How to Self-Publish Your Content for 's Kindle

The 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 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 ), you shouldn't have a problem.

What you can't do safely is upload anything that has been published before -- and that includes 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 . 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 Amazon Kindle ? 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 , so they don't even need to purchase a Kindle reader.

Don't have a 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 ... 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 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 -- 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. This is what the reader sees when they are browsing Amazon's store, so you will need to:

 Catch your potential reader's eye  Intrigue her into learning more  Hook her emotions

Again, keep your target customer in mind. Your Title and Description can make or break the number of downloads your book will generate, so don't rush through this small but vital step.

Extra -- You will also need to have some special pages ready. These pages are separate from your body of work, and should be uploaded as separate "chapters" with every Kindle book.

(Separate each section into a "chapter" with a Page Break, using your MS Word "Insert" menu.)

You'll need a...

 Title Page  Copyright & Publishing Information  Dedication (optional)  Index  Table of Contents

If yours is a non fiction work, you will also need to include:

 A Bibliography (list of books, articles, studies, etc., that you used while researching your book)  Appendices (tables or sections of additional supporting content at the end of a book or document)  Notes  Glossary (list of words or terms specific to your book subject's culture, along with their meanings)

Prepare these, along with your Title and Description, so they'll be ready to go when you upload your book.

Step Three: Formatting Your Book

There are specific dos and don'ts for the Kindle Publishing platform, so let's quickly go over these...

Do NOT... DO

...include affiliate links. Your book ...insert a Page Break after every will be pulled from the store very chapter quickly, if you do -- non-marketers ... use numerical values only in your hate affiliate links and WILL report Edition number (alphabet characters you. are not allowed) ...expect to be able to upload . ...Bookmark: You will have to convert them to HTML or MS Word first  Your Cover image ...include special fonts, formatted  The beginning of your book headers, bullets or footnotes.  Its TOC (Table of Contents). Kindle will not be able to convert them. To bookmark, select the "Insert" menu in MS Word, and select ...use CTRL+[ENTER] to create "Bookmark" from the drop-down page breaks: Instead, find "Insert" menu. in your top menu bar and select "Break" from the drop-down ...use .JPEG images, centered, within your text ...Bookmark specific page numbers, when creating your Index. (Kindle resizes text and they will not be valid.) ...Copy-paste images into your text. Use INSERT+PICTURE instead from your menu bar.

If you'd like to use MS Word to format your book, check out their Simplified Formatting Guide for complete instructions -- it's worth your time now and will save you a lot of grief later!

Saving Your Final Draft

Never save your final draft for upload as a .DOC file! Instead:

1. Select "File", then "Save As" 2. Select "Other Formats" 3. From the drop-down menu, select "Web Page, Filtered".

Using

Mobipocket Creator is a free software to help you format your book specifically for eReaders -- plus it also has an Emulator, so you can actually preview what your finished Kindle book will look like. It is extremely popular with many Kindle publishers.

These are the system requirements:

Once you've downloaded it... 1. Double-click on the .MSI file to run the setup wizard 2. Follow the instructions on the screen 3. When you get to "Creator", select "Publisher Edition"

That's all there is to it! Now you can format your for mobile readers!

Once you've opened your new Mobipocket Creator software -- Go through the "Help" section first, where you'll find a tutorial on how to create an eBook. Click on Help...

Then select "Contents". A pop-up will open and you'll immediately see a tutorial on how to get started. Go through it!

Your book may or may not generate warnings, depending on whether or not you've formatted it correctly. If it does, don't panic. You can easily close out your eBook, and re-load it, once you've fixed any errors. (Mobipocket's Emulator will help you see what your finished book will look like.)

TIP: Create a small "Test" book first and practice with that. No more than three chapters, and each chapter no more than 2 pages (copy paste any text into it). If you upload your finished "real" book straight away, which of course will contain many more pages, it might take a while to compile and build, which would be a waste of time if it contains any errors.

Step Four: Uploading Your Book!

Once you have your formatted book saved and your carefully-thought-out Title and Description ready to copy-paste, you're ready to upload.

