Kindle Authors, What Say You?

11 years ago

It depends whether you want to focus on one type of topic or just do what some people do and constantly crank out anything that seems to be in-demand.

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rdpayne

11 years ago

Originally Posted by rontheitguy

wanted to see what you seasoned Kindle pro's recommend for the Kindle beginner. Ready...Go!

Recommend as far as what? Whether or not to do Kindle? Whether to write fiction or non-fiction?

If you want to write and publish, then you definitely want to do Kindle.
If you like doing fiction, stick with it.
Make sure the stuff you write is good... it doesn't have to be literary works of art, but it does have to be good.
Make sure you use attractive covers.

If still available, pick up a copy of these two WSOs:

• Kindle Marketing Revelations
• Underground Secret Kindle Marketing Manifesto Exposed

They both have a lot of good advice for every Kindle/Nook/etc. publisher.

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jerryp 11 years ago

Hi Ron,

I'm not sure what type of recommendation you want. In general I would strongly recommend that you begin writing now for Kindle. Kindle needs good writers and especially fiction if you can do that.

If you would like a recommended training for Kindle, I strongly recommend Geoff Shaw's Kindling training. He is an inspiring man with a wonderful program that he is constantly adding to. It's the best training I've gotten on the WF and the price is very good for such a comprehensive program. Best of luck,

Jerry
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benzwm02

11 years ago

If you don't have the budget for a decent publisher self publishing on kindle is a great way to get your name out there and get others reading your material.

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erwin78

11 years ago

Hi everyone,

yes kindle is great. I'm not a profesional author but I've got one book on kindle.
So it is worth trying.

I wish you luck and I hope you will habe a great results.

All the best.
Erwin.

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Paul Gram

11 years ago

I am not sure what your exact question is but from the sounds of your post, you are making the right decision, the Kindle is a GREAT place to be right now.

You'll want to write a few high quality books and build your "author brand" and audience, and then market those books once they are on the Kindle. It can be very fun and profitable.

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BIG Mike

Banned 11 years ago

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AnniePot

11 years ago

Originally Posted by BIG Mike

I joined this one here in the WF (especially awesome for Kindle newbies):

http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ior-style.html

Well worth every penny - as far as I'm concerned, writing and selling in a PDF format is just about dead compared to Kindle.

I will go one step further with this recommendation and tell you that a subscription to this sub-forum will provide you with ALL the information and support you will need to become a successful Kindle publisher. Bryan Kumar, ans others, all experienced Kindle publishers, have contributed an immense about of relevant coaching and documentation.

Over the past year or so, I've invested a large sum of money on books, WSOs, courses, etc., all promising to make me a successful Kindle writer, but I could have saved my money because the Warrior Book Club is the real deal, with fellow members to guide you along the way.

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pizzatherapy

11 years ago

I am seasoned but not a pro yet...but I do have an opinion.

I have several books published to Kindle.

For anyone who writes the question should not be why should I publish to Kindle, but rather:

Why should you NOT publish a Kindle book.

The benefits are incredible.

You have total control of your work. You are not dealing with a Publisher.
You are the publisher. There is no middle man telling you what you can and cannot publish.

There is no long term commitment: you can get out of your agreement with Amazon at any time.

Plus you are getting your book out in front of potentially millions and millions of readers, who hopefully become fans!

Yes, by all means, if you write, you should create a kindle book.

Then look for other formats for your book to be published in...
For example Nook, etc.

Check out Smashwords for some other ideas
Smashwords — Ebooks from independent authors and publishers

Just do it!

Good luck!

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rontheitguy

11 years ago

Thanks for the comments and suggestions! And to clarify, I'm looking for Kindle Publishing books and/or programs to help me get started. Looks like there's already some suggestions I need to check out!

Thanks again everyone!

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seobro

11 years ago

I will relate my experience. Basically it involves getting very few sales even when the book is being pushed on blogs with big names. Also, it has been rec by authors with big names. Finally, there are many reviews. All of them gushing what a wonderful book it is.

Not only do images cost money. Also, so does having a pro editor go over your copy. Sadly, all these costs do add up. Marketing the book is a major expense. It is hard to make money. I get 35 cents on every sale and those are a lot fewer than I wish they were.

Spikes happen after your book is mentioned on TV, but those last only a few days and then it is back to being poor. I look forward to a cold winter in more ways an one.

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rdpayne

11 years ago

Originally Posted by seobro

... I get 35 cents on every sale...

You never want to have the regular price of your book at 99¢.
Start each new title at $2.99 and see how it does.
If the sales are not that great, try dropping the price to $1.83 or $1.94 and leave it there.
If the sales are super fantastic, bump the price to $3.69 or $3.89 or $3.94 and see what happens over a couple of weeks.
I've found $2.99 and $3.69 to be two good price points.

