How to Self-Publish Your Content for Amazon's Kindle The Amazon Kindle system is set up to help you succeed. There's no great "secret" to doing so, other than making sure your content is up to scratch and that you have something of value to say -- the basic criteria for any hard-cover book being published. The difference with Amazon Kindle is: You currently don't have to worry about your book being accepted. All you have to do is upload it. You're selling it in one of the most widely-accepted, popular and respected marketplaces in the world The one thing you do need to be aware of is that Kindle has very strict criteria and enforces these without mercy, pulling any content that receives complaints or consists of PLR. But if you are writing your own original content (or you've hired an experienced ghostwriter to create a work-for-hire -- original material with your name on the copyright), you shouldn't have a problem. What you can't do safely is upload anything that has been published before -- and that includes public domain books you've re-written, articles you're re-purposing or PLR (private label rights) material as new. The only time you can "re-purpose" with Amazon Kindle (and that's without re-writing or re-formatting) is if you are already a recognized publisher and you wish to format your titles for Kindle. You would do this with Kindle Publisher Tools. Individual authors, however, need to use Kindle Direct Publishing. This workbook will shortcut you to knowing exactly how to optimize and prepare your book for upload. You've got your book written: Here's the next step of the process... Step One: Making Sure You're Ready Planning your Kindle sales funnel is a key strategy that many people miss. You shouldn't think about just one book: Think about... Which small niche you want to "own" Who you want to target Why you want to target them How you're going to do this Many a person has rushed to publish content on Kindle without first checking that they've covered all the bases. For example, are you aware that Kindle Readers aren't the only way to access Amazon Kindle eBooks? Not only can you read them on a variety of Kindle readers sure to suit different needs for different people, but readers can also download Kindle Apps for all the top types of SmartPhones, so they don't even need to purchase a Kindle reader. Don't have a Smartphone or a Kindle Reader? No problem. Readers can download and read Kindle eBooks right on their web browsers with the Kindle Cloud Reader! This means you are selling in three different arenas. Be aware of them all -- especially when formatting your covers and body text. (Your cover quality will need to be good enough to be seen in large format in a web browser... and clear enough to be seen on the smallest Smartphone or Kindle reader.) Setting Up Your Sales Funnel -- The best way to succeed on Kindle is exactly the best way to succeed on a blog: Create a series around a central theme -- a very narrow topic -- and make each book in your series cover one single aspect of that theme. Think of your "theme" as a prime keyword -- one that identifies your niche. For example, Manga. (Kindle Store>Kindle eBooks>Comics and Graphic Novels>Manga. (When you're starting out, you want to focus on the narrowest category at the "end" of the chain: Not on the broader categories such as "Comics and Graphic Novels".) Pick any novel in the "Manga" category and as you scroll down its page, you'll see all sorts of useful data, such as "Look for similar items by category", Tags customers searched by, "Similar Items by category", "Active discussions in related forums"... All these are a veritable gold-mine to help you decide: 1. What you can create a series around 2. Whether or not it's viable (Even customer reviews can give you big clues as to what people want to see in a book of this type. For example, if the author is criticized, see what the reviewer thought was missing -- and make sure you supply it. If readers consistently enjoy one facet of the book, consider building a whole book in your series around that facet.) And the best part about creating a series? Your book page will display your other books under the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" recommendations -- that's like a call to action, directing people straight to your other books! "Can I Upload All My Books in a Series At Once?" -- Yes, you can. You can also upload them one at a time -- there are advantages to both approaches. If you upload them one at a time, however, do your best to make sure they follow each other swiftly, so you can make the most of your books belonging to a series (and create anticipation in your readers who will only look for a short time for your next book in the series.) Series also provide a feeling of social proof and solidity. When they see a series, people subconsciously think things like: "It's a series... hmm, that author must be an expert" or "Wow, this must be a popular subject." Pricing Your Book -- Sharing it immediately via the free Kindle library and/or KDP Select will quickly net you rankings and reviews, which is what you urgently need. (In fact, you may even very quickly become a "best seller" in your category!) Here's a quick screenshot from a writer's forum to demonstrate what you can expect if you choose this option: This instantly gives you "credentials" to put on your description. And your book isn't kept in the library forever -- currently, you are agreeing only to a 90-day term -- just enough time to build some credentials. Don't get too excited about climbing to instant "best seller" ranking in the KDP Select library, however: It's artificial and in no way reflects actual real sales -- but it's enough to make you look pretty darn good to the average human reader checking out your book description! (Note that for readers to actually access KDP Select they do have to be a member of Amazon Prime -- so this means your books still need to be paid for by "regular" Amazon members. Plus you get to promote your book for free, using exclusive KDP Select tools!) But you want to make money, of course! So what price do you set for paying customers who don't belong to Amazon Prime? It depends on your celebrity status and previous publishing power. If you're Star Wars resident princess, Carrie Fisher, you can charge over $15.00 per book: If you're just starting out, you want to price for "impulse buyers" -- the ones that add inexpensive books to the main one they're purchasing at the very last minute. The books picked up most often as impulse buys generally price between $0.99 and $2.99. Don't raise your prices until you have at least three books in the same sub-niche under your belt and/or you're raking in strong reviews. Targeting Your Buyer -- Make sure you thoroughly understand who is buying books in your sub-niche before you spend time creating them. Use your marketing skills to research who is buying books in your niche. This includes checking demographic details using resources such as: Alexa Quantcast Google's brand new Keyword Toolbox Always keep your ideal buyer in mind, when creating Titles, Descriptions, Covers -- and Content! Use words calculated to catch her attention. For example, if your target customer is a web designer, age 25-35, female, inspiration is a definite issue -- one can get pretty stale after designing the same sort of sites for several years and "inspiration" is definitely something females are tuned into more generally than male designers. So you might call your book something like: "Web Design Inspiration: How to Make Your Clients' Dreams Come True -- Time and Again!" On the other hand, if your target web designing customer is a single male, 25-35, living the hard, fast lifestyle, you might have better success with a title like: "Web Design Inspiration: How to Wow Clients When You're All Partied Out." Sticking to a single theme and ferociously targeting one particular type of customer in one highly specific sub-niche -- keeping his or her preferences in mind at every stage of your Kindle creation journey -- is your best strategy, when starting out. Step Two: Preparing to Publish Things to Have Ready Your book Title -- Should tell the reader instantly what they can expect (200 Character maximum) Your edition number -- If your subject is not evergreen you will definitely want to have an edition number, since you'll most likely be updating it. (TIP: Evergreen subjects are best!) Your Description - To write a powerful description: Keep it short. Start with credentials such as the number of copies sold or your Kindle ranking. Make sure your description tells the reader clearly what she is getting and how it will benefit her... And end with a call to buy the book! Your well-edited, proofed and formatted book, in either MS Word or HTML format Up to seven Keywords you have estimated your ideal reader will search by It's worth repeating: Put serious thought into your book Title and Description.