promoting my ebook.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryansjacket
    Thanks for bringing out a juicy can of worms Amanda. I first learned about the kindle business from Ty Cohen He breaks things down to the T and his course is current.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
    My biggest Kindle tip is to take it seriously. Don't think you can put up some crappy BS book and make a fortune. In addition to writing a killer quality book, you need to market and promote it to help it sell.

    There are WAY too many people who think they can publish anything and get rich on the Kindle. It's laughable.
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

      My biggest Kindle tip is to take it seriously. Don't think you can put up some crappy BS book and make a fortune. In addition to writing a killer quality book, you need to market and promote it to help it sell.

      There are WAY too many people who think they can publish anything and get rich on the Kindle. It's laughable.
      Very true! You need to provide a quality product. A few bad reviews can stop sales completely.
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  • Profile picture of the author JakeTech
    Have you tried promoting your books (or others) with amazon associate affiliate links? It appears to be explicitly allowed and has some interesting potential.
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    • Profile picture of the author BrianTubbs
      I just want to add my two cents on the review issue. I wrote an ebook in the marriage niche (under a pen name). For a while, it sold fairly well...with NO reviews! The title and cover were good enough. And the quality was apparently good as well, because I had very, very few refunds. But...

      Someone read it and was offended by it, and they slammed it with a 1-star review. Then, another person came in, and hit it with a 1-star review.

      My sales plummeted!

      The thing is...the eBook had been selling just fine, with no negative reviews and hardly any refunds, for months! But two bad reviews back-to-back killed it.

      I've since unpublished it and am reworking it into an entirely new and different eBook.

      The good news is that this was all done under a pen name, so my actual name is protected from any negative fallout. Not that I'm ashamed of the content. I frankly don't think I said anything bad or all that controversial, but...it doesn't take much to offend people these days.
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      • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
        The thing is...the eBook had been selling just fine, with no negative reviews and hardly any refunds, for months! But two bad reviews back-to-back killed it.
        Did the bad reviews have any merit? If yes, then you were right to withdraw the book. If no, then you should have asked people who liked the book and disagreed with bad reviews to post their opinion. This is usually enough to get sales moving again.

        Most best-selling books have some 1-star reviews. I have often purchased books with some 1-star reviews. What matters most is whether or not they are balanced with praise and whether they talk about subjective things like taste and opinion or more objective flaws.

        Marcia Yudkin
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  • Profile picture of the author socialmassmedia
    I 110% agree with Amanda in that quality prevails and you should make sure of that. My ebook I outsourced and got created for $40 then ebook cover from fiverr total project cost = $45, total net profit $132.23 - $45 = $87.23 so far from ONE EBOOK on complete autopilot. So all I need to do is scale and create more ebook in this niche. So some more research I can scale it out to another 10-15+ and reach a passive income of around $1k+

    Again this is producing high quality short books that solves my customers problems or gives them more information and understanding in that particular area.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shaper
    where does one find a ghost writer who will produce a quality and complete ebook for 40 bucks?
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  • Profile picture of the author carolf
    fantastic thread ! Amanda I would appreciate any feedback you can give. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-need-sel...5966612&sr=8-2

    before I found Di Heuser I was struggling like crazy to get this book out there. Di formatted it, wrote sales pages, helped me with competitions and got it on to Kindle and did it so fast and made the process fun... I cant sing her praises high enough

    if you want to get your book out there and you want someone to make it easy, fast and enjoyable then get in touch with Di

    http://the-nitty-gritty.biz/
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by Shaper View Post

      where does one find a ghost writer who will produce a quality and complete ebook for 40 bucks?
      That is going to be hard unless it is a very short book. Try oDesk, but realize that if you want real quality you will have to pay for it.

      Originally Posted by carolf View Post

      fantastic thread ! Amanda I would appreciate any feedback you can give. Why you need self esteem eBook: Carol Finlayson: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

      before I found Di Heuser I was struggling like crazy to get this book out there. Di formatted it, wrote sales pages, helped me with competitions and got it on to Kindle and did it so fast and made the process fun... I cant sing her praises high enough

      if you want to get your book out there and you want someone to make it easy, fast and enjoyable then get in touch with Di

      http://the-nitty-gritty.biz/
      One thing you need is actual Amazon Verified Purchase reviews. The reviews there don't have the tag so people won't trust them as much. Only people who buy the book can add that tag to their reviews. It will also continue to say "There are no customer reviews" and not give you an overall star ranking until you have verified reviews.

      Like I said earlier in the thread, 2D covers do a lot better on Kindle than 3D covers, so that is something you may want to look into.
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      • Profile picture of the author carolf
        Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

        That is going to be hard unless it is a very short book. Try oDesk, but realize that if you want real quality you will have to pay for it.



        One thing you need is actual Amazon Verified Purchase reviews. The reviews there don't have the tag so people won't trust them as much. Only people who buy the book can add that tag to their reviews. It will also continue to say "There are no customer reviews" and not give you an overall star ranking until you have verified reviews.

        Like I said earlier in the thread, 2D covers do a lot better on Kindle than 3D covers, so that is something you may want to look into.
        Gosh Amanda thanks for such a fast response. Yeah I sold dozens of copies from my website and my face book page so most people who have it didnt get it from Kindle.

        I think I will get it re done in 2d I agree with you about the look of it
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      • Profile picture of the author Shaper
        Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

        That is going to be hard unless it is a very short book. Try oDesk, but realize that if you want real quality you will have to pay for it.
        I figured as much...what would be a reasonable price range that I might have to pay for a good quality, full size, one-off ghostwritten ebook?
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        • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
          Originally Posted by carolf View Post

          Gosh Amanda thanks for such a fast response. Yeah I sold dozens of copies from my website and my face book page so most people who have it didnt get it from Kindle.

          I think I will get it re done in 2d I agree with you about the look of it
          Send me a PM and I can show you who I get my covers from.

          Originally Posted by Shaper View Post

          I figured as much...what would be a reasonable price range that I might have to pay for a good quality, full size, one-off ghostwritten ebook?
          Anywhere from $10-20 per page can get you some quality writing. When I write Kindle books for people I usually charge $15-20 per page.
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          • Profile picture of the author Shaper
            Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

            Send me a PM and I can show you who I get my covers from.



            Anywhere from $10-20 per page can get you some quality writing. When I write Kindle books for people I usually charge $15-20 per page.
            So, lets say I wanted to create a $5 book to sell as an ebook on Kindle...how many pages of content would you think you would need for the book to be considered "viable" ...Not viable meaning, not enough info for the money, not complete enough for the price, etc. to sell well?

            I ask this because I am trying to weigh out the Time vs. Money equation in my choice to either write my own (which I have more than enough content to cover, but the poor typing skills and current full time job/family to contend with) or outsource the book with my own outline to get it on the market faster.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mbullard
    The FB ads were difficult to track because I directed them to my Kindle book (which was already getting sales). I did notice an increase in sales but there was no way to determine how much exactly because Kindle's sales reports are terrible and don't give you any information. Edit: I would do the ads again however.

    Reviews from Amazon verified purchases are the best. If you want to get some of those, you can send your book to reviewers as a gift. You have to pay for the book but the verified purchase review is worth it. Make sure you're logged in to Amazon and go to your book. Where the 'Add to cart' button usually is, you will see a 'Give as Gift' button. Send this to people and the reviews are verified.
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    • Profile picture of the author danr62
      Originally Posted by Mbullard View Post

      The FB ads were difficult to track because I directed them to my Kindle book (which was already getting sales). I did notice an increase in sales but there was no way to determine how much exactly because Kindle's sales reports are terrible and don't give you any information. Edit: I would do the ads again however.

      Reviews from Amazon verified purchases are the best. If you want to get some of those, you can send your book to reviewers as a gift. You have to pay for the book but the verified purchase review is worth it. Make sure you're logged in to Amazon and go to your book. Where the 'Add to cart' button usually is, you will see a 'Give as Gift' button. Send this to people and the reviews are verified.
      Couldn't you use an affiliate link to track your sales? You would also be able to earn a little bit extra if people end up going on a shopping spree.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mbullard
        "Couldn't you use an affiliate link to track your sales? You would also be able to earn a little bit extra if people end up going on a shopping spree."

        I guess I could but that can get tricky and I'm not all up on Amazon's TOS when it comes to linking to your own affiliate link. Amazon deletes accounts just like that and it's hard to get that fixed.
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  • Profile picture of the author luane
    I would add that if you outsource your writing at all, make sure you check it for copies. I also love spreading out my "eggs" my publishing at Barnes & Nobles -Pubit.com site and Smashwords as well. Thanks for sharing!

    Kristie from Georgia
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    • Profile picture of the author Shaper
      Originally Posted by luane View Post

      I would add that if you outsource your writing at all, make sure you check it for copies. I also love spreading out my "eggs" my publishing at Barnes & Nobles -Pubit.com site and Smashwords as well. Thanks for sharing!

