Kindle publishing is a wonderful platform for authors to use to get their books out before hungry readers’ eyes. There’s no fee for you to publish and your creation is on a very popular, highly trafficked website filled with buyers.
Whenever you decide to self publish on Kindle, you want to know a few tips to make the process go smoothly. They range from topic selection to ensuring adequate sales are made over time.
Tip #1: Understand the Long Term Commitment You’ll Be Making
Some people mistakenly believe they can write a quick book and stick it up on Amazon and it will help them earn cash for years to come. If you want to do this right, you have to realize that you need to be committed to promoting this creation.
You won’t have a publishing team or marketing advisors – it all rests on your shoulders. It isn’t hard, and it shouldn’t cost you a fortune, if anything at all – but you can’t just expect people to seek out your book without you getting exposure for it online.
This tip is especially important when considering your topic choices. You don’t want to pick a topic you really have no interest in, just because you think it might make a lot of sales. You’ll be immersed in this topic for awhile, so it needs to be something you enjoy.
Tip #2 – Don’t Worry About Page Count
Some people get so hung up on page count that they find themselves stuck in the middle of their product creation. Here’s all you need to know about page count – Amazon allows it all!
You can have very short creations or extremely long ones. The key is to write what needs to be said. Don’t add a bunch of fluff and filler into the book just to stretch it out because you’ll bore your audience. And don’t scrimp on important details because you feel like it needs to be cut down in size.
Tip #3 – Have Someone Proofread Your Book
You don’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize winner, but if you don’t have a decent grasp of the English language, then it’s nice to have someone spiff up your spelling and grammar so that it doesn’t become an obstacle for your readers.
Tip #4 – Get a Handle on Formatting
Some people are scared to death of formatting on Kindle. They’ve read comments on books with a lower star rating, based solely on the fact that the formatting was a nightmare.
It’s not really that difficult – and to ease your stress, please understand that your Kindle creation can be edited easily, so if there are issues, just fix them. There are tools you can even get now that help you format a Kindle creation with ease.
Tip #5 – Don’t Try Gaming the System
Some unethical teachers are urging Kindle authors to buy reviews and fake positive feedback. This is so unnecessary. Your dedicated readers will leave feedback, and you can certainly urge them to share their thoughts on whatever website you link them to in the back of the book, like a blog or Facebook Fan Page, for example.
Kindle is a wonderful opportunity for self-made authors to break into the publishing world. You no longer have to worry about securing an agent, getting accepted by a publisher, and adhering to rules others make up for your content. You get to put something out there that represents you – and it’s an endless opportunity you can take advantage of.