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Dean Shainin

11 years ago

Originally Posted by rdpayne

You never want to have the regular price of your book at 99¢.
Start each new title at $2.99 and see how it does.
If the sales are not that great, try dropping the price to $1.83 or $1.94 and leave it there.
If the sales are super fantastic, bump the price to $3.69 or $3.89 or $3.94 and see what happens over a couple of weeks.
I've found $2.99 and $3.69 to be two good price points.

First off I do NOT consider myself a seasoned pro. When I'm cranking out $500 per day I might consider myself a seasoned pro at that point... :-)

I posted this in another thread and I think it's vital to post here from what I've seen first hand regarding pricing and what's being said here. I've never tried the $1.83, $1.94, $3.69, $3.89 and $3.94 price point but I will now.

I've always tried to keep the 7's in there and the 9's such as $3.97 and $3.99. However, I've noticed many times Amazon shows a different price like $4.01 when I use $3.97. The worst results I've got was at the $0.99 price point.

I've ALWAYS DONE better with the $2.99 price point. In fact 2 of my books at $3.97 do better than most of the $2.99 price points. So now I'm really having fun testing all kinds of price points and staying away from the $0.99 model. Not telling anyone to do that. It just works out better for my books. I'm trying $4.97 right now and it's selling just as well as a $2.99 price point.

I've keep wondering what would happen to that Fade Into series that has been up within the top #4 and #8 for several weeks at $0.99 if the price point was changed. Would they lose the ranking once it's got that many sales rolling?

Only one way to find out is to test and I know first hand it's so tough to increase a price form $0.99 to $2.99 when you have a great sales rank. However, I'm sure glad I did...

Three questions were asked in another thread that I think might help you with a little insight from personal experience that I answered yesterday...

1) What do you (as in you) write about? Primarily fiction and some non-fiction in the past. Had some issues with recipe books and a few how to books.

2) What's the average length of the books you publish on there? About 3,000 to 6,000 word short stories for fiction. About 40 to 60 pages for non-fiction.

3) How much do you earn on average on a monthly basis? About $200 to $250 per day, not counting whatever the Kindle Select will be. It's supposed to come out to about $5 per each book borrowed. We will soon see next month with the $1.5 Million bonus added for December.

In the last 24 hours I made just a bit over $300. That's the best day so far...Now off the crack that $500 day within the next 60 days so I can start considering myself a Kindling pro. I've discovered sometime ago that stating things openly gets one to take massive action and for some reason things fall into place easier...

This is NOT to brag. It's to inspire you and anyone reading this to take action and to realize the potential of ePublishing with the KDP platform.

To YOUR Success,
Dean Shainin

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LarryC

11 years ago

<< Only one way to find out is to test and I know first hand it's so tough to increase a price form $0.99 to $2.99 when you have a great sales rank. However, I'm sure glad I did... >>

That's something I'm thinking about right now. I have a couple of books that are selling pretty well at .99 so I'm wondering if raising the price will hurt sales. Also, if it might result in a higher refund request rate. But these 0.35 commissions are not very exciting, lol.

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rontheitguy

11 years ago

I actually have an edited fictional short story I wrote several years ago that's just shy of 4,000 words. You're saying I could publish it and sell it at a $2.99 - $4 price range? I think I need to give it a try!

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TinkBD

11 years ago

Hi Ron - If you write fiction, Kindle and other self publishing is a GREAT way to go, but do your research.

One person who does a lot to tell the truth about self-publishing is Dean Wesley Smith

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/

Do invest in his book, Think Like a Publisher.

Look upon it as a slow race and be do your homework before following warriors into the abyss of gaming the system. There are several Warriors with good products, and a bucket load who are offering info for the money THEY can make

Don't let the technical aspects scare you ;-)

And... best of luck

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rontheitguy

11 years ago

I just visited the URL and read that short fiction is in high demand and is just an all around good thing to have your hands in. It just so happens that short fiction stories make up the majority of what I've done and do well at, so it looks like I'm on to something here!

Originally Posted by TinkBD

Hi Ron - If you write fiction, Kindle and other self publishing is a GREAT way to go, but do your research.

One person who does a lot to tell the truth about self-publishing is Dean Wesley Smith

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/

Do invest in his book, Think Like a Publisher.

Look upon it as a slow race and be do your homework before following warriors into the abyss of gaming the system. There are several Warriors with good products, and a bucket load who are offering info for the money THEY can make

Don't let the technical aspects scare you ;-)

And... best of luck

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Dean Shainin

11 years ago

Originally Posted by rontheitguy

I actually have an edited fictional short story I wrote several years ago that's just shy of 4,000 words. You're saying I could publish it and sell it at a $2.99 - $4 price range? I think I need to give it a try!