      Kristie from Georgia

      Can you publish the same book to multiple sites at once?
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      • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
        Originally Posted by Shaper View Post

        So, lets say I wanted to create a $5 book to sell as an ebook on Kindle...how many pages of content would you think you would need for the book to be considered "viable" ...Not viable meaning, not enough info for the money, not complete enough for the price, etc. to sell well?

        I ask this because I am trying to weigh out the Time vs. Money equation in my choice to either write my own (which I have more than enough content to cover, but the poor typing skills and current full time job/family to contend with) or outsource the book with my own outline to get it on the market faster.
        My 10 page books usually sell well for $2.99. Most of my $4.99 books are anywhere from 20 to 100 pages? It depends on the niche and how much information is inside.

        Originally Posted by luane View Post

        I would add that if you outsource your writing at all, make sure you check it for copies. I also love spreading out my "eggs" my publishing at Barnes & Nobles -Pubit.com site and Smashwords as well. Thanks for sharing!

        Kristie from Georgia
        I usually enroll my books in KDP Selects for 90 days, meaning they can't be posted anywhere else, but I make sure they are only enrolled once and I post them up on other sites after the first 90 days.

        Originally Posted by Shaper View Post

        Can you publish the same book to multiple sites at once?
        Ya, it can be up on as many sites as you want as long as it is not enrolled in KDP Selects and the Kindle version is the cheapest.
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        • Profile picture of the author Shaper
          Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

          My 10 page books usually sell well for $2.99. Most of my $4.99 books are anywhere from 20 to 100 pages? It depends on the niche and how much information is inside.

          I usually enroll my books in KDP Selects for 90 days, meaning they can't be posted anywhere else, but I make sure they are only enrolled once and I post them up on other sites after the first 90 days.

          Ya, it can be up on as many sites as you want as long as it is not enrolled in KDP Selects and the Kindle version is the cheapest.
          Very helpful post, Amanda!

          What do you mean by making sure they are only enrolled once? Why would you ever enroll them for KDP Selects more than once? Is there some benefit to that?
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          • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
            Originally Posted by RickCopy View Post

            question...

            What is the best way to determine what niches are selling the most on kindle right now?
            You can check the best sellers list both. I look at both the overall best sellers and the best sellers in different categories.

            Originally Posted by Shaper View Post

            Very helpful post, Amanda!

            What do you mean by making sure they are only enrolled once? Why would you ever enroll them for KDP Selects more than once? Is there some benefit to that?
            After you enroll, the box to automatically re-enroll is checked. If you don't want to leave it enrolled you need to go uncheck that box. The main benefits of KDP Selects are the 5 free days every 90 days for promotions and "borrows" where Amazon Prime members can borrow one book a month for free. When your book gets borrowed you also get some money, but usually only around $2.
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            • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
              I'm trying to keep up with the posts in this thread so as not to give suggestions that have already been posted, so I apologize if I'm redundant.

              Just something to consider: If you are doing a series for your books, do a blog with it if you have a way not to duplicate your published or future books and update often. Amazon lists blogs for a monthly charge to their customers -- or you could also just do one without posting it for download on Amazon.

              Now is the time to get in on the action. There will surely be many more people offering their books free on the 90-day program and the dollar figure per download is likely to dwindle. It's also up to you to watch your free-for-90-day periods do not roll over into another 90 days if you want it off after the first run.

              As if you didn't already have enough to do...keep watch for Amazon's updates so as not to run afoul of any new requirements.
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        • Profile picture of the author Dietriffic
          Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

          My 10 page books usually sell well for $2.99. Most of my $4.99 books are anywhere from 20 to 100 pages? It depends on the niche and how much information is inside.
          Fantastic thread, but this really has me wondering.

          Can you really sell a 10 page book for $2.99? That's more like an article than a book.

          Do people not feel short-changed when they get a book with 10 pages?
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          • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
            Originally Posted by Dietriffic View Post

            Fantastic thread, but this really has me wondering.

            Can you really sell a 10 page book for $2.99? That's more like an article than a book.

            Do people not feel short-changed when they get a book with 10 pages?
            It is all about providing enough quality information. My readers love my books.

            Truth is, many of today's readers want their information without having to read tons of pages to get it, so smaller guides serve that group of people. Amazon does list how many pages are in the book as well, so they know what to expect.

            Also, that is 10 pages before formatting, not including the cover page and table of contents. That is 10 pages of pure information, usually adding up to around 3000-5000 words.
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            • Profile picture of the author Jay Campbell
              Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

              It is all about providing enough quality information. My readers love my books.

              Truth is, many of today's readers want their information without having to read tons of pages to get it, so smaller guides serve that group of people. Amazon does list how many pages are in the book as well, so they know what to expect.

              Also, that is 10 pages before formatting, not including the cover page and table of contents. That is 10 pages of pure information, usually adding up to around 3000-5000 words.
              Are these short books (3000-5000 word range) like a top 10 or 25 list tips and tricks on the subject? I have never thought of Kindle publishing of these smaller types of writing, but looks like it is something to consider.

              Thanks for all the great sharing on this post.
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              • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
                Originally Posted by Jay Campbell View Post

                Are these short books (3000-5000 word range) like a top 10 or 25 list tips and tricks on the subject? I have never thought of Kindle publishing of these smaller types of writing, but looks like it is something to consider.

                Thanks for all the great sharing on this post.
                They are usually how-to or quick guides. For example, I have one that is about growing pumpkins. I have another about growing cucumbers.
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  • Profile picture of the author ProAffiliate01
    I wouldn't mind reaching out to Kindle reader. It sounds like a rather lucrative potential for profit. I like the tip about not using PLR. It definitely is better to "go original."
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  • Profile picture of the author RickCopy
    question...

    What is the best way to determine what niches are selling the most on kindle right now?
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  • Profile picture of the author anders3397
    Another thing that a lot of people seem to overlook is that one of the best things you can do with your Kindle books is to use them to build your brand and reputation. When you create authority and credibility in your market a lot more people will start listening to you and that's when you can offer them higher priced services such as courses and coaching. It could work in most niches.
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  • Profile picture of the author Vishalicious
    Thanks everyone for adding up your 2 cents.
    really helped a lot.
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  • Profile picture of the author mhaddyness
    Great thread! One quick question though. Can I publish kindle ebooks without a kindle? I want to try my luck in kindle publishing too. Problem is, I don't have a kindle. I want to penetrate the romance fiction niche since I've read that it's great niche to try on plus I love writing fictional stories
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by mhaddyness View Post

      Great thread! One quick question though. Can I publish kindle ebooks without a kindle? I want to try my luck in kindle publishing too. Problem is, I don't have a kindle. I want to penetrate the romance fiction niche since I've read that it's great niche to try on plus I love writing fictional stories
      Nope, you don't need a Kindle at all! I have one and I like to preview my books on it before I upload it, but you can also use the Kindle PC App to preview your books and Amazon has a book previewer you can download as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jacqueline Smith
    What a fabulous thread! Thanks for starting it Amanda!

    As an editor, I was thrilled to see all the positive comments about the benefits of using an editor. I often find people underestimate the value of hiring a good proofreader and/or editor.

    This was a very refreshing thread!
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    • Profile picture of the author SPhotography
      Does anyone know of a good and inexpensive site to get Kindle ebook covers? I know Ty Cohen, a big name in this business, gets his for only $2 or $3. Anyone know what site that may be?

      I'm ready to post my first short fiction story but don't have a cover yet!

      Thanks,
      A.S.
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  • Profile picture of the author fin
    I've just watched 14 videos from a WSO I bought a few months ago and I've fallen in love with Kindle publishing, more so dare I say it than blogging.

    I'm just trying to format my first one now. Can't wait to get it up.
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    • Profile picture of the author agmccall
      Originally Posted by fin View Post

      I've just watched 14 videos from a WSO I bought a few months ago and I've fallen in love with Kindle publishing, more so dare I say it than blogging.

      I'm just trying to format my first one now. Can't wait to get it up.
      Hello

      What is the name of the WSO and do you know if it is still available
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  • Profile picture of the author colinph970
    continuing the theme here, here's a tip on formatting - formatting is easier than you might think.....it is actually possible in word but I've had variable results. The best way i've found is to use Sigil to write the book and then transfer into Calibre to convert to a .mobi file. Very easy and smart results.
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    • Profile picture of the author fin
      Originally Posted by colinph970 View Post

      continuing the theme here, here's a tip on formatting - formatting is easier than you might think.....it is actually possible in word but I've had variable results. The best way i've found is to use Sigil to write the book and then transfer into Calibre to convert to a .mobi file. Very easy and smart results.
      Now I also love Google.
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    • Profile picture of the author fin
      Originally Posted by colinph970 View Post

      continuing the theme here, here's a tip on formatting - formatting is easier than you might think.....it is actually possible in word but I've had variable results. The best way i've found is to use Sigil to write the book and then transfer into Calibre to convert to a .mobi file. Very easy and smart results.
      Dude, you're a legend.

