How to create with my first Kindle ebook

This is also what I do. I have bought two Kindle formatting tools in the last 18 months. They mess things up completely.

'Filtered html' from a word document is your friend.

KenJ

You may not be an ignorant author, but unless you've already made a name for yourself, you are likely an unknown author.

Until you make that name in the Kindle marketplace, or any marketplace for that matter, charging much more than others in your area of expertise will be seen as an act of ego. Without something to compare you to, people will fall back on something they are familiar with - price. Unlike physical objects, people will see a short book with a high price (compared to others on the page) and they don't think "gee, that book must be better, since it costs more even though it's shorter."

Having a "name", a brand, is often even more important than actual expertise. Case in point, in your general field, would be Dr. Phil. Without Oprah's stamp of approval and ongoing support, Phil McGraw is just another therapist. He'd have to duke it out in the rankings just like you will have to do.

I have sold thousands of non fiction eBooks on Kindle and my books are priced between .99 and 3.99 with most at 2.99.

If you can get 8.99 well more power to ya...but I doubt it. You will likely end up not getting the new release advantage because your books won't be selling. Not to say it can't be done but very unlikely for a new author.

BUT you can always try it.

As for formatting, the tool I use makes a TOC and cleans up the document. It turns it into a .mobi which I then preview in the Kindle on my PC. I LOVE IT!
Whatever you use just be sure to preview it and make sure your formatting is top notch.

Exactly...I've never understood the problem. I've published over 30 books and all of them made it onto the amazon best seller list...and I've never done anything but upload word docs...never had anything even remotely resembling a formatting problem...

I found this information about the ebook cover:

http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...er-design.html

Perhaps this method is better then Fiverr if we can deal with the owner.

This is a somewhat different matter. By pricing higher before a promotion, you are seeking to create a perception during the promotion - a common and valid tactic. Has anyone actually ever bought anything at MSRP?

Setting the price after the promotion, I'd start in the same range as others in your category. If the best sellers are priced at $2.99, start there and experiment both up and down until you find the "sweet spot" that provides the most revenue.

I may have been one of those people, if that's what you got from my post, I need to clarify.

I simply said that I didn't need to use a tool for formatting. My books are very simple, and I do fine using Word's default format and styles. No fancy fonts, tricky layouts, funky drop caps, etc. Once the content is satisfactory (meaning as near-perfect as you can make it), add a TOC per Word's directions.

Once saved as a doc, save again as filtered html. This filtered html file is what I upload to Amazon, and its automated converter spits out a file for preview. I go over this very carefully. So far, it's worked well for basic text with headings, etc. up to about 60k words.

If you go for long or complicated books with photos/images that must be collected into a proper zip file for upload, using a specialized tool may be advantageous. When that time comes, LBD is one of the first people I would ask for a recommendation...