It's a good idea to make sure you have not published your short story somewhere else especially if you do the Kindle Select. Amazon tends to send these notices saying something in the line of "your content has been published elsewhere, please send us the URL's where it has been published and do you own full rights blah blah blah. It's a real pain is the --- when that happens.

Maybe it's not anywhere else. Just trying to help you and anyone for that matter avoid some of the crap I've gone through with Amazon.

Dean

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J Bold

11 years ago

Yeah if you write fiction I don't see why you wouldn't be selling it on Kindle to be honest.

If it's short, just be sure it's clear that it's short story and not book length. Obviously short stories are fine on Kindle just don't describe it as a book to potential readers. I've seen reviews on Amazon where readers complained that a short book/novella they bought was 20K words and that was too short for them and they didn't realize the length.

You obviously want good reviews and it improves your ranking within Amazon's system as well.

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TinkBD

11 years ago

Originally Posted by J Bold

Yeah if you write fiction I don't see why you wouldn't be selling it on Kindle to be honest.

If it's short, just be sure it's clear that it's short story and not book length. Obviously short stories are fine on Kindle just don't describe it as a book to potential readers. I've seen reviews on Amazon where readers complained that a short book/novella they bought was 20K words and that was too short for them and they didn't realize the length.

You obviously want good reviews and it improves your ranking within Amazon's system as well.

JBold is right about giving the length of the story. However, often, the page count provided by Amazon arrives AFTER you have published and your fiction is for sale. <sigh>

One trick I use is to give the number of pages in the Product Description using the formula of # of words /250

Eventually the Amazon page count will appear. No one knows what formula they use, but odds are it will be different from yours, and likely it will be fewer pages. At that point, go ahead and remove remove your page count from the Product Description.

HTH,
Tink

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rontheitguy

11 years ago

Yes, I've been looking at Kindle books by other authors and have noticed some put it in the description, so that's what I was planning. My short fiction story is 4,126 words long and I finished my cover for it tonight. Eventually I'd like to look at some of the other recommendations here, but my budget is nothing right now, so I'm just using the one book I have from Ryan Deiss...hopefully I can do it all right and at least get a start! Worst case I get familiar with the process I guess!

Thanks for all the help today!

Originally Posted by TinkBD

JBold is right about giving the length of the story. However, often, the page count provided by Amazon arrives AFTER you have published and your fiction is for sale. <sigh>

One trick I use is to give the number of pages in the Product Description using the formula of # of words /250

Eventually the Amazon page count will appear. No one knows what formula they use, but odds are it will be different from yours, and likely it will be fewer pages. At that point, go ahead and remove remove your page count from the Product Description.

HTH,
Tink

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TinkBD

11 years ago

Originally Posted by STaylor

He gets great reviews and acknowledges he's not out to be the best writer in the world, just wants to entertain, tell a fun story, have a good time.

Please note that John Locke is currently being crucified because he PAID for those great reviews...

I have read his book and there is some good information, but he was not transparent about HOW he accomplished his success... so read it carefully and please, do your own research, as well.

Tink

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topgold

11 years ago

Should you publish on Kindle? YES!

Should you do fiction or non-fiction? Both if you can!

Each type has its own pros and cons... and all of these previous posts make some great points as well.

Good luck!

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TinkBD

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Marcinao

@STaylor

Have you tested publishing solely on Amazon (using KDP select) vs selling through multiple channels (like Smashwords)?

I'm about to publish my first two books and I wonder what the better option is. I've seen many authors using KDP Select with good results, but haven't hard a lot about Smashwords...

Has anyone tried it?

I don't think there is any single answer for this. In large part, it will vary according to genre.

I am publishing a series of 5 stories in the next few days. I decided to do Select for all of them for the first ninety days. If I have a significant number of borrows, I may decide to leave them in Select for a while.

If there aren't a lot of borrows, I'll take them out of Select and place them with an online retailer specializing in the genre (hoping for more visibility) and start moving them to other venues as well.

Like everything related to publishing fiction, genre is everything.

You must make sure that every aspect of the story, it's presentation, and marketing is appropriate to the genre...

Tink

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miklanderson2

11 years ago

Going with Select for the next 90 days is a great choice. You could earn as much as 4 to 5 dollars per borrow because Amazon is adding 1.5 million in bonus cash to the KDP Select funding for the next 3 months. That's more than most people earn for the books they sell...

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webmarket

11 years ago

If you intend to write full time for a living then you ultimately need to follow the traditional route with a publishing house because that is where the real money is. However, if you are looking to cut your teeth and get your foot on the first rung of the ladder at this stage, then Kindle is an excellent place to start.