      I just copy and pasted my eBook into Sigil, edited it, transferred it to Calibre and turned it into a .mobi, then downloaded the Windows Kindle to have a look at it.

      Now about to put it on Kindle then build my empire.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danael
    Great thread! keep it alive!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author dseisner
    Hey guys... interesting discussing. I was hoping people might chime and help me out with my current issue.

    Just recently, my assistant and I published 8 high-quality ghostwritten ebooks in the same niche onto Kindle.

    The next step in the process for us is getting purchases, reviews, likes, and tags. I am well aware that purchasing reviews is against Amazon TOS - read it plenty of times on this forum. Here's a different question...

    - Anybody know if it is against AzonTOS to pay someone on fiverr to buy a book, like it, and tag it but not review it?


    Other ways to get reviews...

    What are your best methods?

    I've heard...

    - Ask friends, family, and business partners and give them a free copy (no thanks!)
    - Find "professional reviewers" in Amazon's "top reviewers" section and offer them a free copy
    - Ask blog owners in your niche to review (and get them to leave a link to your book on the site while they're at it)

    All of these sounds tedious and awful. And if you do find people to review, if you give them a free copy, then they're not verified purchasers. Maybe it's something to be outsourced to a Philippine worker to go out and hunt these reviews. Unless anybody has any better ideas....?
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    • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
      Originally Posted by dseisner View Post

      Hey guys... interesting discussing. I was hoping people might chime and help me out with my current issue.

      Just recently, my assistant and I published 8 high-quality ghostwritten ebooks in the same niche onto Kindle.

      The next step in the process for us is getting purchases, reviews, likes, and tags. I am well aware that purchasing reviews is against Amazon TOS - read it plenty of times on this forum. Here's a different question...

      - Anybody know if it is against AzonTOS to pay someone on fiverr to buy a book, like it, and tag it but not review it?


      Other ways to get reviews...

      What are your best methods?

      I've heard...

      - Ask friends, family, and business partners and give them a free copy (no thanks!)
      - Find "professional reviewers" in Amazon's "top reviewers" section and offer them a free copy
      - Ask blog owners in your niche to review (and get them to leave a link to your book on the site while they're at it)

      All of these sounds tedious and awful. And if you do find people to review, if you give them a free copy, then they're not verified purchasers. Maybe it's something to be outsourced to a Philippine worker to go out and hunt these reviews. Unless anybody has any better ideas....?
      I'm pretty sure it would be against the ToS to pay someone to like/tag your page, but I'm not 100% sure.

      It is well worth the time to go out and hunt for these reviews. I also edit my book to include a link back to the item page at the end and ask for reviews.

      Also, they will be verified reviews if you:

      1. Have them buy it on a free promo day.
      2. Log in to your account and use the "Gift" button to send them the book. You do have to pay for your book, but you get your commission for the sale and they get their free copy and get to leave an Amazon verified review.
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      • Profile picture of the author fin
        Amanda,

        Do you know any reason why the Kindle previewer wouldn't open once I've installed it?

        It just blinks and doesn't do anything. Can't seen the find the answer on Google.

        Cheers
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        • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
          Originally Posted by fin View Post

          Amanda,

          Do you know any reason why the Kindle previewer wouldn't open once I've installed it?

          It just blinks and doesn't do anything. Can't seen the find the answer on Google.

          Cheers
          Hmm... nope. Never heard of that happening. I also don't really use the previewer. I have a Kindle, Kindle Fire, and the PC App.
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      • Profile picture of the author dseisner
        Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

        2. Log in to your account and use the "Gift" button to send them the book. You do have to pay for your book, but you get your commission for the sale and they get their free copy and get to leave an Amazon verified review.
        Is this something you are 100% sure about?
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        • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
          Originally Posted by dseisner View Post

          Is this something you are 100% sure about?
          Yes, I do this quite often with my books.
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          • Profile picture of the author dseisner
            Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

            Yes, I do this quite often with my books.
            Well, it turns out this is not correct information. I don't say this to insult you in any way, I just say it because it is so. Though maybe it has changed since you last did it, I don't know.

            We gifted a couple books out to friends using Amazon's "gift this book" feature. They left us reviews and they were NOT "Amazon Verified Purchases."

            I was lucky enough to snag an excellent review from an Amazon Top 100 reviewer today and he went and bought one of our books even though I offered to gift it. His review WAS listed as a "Amazon Verified Purchase".

            So there you have it, gifting does NOT lead to an AVP.

            ---

            I've also has some lengthy discussions with this Amazon Top 100 Reviewer and he has disclosed some very interesting information. For one, apparently the FTC got involved a while back and Amazon wants reviewers to disclose whether they were gifted something or not.

            Also, it's up for discussion whether or not Amazon views gifting as compensation or not.

            So we are going to mix our approach. Some gifting, some just telling people about the book and seeing if they will spend the $1. This one reviewer did even though we offered to gift it. He didn't even talk to me about it first (and by the way, left an AMAZING review - 5 stars!).

            He also told me about this book and told me to look at his review of the book as well for more information. Amazon.com: What Reviewers Want: Get Inside One...Amazon.com: What Reviewers Want: Get Inside One...
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            • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
              Originally Posted by dseisner View Post

              Well, it turns out this is not correct information. I don't say this to insult you in any way, I just say it because it is so. Though maybe it has changed since you last did it, I don't know.

              We gifted a couple books out to friends using Amazon's "gift this book" feature. They left us reviews and they were NOT "Amazon Verified Purchases."

              I was lucky enough to snag an excellent review from an Amazon Top 100 reviewer today and he went and bought one of our books even though I offered to gift it. His review WAS listed as a "Amazon Verified Purchase".

              So there you have it, gifting does NOT lead to an AVP.

              ---

              I've also has some lengthy discussions with this Amazon Top 100 Reviewer and he has disclosed some very interesting information. For one, apparently the FTC got involved a while back and Amazon wants reviewers to disclose whether they were gifted something or not.

              Also, it's up for discussion whether or not Amazon views gifting as compensation or not.

              So we are going to mix our approach. Some gifting, some just telling people about the book and seeing if they will spend the $1. This one reviewer did even though we offered to gift it. He didn't even talk to me about it first (and by the way, left an AMAZING review - 5 stars!).

              He also told me about this book and told me to look at his review of the book as well for more information. Amazon.com: What Reviewers Want: Get Inside One Reviewer's Mind eBook: D.L. Graham: Kindle Store
              They must have just changed this recently. All of the books I have gifted have counted as Amazon Verified Purchases except the last one. So they probably changed this unless it was a glitch the other day.
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  • Profile picture of the author colinph970
    Kindle previewer - delete it and then re-install it. You will probably find that will solve the problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author colinph970
    it should look good with excellent formatting.......mine always look good and far superior to any that I tried to format with Word.
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  • Profile picture of the author janet beal
    Really great to see enthusiasm for good copyediting as well as editing. A project for someone with time: charge a penny apiece to correct misuse of "its" and "it's" on website copy. You could own a small country in a year! Amanda, you make a good mentor just through this thread.
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  • Profile picture of the author Napoleon Solo
    Hi Amanda,

    I’m interested in the idea of press releases and I just wanted to ask you a few questions:

    I presume you publish your books under pen names. Does that mean when you write a press release, you also include a fictional bio of the author?

    I also remember reading that you don’t spend any money on promotion, so I assume that includes sending out the press releases? I’ve never tried/written a press release before, so I’m a complete novice in that respect. From the small amount of info I’ve read regarding these, I’ve heard the services of: WebWire.com and PRWeb.com as being recommended, although they are both not free. Would you have any advice or recommendations in that respect?

    Also, when you send your books to blogs for review, would you again include a fictional bio about the author?

    I think I’ll try both of these methods for my next book as well as incorporating the other great suggestions in this thread.


    Many thanks for sharing this valuable information.


    Giles
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    • Profile picture of the author fin
      Does anyone find it hard to upload pictures to Amazon to display as their main picture?

      I couldn't upload one yesterday as it was taking ages. Fair enough, I'll just carry on and do it today, but... my Kindle book is live now and I've been waiting 30 minutes on the picture to upload.

      Kind of a pain trying to sell a book without the cover I just spent good money on, lol.
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  • Profile picture of the author colinph970
    it's only available on US site .....not available on UK site (yet)
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  • Profile picture of the author ashloren
    Great advice from Amanda and everyone else who has chipped in so far...

    I have managed to generate some consistent passive income from my Kindle eBook (I only have one published, and it's a memoir...not non-fiction).

    My tips:

    1) I agree with Amanda and the others who have suggested writing and distributing a press release when you publish a new Kindle eBook. This is one of the best ways to snag some great publicity!

    2) If you're on a tight budget for cover design, spend some time finding a good graphic designer on Fiverr and ALWAYS communicate with them first to make sure they can make a cover which will be the right dimensions for Kindle and ALWAYS offer to order their gig 2+ times (the more the better) if you want high quality. This has worked well for me, at least.

    3) If you want reviews, reach out to book bloggers who review books in your genre or niche. You'll be surprised by how many say yes to checking out your book and it's a great way to increase the visibility of your eBook in search engines. Start by doing a quick Google search for something like "Paranormal Romance eBook Reviews," or whatever your topic is.

    4) Be active in social media and focus on book communities like GoodReads. I highly recommend investing in a few print copies so that you can do a free book giveaway on GR. I did two of them for my book and each time I had about 1,000 members enter my contest. Almost every winner posted a thoughtful review on GR and the other contestants added my book to their "to read" lists.

    5) Get a website and devote it to your author platform. Make sure your contact info is visible all over the web and be easy to get in touch with. Subscribe to a site like radioguestlist.com and keep an eye out for radio and podcast guest opportunities that seem like a good fit for your book. When you notice one, write a brief email pitch to the producer/host and see if you can book an interview. Always request an mp3 of the interview so you can upload the file to your own site and link to the source. These are great additions to your site's "Press/Media Coverage" page.

    6) Be sure to add your eBook to the right categories when you upload it to Kindle (always choose more than one!) and don't forget to add appropriate tags to your listing as well. Ask your friends, family and the people who agree to review your book to add the same tags as well.

    7) Price your first eBook low ($1.99 was the starting price I charged for mine) and once you have established yourself and have some reviews, then raise the price a bit (I changed mine to $4.99 after several months).

    8) If you have a large blog audience, consider adding it to Kindle as a subscription for your readers who want to receive your updates on their Kindle devices.

    9) Create a Squidoo lens that will act as a hub for all of your author-related content. Add your Kindle eBooks using the Amazon module, link to your reviews and add an enticing snippet for each one, add an "About Me" module, etc.

    10) Keep track of the "Popular Highlights" that are displayed on your Kindle eBook's product page. These are passages from your book that Kindle users have highlighted and saved, which means that people dig what you are saying. Take these and add them to GoodReads as quotes (after you have created an author profile and listed your titles, of course). Tons of sites pull quotes from the GR database, and this has resulted in tons of people on Twitter and Facebook posting/tweeting my quotes. I've even spotted them on several sites which are devoted to quotes.

    Best of luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author khengo
      Originally Posted by ashloren View Post

      Great advice from Amanda and everyone else who has chipped in so far...

      I have managed to generate some consistent passive income from my Kindle eBook (I only have one published, and it's a memoir...not non-fiction).

      My tips:

      1) I agree with Amanda and the others who have suggested writing and distributing a press release when you publish a new Kindle eBook. This is one of the best ways to snag some great publicity!

      2) If you're on a tight budget for cover design, spend some time finding a good graphic designer on Fiverr and ALWAYS communicate with them first to make sure they can make a cover which will be the right dimensions for Kindle and ALWAYS offer to order their gig 2+ times (the more the better) if you want high quality. This has worked well for me, at least.

      3) If you want reviews, reach out to book bloggers who review books in your genre or niche. You'll be surprised by how many say yes to checking out your book and it's a great way to increase the visibility of your eBook in search engines. Start by doing a quick Google search for something like "Paranormal Romance eBook Reviews," or whatever your topic is.

      4) Be active in social media and focus on book communities like GoodReads. I highly recommend investing in a few print copies so that you can do a free book giveaway on GR. I did two of them for my book and each time I had about 1,000 members enter my contest. Almost every winner posted a thoughtful review on GR and the other contestants added my book to their "to read" lists.

      5) Get a website and devote it to your author platform. Make sure your contact info is visible all over the web and be easy to get in touch with. Subscribe to a site like radioguestlist.com and keep an eye out for radio and podcast guest opportunities that seem like a good fit for your book. When you notice one, write a brief email pitch to the producer/host and see if you can book an interview. Always request an mp3 of the interview so you can upload the file to your own site and link to the source. These are great additions to your site's "Press/Media Coverage" page.

      6) Be sure to add your eBook to the right categories when you upload it to Kindle (always choose more than one!) and don't forget to add appropriate tags to your listing as well. Ask your friends, family and the people who agree to review your book to add the same tags as well.

      7) Price your first eBook low ($1.99 was the starting price I charged for mine) and once you have established yourself and have some reviews, then raise the price a bit (I changed mine to $4.99 after several months).

      8) If you have a large blog audience, consider adding it to Kindle as a subscription for your readers who want to receive your updates on their Kindle devices.

      9) Create a Squidoo lens that will act as a hub for all of your author-related content. Add your Kindle eBooks using the Amazon module, link to your reviews and add an enticing snippet for each one, add an "About Me" module, etc.

      10) Keep track of the "Popular Highlights" that are displayed on your Kindle eBook's product page. These are passages from your book that Kindle users have highlighted and saved, which means that people dig what you are saying. Take these and add them to GoodReads as quotes (after you have created an author profile and listed your titles, of course). Tons of sites pull quotes from the GR database, and this has resulted in tons of people on Twitter and Facebook posting/tweeting my quotes. I've even spotted them on several sites which are devoted to quotes.

      Best of luck!
      This is valuable info, thanks so much!
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  • Profile picture of the author Davion Wong
    Thanks for the tips. I tried uploading my first book for Kindle and upon uploading the book cover, I got a shock!

    The thumbnail preview looks horribly blur. I tested the jpg image in Photoshop and it looks sharp even when shrunk to thumbnail format.

    What could have gone wrong? Can't seem to find any information on this.
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    • Profile picture of the author dseisner
      Originally Posted by Davion Wong View Post

      Thanks for the tips. I tried uploading my first book for Kindle and upon uploading the book cover, I got a shock!

      The thumbnail preview looks horribly blur. I tested the jpg image in Photoshop and it looks sharp even when shrunk to thumbnail format.

      What could have gone wrong? Can't seem to find any information on this.
      Same thing happened to us, bud. I think it may have something to do with the resolution, but also may have something to do with Amazon, so I'm not sure. I think the key might be to make the resolution much higher than 600X900, except still make it the same ratio.

      *I will admit, I know very little about pixelation, dpi, photo stuff, etc.
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      • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
        Originally Posted by dseisner View Post

        Same thing happened to us, bud. I think it may have something to do with the resolution, but also may have something to do with Amazon, so I'm not sure. I think the key might be to make the resolution much higher than 600X900, except still make it the same ratio.

        *I will admit, I know very little about pixelation, dpi, photo stuff, etc.
        From a recent Amazon email...

        "Worthy of another mention: We can now accommodate larger, higher-quality cover images for Kindle titles! Accordingly we have updated our guidelines for creating a catalog/cover image. Our new guidelines for cover images require that an image be at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side, though we recommend 2,500 pixels on the longest side to ensure better quality, and an ideal height/width ratio of 1.6. To confirm whether your cover image meets these requirements, right-click the image file and select "Properties."
        Signature

        Pen Name + 8 eBooks + social media sites 4 SALE - PM me (evergreen beauty niche)

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        • Profile picture of the author fin
          I have a question.

          I'm number 2 in the free best sellers list on creativity and genius.

          When can I call myself an Amazon best seller, lol.
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          • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
            Originally Posted by fin View Post

            I have a question.

            I'm number 2 in the free best sellers list on creativity and genius.

            When can I call myself an Amazon best seller, lol.
            When you change gender, have one breast removed, dress in leather skirts and take up arms...


            :p
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  • Profile picture of the author Davion Wong
    Thanks dseisner

    Any veteran Kindle publisher can advise? Kind of stuck here not knowing what to do with the book cover. They are supposedly designed by graphic designers who design Kindle covers...hmmm
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  • Profile picture of the author Davion Wong
    My ebook cover is 960 x 1280. Tried another one that is 600 x 800. Both don't look good for the thumbnails when I upload them.

    Could it be because of the image file size? I read somewhere that the recommended image size is no more than 127KB.
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    • Profile picture of the author fin
      Mine was over 3.5mb and was about 2600 by 3300.

      It's not perfectly crisp but it's OK.
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    • Profile picture of the author Napoleon Solo
      Davion,

      My book covers are 960x1280 pixels and under 127KB in file size. They all looked good once uploaded. Hope that helps.

      Giles
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  • Profile picture of the author fin
    I just filled in the contact form inside kdp.amazon.com and it automatically sends your message with your contact details.

    I sent them a photo and it took a day to get a message back. I then had to go back into "edit your details" and click the "save and publish" button. After that it uploaded quickly.