Similarly, if you wish to write in volume and source works from other writers to publish yourself, then you can make a lot of money doing this through Kindle.

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TinkBD

11 years ago

Originally Posted by webmarket

If you intend to write full time for a living then you ultimately need to follow the traditional route with a publishing house because that is where the real money is.

I respectfully disagree with the statement that traditional publishing is STILL where the $$ are.

In fact, the contracts being offered by Legacy Publishers are becoming more and more draconian. Add in the whole Agent gets a percentage issue and it is even worse for the author.

It is looking more and more like the Legacy Publishers will be dropping their mid-list writers and pushing just their A-list...

Dean Wesley Smith and his wife talk about these issues on their respective blogs:

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

There are a handful of writers who are making the move from self-publishing to mega contracts... 50 Shades of Grey, and Amanda Hocking being two examples.

Another writer, Maya Banks, has published both ebooks and legacy publishing in a variety of hot niches within Sensual Romance/Erotic Romance. She recently signed a 7 figure deal for a 3 book series.

Maya Banks Inks 7-Figure Deal for Erotica Trilogy - GalleyCat

Bottom line, for fiction, don't wait to be asked to the legacy publishing dance, because in all likelihood, it's gonna be cancelled due to lack of interest. If it isn't cancelled, they'll probably just hand you a tray with drinks and a small lacy apron...

Smart fiction writers are building their own brands and making the money themselves... without waiting for pathetic deals from crazed companies drinking poisoned Kool-aid

(Does the WF give any awards for most mixed metaphors in a single post? 'Cause I think I may have just won! LOLOL)

Tink

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rontheitguy

11 years ago

Originally Posted by webmarket
If you intend to write full time for a living then you ultimately need to follow the traditional route with a publishing house because that is where the real money is.

I respectfully disagree with the statement that traditional publishing is STILL where the $$ are.

Tink

Tink, I agree with you and appreciate your comments.

I've got an uncle who is an extremely talented writer and has written several western genre novels. After many years of playing the submission game, he finally got picked up by a small publishing company...that did virtually no marketing for him and eventually went out of business. He's now starting all over, trying to find another publisher that wants him and has been working on that now for a year or two. From where I sit, I see a much greater advantage in promoting myself, gaining a following and THEN letting the publishers come to me (or at the very least, if I went to them I'd have some leverage I suppose)!

And what's 'real money' exactly? I honestly don't care if I ever become a multi-millionaire, but I would love to be able to pay all of my bills doing something I love, so if publishing my stories via Kindle and/or other self publishing methods can do that for me, awesome! And if the greater success comes down the road, I won't complain about that at all!

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TinkBD

11 years ago

Originally Posted by rontheitguy

Tink, I agree with you and appreciate your comments.

From where I sit, I see a much greater advantage in promoting myself, gaining a following and THEN letting the publishers come to me (or at the very least, if I went to them I'd have some leverage I suppose)!

And what's 'real money' exactly? I honestly don't care if I ever become a multi-millionaire, but I would love to be able to pay all of my bills doing something I love, so if publishing my stories via Kindle and/or other self publishing methods can do that for me, awesome! And if the greater success comes down the road, I won't complain about that at all!

Hi Ron - That is exactly my plan. ;-)

Obviously results will vary greatly depending on genre. Many of the hospital personnel who heard me reading the books I'm publishing this week (I read outloud to my Mom thru the night, when she's hospitalized) came up and asked me about my writing. (and if you are wondering... I DO NOT read the sex scenes to her. Ick!)

Thanks to 50 Shades of Gray, they knew what I was talking about... this time last year, before 50 Shades, few of them would have known.

One extremely important factor at play with genre fiction, is the fact that we no longer have the legacy publishers acting as gate keepers...

Romance Historicals with Scottish Lairds? Not popular any more... But what the legacy publishers really mean is that they can't afford to put them out with a traditional printing...

Is there a hungry crowd for that niche? Probably. And if you publish your own, you can keep the costs minimal.

Tink

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Dean Shainin

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Marcinao

@STaylor

Have you tested publishing solely on Amazon (using KDP select) vs selling through multiple channels (like Smashwords)?

I'm about to publish my first two books and I wonder what the better option is. I've seen many authors using KDP Select with good results, but haven't hard a lot about Smashwords...

Has anyone tried it?

I put up about 12 books on SmashWords back in July and made just over $100 so far. They are the same books I had uploaded to Nook about the same time so there was not really any extra work. I have no doubt that they would have made much more if those same books were uploaded to Amazon Kindle using KDP Select.

Dean

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