    Add a photo to one of your websites and send them the link. You can't add an attachment.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve McBride
    Bookmarking this whole thread to check it out later. I'm tired and need sleep, but it looks like a lot of good info.

    I'm really sorry if this was asked already, I'm too tired to go through it all and find out, but with Kindle publishing, do you do a lot of marketing for your ebooks like you do with anything else? Or do you find that you get a lot of organic sales simply by putting them on the site?

    I'm really interested in Kindle publishing. Not for myself, as much as for my girlfriend's dad. He started publishing his fantasy novels on there that he started writing 30 years ago. I'd love to get him a big spike in sales, but I don't want to go spending money to send him traffic.

    I thought about posting on Reddit or something about his books, figured that might get him a spike in sales. Honestly, he doesn't care about the money at all, he's just super happy to know strangers are reading and enjoying his work.
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    • Profile picture of the author cashcow
      Originally Posted by Steve McBride View Post


      I thought about posting on Reddit or something about his books, figured that might get him a spike in sales. Honestly, he doesn't care about the money at all, he's just super happy to know strangers are reading and enjoying his work.
      Sounds like he will love using the free days that KDP select offers then. If you do, make sure you go over to Author Marketing Club - Free Book Marketing Resources & Tools For Authors and sign up.

      Once you are inside, there is a handy tool that lets you submit your book to all of the most trafficked sites that blast out emails about free books. Perhaps his book will even get chosen to be featured on one of these sites (one of mine was) and he will get thousands or maybe even tens of thousands of downloads. You don't get paid for those but his motivation is not money so this seems like it would be really cool for him.

      Plus, make sure you put a list of his other books in back of each book with links to them on Amazon so people can buy them. People reading the free book might like his work and buy some of his other stuff.

      Lee
      Signature
      Gone Fishing
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      • Profile picture of the author Steve McBride
        Thanks a lot! I'll look in to that.

        Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

        Sounds like he will love using the free days that KDP select offers then. If you do, make sure you go over to Author Marketing Club - Free Book Marketing Resources & Tools For Authors and sign up.

        Once you are inside, there is a handy tool that lets you submit your book to all of the most trafficked sites that blast out emails about free books. Perhaps his book will even get chosen to be featured on one of these sites (one of mine was) and he will get thousands or maybe even tens of thousands of downloads. You don't get paid for those but his motivation is not money so this seems like it would be really cool for him.

        Plus, make sure you put a list of his other books in back of each book with links to them on Amazon so people can buy them. People reading the free book might like his work and buy some of his other stuff.

        Lee
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  • Profile picture of the author dodif
    Thanks for the tips Amanda.. but I still think that Kindle market is too big,it's hard to earn if there is big competition..
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    • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
      dodif, because the Kindle market is huge is not a reason not to try if you believe you can write and promote. All you need to know to get started is right here on the Warrior Forum and Amazon. Start out small and keep at it. If you really can write what people want to buy, you can learn how to do this.

      I honestly believe there will be major shakeouts not only at Amazon Kindle, but at the other markets for self publishers where poor work will eventually not get as far as appearing on the system or will be suddenly removed. Reviewers can be absolutely harsh on bad or plagiarized work.

      This whole system, Amazon and other publishers, will always evolve and change. Get started now and learn from being an insider in the systems. Nothing worthwhile is easy.
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      • Profile picture of the author fin
        I'd definitely try and build a blog around the theme of your books, that way you can just promote your products much like a normal blog promotes eBooks.

        You will also get extra customers who find you through Amazon Kindle store, but the main buyers will be your blog readers, which coincidentally will also push your books up the paid Amazon chart resulting in even more buyers finding you through Amazon.
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  • Profile picture of the author ProScribe
    Thanks for the advice Amanda, I have noticed the same thing with pricing that sales sometimes increase as you move your prices up. When I started I did some non-fiction stuff and priced it at .99cents because I had just read John Lockes book. But after I moved the price up to 2.99 the sales actually picked up.
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    • Profile picture of the author chrisg942
      Originally Posted by ProScribe View Post

      Thanks for the advice Amanda, I have noticed the same thing with pricing that sales sometimes increase as you move your prices up. When I started I did some non-fiction stuff and priced it at .99cents because I had just read John Lockes book. But after I moved the price up to 2.99 the sales actually picked up.
      First off I write mostly fiction have 5 series of books with similar characters.

      I have noticed this also, but I know some of the sales are repeat business. Since most of my books are from a series. My higher priced 2.99 books sell much better, since gaining a following. Now, I never price my books below 2.99.

      So I think the 99 cent books are good for getting reviews, and establishing yourself. Once you start making sales I highly recommend raising your price to 2.99 or at least your 2nd book in a series.

      I haven't really looked at this for non-fiction books, only because fiction is my bread and butter.

      Chris
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      • Profile picture of the author sanhal
        Originally Posted by chrisg942 View Post

        First off I write mostly fiction have 5 series of books with similar characters.

        I have noticed this also, but I know some of the sales are repeat business. Since most of my books are from a series. My higher priced 2.99 books sell much better, since gaining a following. Now, I never price my books below 2.99.

        So I think the 99 cent books are good for getting reviews, and establishing yourself. Once you start making sales I highly recommend raising your price to 2.99 or at least your 2nd book in a series.

        I haven't really looked at this for non-fiction books, only because fiction is my bread and butter.

        Chris
        When you talk about these prices are you talking about the final price on Amazon that includes the tax or the price you set it at in your account when you publish it?

        $2.99 as a selling price seems much more attractive to me than the $3.08 that it ends up as.

        Sandy
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  • Profile picture of the author popmarco
    Hi!

    First of all, thank you Amanda. I just searched for Kindle in WF and this thread attracted me most.

    I'm currently editing a PLR so I could sell an ebook in a related site. I do have basic IM skills.

    With about 50% of the PLR already edited, I still am not convinced that I have a good framework or flow of the ebook. I think it's pretty cluttered as of today.

    After reading this thread though, I'm thinking of rewriting it taking out that PLR portion and concentrate on releasing in Kindle no matter what it takes.

    Should I go for a self-published ebook in one of my websites and spend at least $200 for Solo ads to market it or redo the ebook such that 100% of the content is mine - but this may take another 30 days to complete simply because I have a day job. This is my first ebook venture.

    By the way Amanda, is 500 pcs of ebook sold in Kindle not a very high number to dream of?

    Pls. advise.
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  • Profile picture of the author UberNoob
    Fantastic advice, especially regarding the little things like grammar. People are so picky over spellings in their Kindle books that even one could lead to a bad reviews, believe it or not.

    For me, most important aspect is the niche you chose. There are a few absolute gems on Kindle...

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
    I still see some people thinking of using PLR in their Ebooks...don't do it! That's a great way to get banned from Amazon and it just doesn't work.
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  • Profile picture of the author joefizz
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    • Profile picture of the author Moneyland
      Would appreciate if anyone could answer a question for me..

      I have an ebook which is my own product and I have noticed that there is another ebook with exactly the same name as mine on Kindle and on Barnes and Noble.

      I have the .com for the name and just really wondering if it is a problem having two ebooks with exactly the same name on these sites, could the website or the other product owner get funny about this :confused:

      Thanks if you can help
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by Moneyland View Post

        Would appreciate if anyone could answer a question for me..

        I have an ebook which is my own product and I have noticed that there is another ebook with exactly the same name as mine on Kindle and on Barnes and Noble.

        I have the .com for the name and just really wondering if it is a problem having two ebooks with exactly the same name on these sites, could the website or the other product owner get funny about this :confused:

        Thanks if you can help
        Simple titles can't be copyrighted, so you're in the clear there.

        The only sticking point I can see is if the other party has a trademark registered for the title or a term within the title.

        Absent that, you should be good. Since the websites assign their own product identifier, there should be no confusion. Consumers might wonder, but that boils down to true head-to-head competition.

        [Insert standard 'not a lawyer' CYA disclaimer here]
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        • Profile picture of the author Moneyland
          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          Simple titles can't be copyrighted, so you're in the clear there.

          The only sticking point I can see is if the other party has a trademark registered for the title or a term within the title.

          Absent that, you should be good. Since the websites assign their own product identifier, there should be no confusion. Consumers might wonder, but that boils down to true head-to-head competition.

          [Insert standard 'not a lawyer' CYA disclaimer here]
          Great info, thanks John.

          Can anybody tell me if the sign up process is straight forward, do you have to apply for an IBAN number or something and is this expensive :confused:

          One last question, do the listings of ebooks rank in Google under KW's or is the traffic mainly from visitors to Amazon :confused:

          Thanks again
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          • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
            Originally Posted by sanhal View Post

            Hi Amanda

            I have just found this interesting thread as I was searching for ways to get reviews for my Kindle book which I have just published. Wish I had seen this into first!

            Can you explain a bit more about editing and uploading an edited version.
            How much of it do you edit and where do you upload it to for people to review?

            thanks

            Sandy
            I simply edit to add a page and say something like: "I would love to hear what you have to say about this book, and I'm sure other readers on Amazon would as well! Please take a moment to leave your honest review here: Amazon Link."

            Originally Posted by Moneyland View Post

            Great info, thanks John.

            Can anybody tell me if the sign up process is straight forward, do you have to apply for an IBAN number or something and is this expensive :confused:

            One last question, do the listings of ebooks rank in Google under KW's or is the traffic mainly from visitors to Amazon :confused:

            Thanks again
            For Kindle? No, you don't need anything like that. It is really straight forward.

            KWs can rank in Google though most traffic normally comes from within Amazon or your own promotion tactics.
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            • Profile picture of the author Moneyland
              I have tried to get started with Kindle today and already unsure about a couple of things:

              Should I use my existing Amazon Associates account where I make sales on other product niche websites or is it better to use a new account to sell on KDP?

              Do Amazon take 65% commission?

              Is it just a straight forward as uploading your ebook and ecover and do they connect automatically to their payment cart? I do not own a kindle.

              Any tips of how I can market once on here will be really appreciated.

              Abit clueless about this whole thing and the more I am reading online the more confussed I am :confused:

              Thanks if you can point me in the right direction
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              • Profile picture of the author sdingram
                Hi everyone, I am sorry for arriving late at this Kindle party!

                This is a great thread, thank you for starting it Amanda. I have 6 books on Kindle and I love it. It has been a great experience for me.

                Originally Posted by ratracegrad View Post

                I am a real estate investor and currently have 24 rental units. What suggestions do you have for someone like me where I published my first book on real estate investing. Here is my book. I have done zilch to promote the book that was published on Kindle last year and in print on December 31, 2011. In the 30 days of April I have sold a combined 49 copies. What do you recommend that I do now that my book has been published to generate some noise about it, increase sales and get it moving up the amazon rankings?
                It's great that you sold 49 copies without even trying! In addition to doing all the things that Amanda has suggested to sell more books, I also think it's important to use your author status as a way of establishing credibility with your clients and prospects. If you have a newsletter, make sure you mention it and provide a link to your book on Amazon. Try to get interviews with local newspapers as an expert - they are always looking for things to write about. Aside from your few hundred bucks you'll earn with Kindle, your expert status could bring in thousands.

                Originally Posted by Shaper View Post

                where does one find a ghost writer who will produce a quality and complete ebook for 40 bucks?
                I just wanted to say that odesk has great writers but most are more expensive than $40. If you can only afford $40, perhaps you could get someone to do a "bare bones" type of short story and then expand on it yourself.

                Originally Posted by Moneyland View Post

                I have tried to get started with Kindle today and already unsure about a couple of things:

                Should I use my existing Amazon Associates account where I make sales on other product niche websites or is it better to use a new account to sell on KDP?

                Do Amazon take 65% commission?

                Is it just a straight forward as uploading your ebook and ecover and do they connect automatically to their payment cart? I do not own a kindle.

                Any tips of how I can market once on here will be really appreciated.

                Abit clueless about this whole thing and the more I am reading online the more confussed I am :confused:

                Thanks if you can point me in the right direction
                I have an Amazon Associates account, but I opened a new account for KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). If your book is listed for $2.99 or more, you get 70% commission. If it is less than $2.99, you get 30% commission.

                You don't need a Kindle but you should download Kindle for PC (free, just Google it) so you can preview your books. I downloaded MobiPocket Creator to create my own books but quite frankly it's a hassle sometimes. I often run to fiverr and get someone else to do it.

                Amazon has lots of guides on how to format your book for Kindle
                https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishi...A2MB3WT2D0PTNK

                Oh I almost forgot to add in a couple of tips:
                1. After you publish your book, you're going to want to get 5 reviews. (Ask your friends). That will help with rankings.
                2. Get a book trailer done (it's a video) and post it on youtube. You can get the book trailer done on fiverr. You'll need a youtube channel but that's easy to set up. In the description of your video, link to your Amazon page (your book listing).
                3. In your book, link to your website and link to your other books for sale on Amazon.

                Thanks again Amanda for this great post!
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        • Profile picture of the author hakeemad
          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          Simple titles can't be copyrighted, so you're in the clear there.

          The only sticking point I can see is if the other party has a trademark registered for the title or a term within the title.

          Absent that, you should be good. Since the websites assign their own product identifier, there should be no confusion. Consumers might wonder, but that boils down to true head-to-head competition.

          [Insert standard 'not a lawyer' CYA disclaimer here]
          I've been offered some exclusive private label rights, can I use those for an ebook or would other people have access to it as well i.e. whats the difference between exclusive rights and normal ones
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          • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
            Originally Posted by hakeemad View Post

            I've been offered some exclusive private label rights, can I use those for an ebook or would other people have access to it as well i.e. whats the difference between exclusive rights and normal ones
            If they truly are exclusive, it means you are the only one with private label rights. If anyone else can also buy them, the rights are not exclusive.

            That's the main difference, too. With standard PLR, the content is sold to multiple parties, who are free to change it, put their own names on it, etc. within the terms of the license.

            If someone offers a "limited number" of exclusive licenses, put your money away and know that someone was trying to sucker you.
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          • Profile picture of the author cashcow
            Originally Posted by hakeemad View Post

            I've been offered some exclusive private label rights, can I use those for an ebook or would other people have access to it as well i.e. whats the difference between exclusive rights and normal ones
            If it's not something that you wrote or paid someone to write only for you, then I wouldn't publish it on kindle. You'll most likely lose your account.

            "Exclusive private label rights" doesn't even make any sense, does it? I mean private label means you are getting a license to sell something that other people can also sell. Exclusive means something only you have. So, I don't see how anyone can grant "exclusive private label rights" to anything. Can you explain more about how that works?

            Lee
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  • Profile picture of the author megansays
    I would add that if you plan to get review copies, time it for when you have the free promo going so you don't have to pay for the "gifts." I gifted about a dozen copies on this book for reviews, and I think one person actually reviewed it. Money well wasted! So next time, I'm only seeking review copy readers when I have it already set to $0.
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  • Profile picture of the author hakeemad
    Thanks Amanda, perfect. Does the PLR advice go for master resell stuff. I just bought master resale rights for quite a lot of stuff . One of them is called the successful entrepreneur and I noticed that there are 3 people selling that book on Amazon, same cover ,same content but all claiming it as their own
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
      Originally Posted by hakeemad View Post

      Thanks Amanda, perfect. Does the PLR advice go for master resell stuff. I just bought master resale rights for quite a lot of stuff . One of them is called the successful entrepreneur and I noticed that there are 3 people selling that book on Amazon, same cover ,same content but all claiming it as their own
      I would absolutely never try and sell any PLR, Master Resale Rights, or anything else on the Kindle that you don't have the 100% exclusive rights to.
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      • Profile picture of the author hakeemad
        Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

        I would absolutely never try and sell any PLR, Master Resale Rights, or anything else on the Kindle that you don't have the 100% exclusive rights to.
        Cheers , is there a way to get exclusive rights, would it still be PLR then
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        • Profile picture of the author warrioradam
          Are there any niches that do not sell well? Or are harder to sell at first?

          I want to get into childrens stories I have a theme, characters made, story concepts, and an illustrator but when I looked into childrens books it didn't seem like there were a lot that sold for anything...?
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
          Originally Posted by hakeemad View Post

          Cheers , is there a way to get exclusive rights, would it still be PLR then
          I just wouldn't use any PLR or anything like that. If you put a book on the Kindle, you should only use:

          A: Unique content that you personally wrote

          and/or

          B: You can have someone ghost write a book for you but make sure they sign something transferring all the rights to you and stating that it's 100% unique and they release all ownership rights to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnr801
    Amanda, Thanks for the posts. Any good products you would recommend to help market a memoir? My uncle just finished a transcript of his memoir on his life as an activist minister, and son of Armenian genocide survivors. I plan to create a website, plus get set up on Amazon to sell it as an Ebook, Kindle book, and paperback. Any products you have or know about? Thanks John R.
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  • Profile picture of the author kevinmartinjr
    Being a good writer is PHENOMENALLY important for any publishing...should do some experimentation blogging or doing short stories and see how ppl reply
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  • Profile picture of the author hakeemad
    Thanks All, really good advice
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  • Profile picture of the author maggie2
    This is a great thread with lots of loads of useful tips. Thanks!
    Signature

    Marg

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    • Profile picture of the author InternetBullDawg
      I have a question in regards to Kindle cover dimensions. I've always designed 3d Ebook covers but Kindle covers are a little different. I've read several sites and all give different dimensions for the cover.

      This site says 6x9 inch, 300 dpi, but also mentions 600x900 pixels.
      http://www.unrulyguides.com/2012/05/...le-book-cover/

      This site says 800x1066 pixels.
      What is the ideal cover size for an eBook cover? | Kindle & ePub Conversions for Publishers and Authors

      Then I read a warrior on this thread say he uses 2600x3600 pixels. With the size being larger than 127kb.

      Thing is when I do the larger images it is larger than 127kb which I believe is the file size limit on these covers.??

      I am unsure what dimension to go with and I need to make sure I get the right size images for the covers.

      I hope some of you all give me an idea of what sizes you use on the covers.

      Thanks
      Dany
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      • Profile picture of the author cashcow
        Originally Posted by BullDawgDany View Post

        I have a question in regards to Kindle cover dimensions. I've always designed 3d Ebook covers but Kindle covers are a little different. I've read several sites and all give different dimensions for the cover.

        This site says 6x9 inch, 300 dpi, but also mentions 600x900 pixels.
        Kindle Formatting: Requirements for the Kindle Book Cover Image- Unruly Guides

        This site says 800x1066 pixels.
        What is the ideal cover size for an eBook cover? | Kindle & ePub Conversions for Publishers and Authors

        Then I read a warrior on this thread say he uses 2600x3600 pixels. With the size being larger than 127kb.

        Thing is when I do the larger images it is larger than 127kb which I believe is the file size limit on these covers.??

        I am unsure what dimension to go with and I need to make sure I get the right size images for the covers.

        I hope some of you all give me an idea of what sizes you use on the covers.

        Thanks
        Dany
        I make mine smaller, sometimes 600 x 800 and the last ones were 1246 x 1846. I know they recommend that the longer side be at least 2500 pixels but I've never been good at following directions. Both those sizes look fine and upload fine so I would just make yours any size that ends up being smaller than 127kb.
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        • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
          2. Get a book trailer done (it's a video) and post it on youtube. You can get the book trailer done on fiverr.
          Can anyone point out effective book trailers of the sort that can be done on Fiverr?

          Thanks,
          Marcia Yudkin
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          • Profile picture of the author Dailybread
            Hi Marcia,

            Have a look at this trailer on Youtube for my horror novel Fear The Dark.
            I had it done by a girl recommended to me on Fiverr and it is BRILLIANT!


            If you want the name of the Fiverr person, please send me a PM.

            Martin
            Oz!


            Originally Posted by marciayudkin View Post

            Can anyone point out effective book trailers of the sort that can be done on Fiverr?

            Thanks,
            Marcia Yudkin
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            • Profile picture of the author sdingram
              Originally Posted by SPhotography View Post

              Does anyone know of a good and inexpensive site to get Kindle ebook covers? I know Ty Cohen, a big name in this business, gets his for only $2 or $3. Anyone know what site that may be?

              I'm ready to post my first short fiction story but don't have a cover yet!

              Thanks,
              A.S.
              Hi A.S. I don't mind telling you who I use. His name is Nisha and you can find him on fiverr.com. It's $5 but worth it. He will revise if necessary. I can't tell you how much time he saves me!

              Originally Posted by marciayudkin View Post

              Can anyone point out effective book trailers of the sort that can be done on Fiverr?

              Thanks,
              Marcia Yudkin
              Hi Marcia,

              I used someone called Goodgift on fiverr and was very happy.

              All the best,
              Suzanne
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              • Profile picture of the author Philip John
                In regards to cover dimensions Amazon recommends images that are 2,500 pixels tall, with the height 1.6 times greater than the width.

                I go with 12560x1600 - which is a 1:1.6 ratio. You will need to use these larger dimensions if you are planning on uploading your book to multiple marketplaces as it is a requirement of Smashwords/B&N/Apple etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hamish Jones
    Time to write that book I think!
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  • Profile picture of the author denislav12
    How do you actually create the e-book format? Do you use a specific software ?
    Thank you
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    • Profile picture of the author PublishingMadeEz
      Originally Posted by denislav12 View Post

      How do you actually create the e-book format? Do you use a specific software ?
      Thank you
      I use a simple Microsoft Word document for my books an upload it and let KDP convert it. It has worked fine for me as long as I preview it before going on to set the sales territories and price.

      If I see any line spacing, picture issues etc I go back change it in the word doc and upload it again. This can be a drawn out process on your first few ebooks but the things you learn can be applied on your next ebooks and then it becomes much easier.
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      • Profile picture of the author DJL
        A question about KDP account setup, as I have seen conflicting advice about this:
        Should I create a new username (email address) & password for KDP publishing activity, or should I use the same credentials I have used for many years as an Amazon customer?
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    • Profile picture of the author SOCAL777
      Originally Posted by denislav12 View Post

      How do you actually create the e-book format? Do you use a specific software ?
      Thank you
      There is a Kindle software out there that saves a ton of time with the formatting. It allows one to upload the completed book to the KDP account. However, I'm not sure that I can advertise it on the forum.

      Shoot me a private message and I'll share the info. No, I'm not an affilliate for them. I just purchased the software last week because I intend to utilize it in the coming months.
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  • Profile picture of the author Deacon Blues
    I have a couple of books on kindle and have websites that relate to them and help drive sales. I use my affiliate links to promote the books and get some nice extra money from the affiliate side.

    My question is: I had some custom banners made for my books ( basically the book cover with more info such as "available on amazon", "Free with Amazon prime" etc.) will this cause me any problems using my affiliate links with these?

    Someone mentioned cookie stuffing and I don't really know much about the affiliate side of things or no if this would be considered cookie stuffing since the banner is clearly for the product?

    I don't want to take any risk. I'm not worried about losing my affiliate stuff but don't want to risk my KDP acct. and books. Are my affiliate account and my KDP acct. linked? If there was any risk I would probably never do any affiliate links at all because my books are much more important.

    Does anyone have an update on whether giving books as a gift still works for verified reviews?
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    • Profile picture of the author cashcow
      Originally Posted by Deacon Blues View Post

      I have a couple of books on kindle and have websites that relate to them and help drive sales. I use my affiliate links to promote the books and get some nice extra money from the affiliate side.

      My question is: I had some custom banners made for my books ( basically the book cover with more info such as "available on amazon", "Free with Amazon prime" etc.) will this cause me any problems using my affiliate links with these?

      Someone mentioned cookie stuffing and I don't really know much about the affiliate side of things or no if this would be considered cookie stuffing since the banner is clearly for the product?

      I don't want to take any risk. I'm not worried about losing my affiliate stuff but don't want to risk my KDP acct. and books. Are my affiliate account and my KDP acct. linked? If there was any risk I would probably never do any affiliate links at all because my books are much more important.

      Does anyone have an update on whether giving books as a gift still works for verified reviews?
      I looked at the KDP TOS a while back and it explicitly states that you can use your affiliate link to promote your books.

      The only thing I would caution you about is to be sure you read the terms of the Amazon affiliate program and make sure your website adheres to them and also that you use the links according to their TOS. From reading there terms, it seems you cannot use the links in an email or other "offline" manner. I take that to also mean you can't use your affiliate link to link to your other books in the back of your book (I'm not sure about that but not going to risk my KDP account for a few pennies).

      They seem to have a big hangup in making sure the visitor knows that clicking the link will take them to Amazon, but I think that since your banners say "Available on Amazon" then that should be fine. You can actually try using their live chat to ask them.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dailybread
      Last week I gifted some books to friends for reviews. They did NOT appear as verified reviews.
      Seems like a quiet change on Amazon.

      Martin
      Oz!
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  • Profile picture of the author luketemple
    Wow, Amanda what comprehensive help for Kindle publishing, i have a few ideas knocking around my head but think with your help now is the time to strike. Absoloutely fantastic! Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author JayParker
    This is quite helpful, thanks for sharing these inside tips.
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  • Profile picture of the author JamieSEO
    Great tips Amanda.

    I recommend that authors do their keyword research before publishing to help cement the right tags, description wording and if possible, the title/subtitle. Keep in mind that sometimes there are different words used for the same thing between the USA/UK/Australia/etc such as the word 'Coupons' vs. 'Vouchers'.
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  • Profile picture of the author SOCAL777
    Awesome post Amanda. Glad to see you've had success selling Kindle books. If you don't mind me asking, how much have you made through Kindle to date?
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  • Profile picture of the author Long Beach Nathan
    Those are definitely some good tips. Also, I appreciate the clarification on the difference between an editor and a proofreader. Alot of people seem to think they're one and the same.
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  • Profile picture of the author Calamaroo
    My 99th Kindle ebook just got published, it's "live". Whew!

    Original content. No PLR. No public domain. Just original content, baby!

    30 pages each. $1.99 each. Goin' on vacation the next 7 days! Bye!
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  • Profile picture of the author CHC
    Can anyone recommend a really really good Kindle training course? I am absolutely new to kindle and I have a project I would like to try. So I need a course that will cover everything I will need to know from planning a ebook to writing style, formating, marketing, amazon need to know rules and regulations, best practices, editing tips, outsourcing, and everything else I didn't mention but need to know to be successful.
    Thanks
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    • Profile picture of the author Cy Price
      Kindling by Geoff Shaw ... See WSO section of forum
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert G Williams
    Hi Amanda this sounds really cool
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert G Williams
    Hi Amanda,
    this sounds really cool
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  • Profile picture of the author AnnJ
    Would it be possible to get an idea of the income that you all are generating? I have
    a manual/cd set that I made a few years ago on stock trading, its really informative for the beginning trader. I would put that in book form for publishing if the income potential is there. Thanks for any help that you may provide.
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  • Profile picture of the author bengirwb
    Quote:

    "When you talk about these prices are you talking about the final price on Amazon that includes the tax or the price you set it at in your account when you publish it?"

    Tax is not included in the price you set. When Amazon starts collecting sales tax, Amazon will add it during check-out.
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  • Profile picture of the author iSoftware
    The best tip I can give is this:
    a) develop a circle of fellow publishers. Let's face it. Reviews are hard to come by. If you have a support network of other indie publishers to get over that hump - you'll go along way! Plus, it's more fun
    b) develop a real following. If you have just 500 "true" readers who buy whatever you sell - focus on getting them on your own mailing list (think it's a coincidence Azon doesn't share customer contact data - no it isn't)
    c) you tools like SimilarSiteSearch.com - The Best Place To Find Similar Websites to see what other sites, authors, etc you readers are interested in. Go there, research and hunt down more readers.

    As I said the best advice I can give is to develop a support network because this will take you a long way.

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author Deacon Blues
    Does anyone have an update whether you can still get reviews by gifting the book to people, or reviews from people who get your book during free promotion days?

    I've gifted a couple of my books and been told I was given reviews but they aren't showing up.

    I've got 4 books on kindle now and they are selling pretty decent even though I haven't done any marketing yet. I wanted to wait until I got several books done. All of my books are in the non-fiction sailing genre.

    Fwiw i just published my newest book Blue Moons Don't Come CheapBlue Moons Don't Come Cheap , and it's free this weekend.

    I have a couple of more books I'm working on and once their done I plan to start doing some marketing before Christmas. Anyone have any good marketing techniques for your books?
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  • Profile picture of the author JamieSEO
    Originally Posted by AmandaT View Post

    Advertise off of Amazon. This isn't necessary, but it helps a lot! I always share mine on Twitter and Facebook. I also do press releases when I put out new books. I even set up a niche site because I had been releasing a lot of books in one niche and started building a list from the site. Now I have a mailing list to promote my books to whenever I release a new one!That is all for now. I'll come back and post some more tips, but before that I would love to hear what kind of tips others can share!
    If you are writing a bunch of Kindle books then my tip is:
    - Create your own Kindle template
    - Create your own promotional text templates

    It can be a bit of a pain figuring out what does/doesn't work for formatting on the Kindle device. Things like using bullet points, tabs, or pics in line with text can totally kill how it looks on the Kindle reader. Just keep in mind that:
    a) The Kindle device allows readers to change the font size
    b) Pics should be above or below text to keep them in the right place
    c) ALWAYS use the Kindle Preview function when publishing to see how it looks on a Kindle device

    Like Amanda mentioned, press releases are a great way of promoting your book.
    Other methods that I have found extremely effective are:
    - Always create a landing page (great for providing info pre-launch and capturing emails)
    - Also publish on CreateSpace (paperback version) since many book reviewers will only accept hard copies
    - Run a (free) book giveaway on Goodreads.com to get more publicity and reviews
    - Take the time to create a good author bio and always include a picture
    - The KDP Select giveaways are a great way to get backlinks to your listing, since there are heaps of blogs that love listing the freebies and your link still remains after the giveaway ends.

    I have heaps more tips, templates and examples for any authors struggling with the promotion side of Kindle in my book:
    The Self Publishers Guide to Book Marketing: Step...The Self Publishers Guide to Book Marketing: Step...
    Alternately, you can PM me if you have any questions and I will try and help you out
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  • Profile picture of the author londoncoffee
    Hi Amanda. Thanks for the share. I want to produce a kids picture book pre-school age. Do you have any advice on whether i should include the copy as part of the illustrations - you know, hand drawn letters style. Or is it best to have separate copy text?
    I am a noob to all this too. Not even sure what size jpegs i need for full size page illustrations. KIndle HD handles 2080px widths right? But then the file sizes would be huge. Sad that there is so little info out there and too many conflicting answers.
    If you can help, much appreciated thanks!
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    • Profile picture of the author skyla
      Originally Posted by londoncoffee View Post

      Hi Amanda. Thanks for the share. I want to produce a kids picture book pre-school age. Do you have any advice on whether i should include the copy as part of the illustrations - you know, hand drawn letters style. Or is it best to have separate copy text?
      I am a noob to all this too. Not even sure what size jpegs i need for full size page illustrations. KIndle HD handles 2080px widths right? But then the file sizes would be huge. Sad that there is so little info out there and too many conflicting answers.
      If you can help, much appreciated thanks!
      For the images it is the resolution that counts as well. Aim for a 300 dpi for images for inside your book. If you plan on publishing to CreateSpace the images must be at least 500 dpi and for Kobo your cover image needs to be 900 dpi. I have formatted some books for customers and images can be really difficult. Plus of course make sure you can legally use the illustrations with your book.

      Hope this helps you a bit and good luck with your book!
      Sue
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      • Profile picture of the author aprilm
        I don't know how I missed this monster thread. Thanks Amanda for creating it, I have gotten some really great tips from all of the contributors here.

        My biggest tip at the moment is .... don't neglect your book's description. It's literally your book's salespage.

        I know that is probably common sense, but give some good thought to how you describe your book. It's important!

        I can't tell you how many times I have passed up some (probably) great books because the description doesn't tell me squat about why I should buy the book.

        Readers want to know why they should buy your book as opposed to your competitor's book. You need to be very clear in your description how your book delivers what your competitors doesn't.

        One way to do this is to read your competitor's low star reviews. They usually reveal what the book is lacking. When you come across something that your book contains that others don't, be sure to highlight it in your description.

        Also, be sure your spelling and grammar are spot on. No one is going to buy a book from an author who can't take the time to proofread.

        If you are writing a description for fiction, be sure to really give your reader a dose of who your book's characters are and what they are about. People are more likely to buy your book is they can relate to the characters.

        Write it in a way that will leave your reader wanting and yearning for more.

        Use HTML code to spice up your description with images, colors, centered text, Amazon's orange colored text, bullets, etc..... you can do some of this through Author Central, but your very limited. I included the code you'll need to accomplish this in THIS THREAD.

        I have seen a huge spike in conversions by simply adding this code to my descriptions, so it's at least worth taking a look at.

        The description for your Kindle book is like the summary on a physical book's jacket. I know when I go to the bookstore, I always read the jacket summary. Always. It's what makes or breaks the deal for me.

        If you put as much thought into perfecting your description as you do to perfecting your book's content, you'll be well on your way to making sales!
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  • Profile picture of the author Flutter
    Those are all good tips.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bond1806
    I am also in a process of writing my first ebook. Original content. These tips in this thread are all great.
    Thanx all for posting.
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  • Profile picture of the author BJ Min
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    • Profile picture of the author aprilm
      Originally Posted by BJ Min View Post

      my biggest tip is to also use MULTIPLE eBook platforms such as:
      - BarnesandNoble's Nook/Pubit
      - Apple's iBookstore
      - Smashwords
      - etc

      to reach to ALL the major eBook platforms.

      Kindle is just ONE platform...don't just focus on that...

      instead, distribute to MULTIPLE channels...

      Kindle does have KDP select program (that you can use for 90 days)...use it for the free promo...but after, distribute to MULTIPLE platforms afterwards...

      talk soon,
      BJ

      Thanks for the tips, BJ. I have only used Amazon thus far to publish, but thanks to your latest ebook, plan on expanding out to the other resources listed in your post here as well as in your book.
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  • Profile picture of the author tjaysen70
    Hey cool post. Yeah I followed the kindle bandwagon, whereby you get fiction/fantasy books from authors and then turn them into kindle, bombed. I also wrote some easy short books on make money kindle books and those did much better for me in terms of sales. I priced them at $7.99 and haven't had many returns.
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  • Profile picture of the author colinph970
    My tip is to get onto the children's picture book niche. It's growing rapidly and the advent of kindle fire makes such books even more attractive. Children really pick up how to use iPads, kindles etc very quickly. I know this from watching my 2 year old grand-daughter!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author alllexv
    Banned
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