KDP Select -- First, however, you may need to be introduced to KDP Select, Kindle's new "lending library". You'll have the option of checking a box to include your book in KDP Select, while you're uploading it. The advantages of doing so include:

 A "legitimate opportunity" to promote your book without paying any sort of fees  The opportunity to quickly expand your reach (a great option for new readers) while you're uploading it. The advantages of doing so include:

 A "legitimate opportunity" to promote your book without paying any sort of fees  The opportunity to quickly expand your reach (a great option for new readers) You can still offer your book for purchase, of course.

How To Upload

It's a straightforward process, and Amazon Kindle anticipates any questions you might have by providing handy links embedded within almost every step. So go ahead... upload your book!

1. Sign into Kindle using your Amazon account log-in information...

A "Bookshelf" page will open up.

2. Click "Add a New Title"

3. Check the box KDP Select box if you want to add your title to the lending library

4. Enter your book title in the slot under "Book Name". (You have a 200 character limit)

5. Enter your edition number.

6. Enter your Description

7. Select the "Add Contributors" button

8. Add your name as the Author. You'll also be presented with a drop-down menu that allows you to add other people who deserve accreditation, such as your photographer, editor or illustrator...

9. Select "English" for Language  Add a Publication Date only if your work has been previously published. (Kindle will automatically add the current date if it's a brand new work.)  Add your name in as Publisher, if it's a new, original work  Add your ISBN, if you have one

Note that you can still publish your book if you don't have an ISBN number. (They do increase credibility to readers, however, so if you'd like to get one, check out this article at eHow.com.) At this point you'll be asked to assign the rights -- whether public domain or copyrighted to you. Note that once you've assigned the rights, they cannot be changed.

10. Selecting your Category -- This is another crucial step! Choosing the right category and entering the right keywords (i.e. the ones your ideal readers will most likely be searching by) can make a huge difference to the success of your book.

(Note: You can actually choose two categories.) 11. Uploading Your Book Cover -- When you upload your book cover, it will be used as the product image in the Amazon store, as well as for the actual inside cover of your eBook -- unless you uncheck the box, to let Amazon know you already have an inside cover formatted into your book. 12. Upload Your Book -- Choose whether or not you want to select DMCA copyright protection and then select "Browse for Book". Locate your file, and upload. 13. Kindle converts your file into eBook format. It will let you know when it is complete, so you can preview your book. If you are satisfied, select "Save and Continue". 14. You will then be asked to verify your "publishing territories". If your book is not under contract to any publisher, select "Worldwide Rights, All Territories.

Setting Your Prices -- The next section is really important. It involves selecting your Royalty option. Your royalty is the fee you are paid when your book sells. Typically, it is a percentage, with the remainder going to the "publisher" -- in this case, Amazon -- against the "expenses" of publishing your book.

In the offline world, your Royalty fee would most likely be under 15% (well under, if you are a beginning author). With Amazon, you have a choice between 35% and 70% Royalty. Note that you can only choose the 70% option if your book is going to list between $2.99 and $9.99. For all prices outside that range, select 35%.

You will now be able to input the selling price of your book into the "Amazon.com" USD box; then select all the individual Amazon stores you would like to carry your book:

As you select each Amazon version, you'll see figures automatically appear in the fields to the right (Royalty Rate, Delivery Costs and Estimated Royalty).

(You can also choose to set the list price for Amazon stores in other countries manually.)

Next comes another important decision...

To Lend... or Not to Lend? -- You'll be asked whether or not you want your book in Kindle Book Lending. NOTE THAT THIS IS DIFFERENT from the KDP Select Library!

This simply means you give permission for customers to lend your book to friends and family during the two weeks following their purchase. (If you've chosen the 70% Royalty option, your inclusion will be automatic.)

1. Check the "Terms and Conditions" box

2. Select "Save and Publish"

You should see your eBook in Amazon's English-speaking stores within twelve hours, though it can take up to a full forty-eight hours for stores presenting books in other languages.

Once you've saved your book, however, you can select the "Go to Bookshelf" button, where you will see your book's current status (either "In Review" or "Publishing".)

Once your book has been published, this status will change to "Live".

Step Five: After The Upload

Once your book is uploaded, your job isn't over! Now it's time to check for errors.

First and foremost, does your book actually turn up in Amazon search results, when you search the Kindle store for it by Title and by your name?

If you do find errors, there will be a link to an online corrections form at the bottom of your information page for that book. If something is wrong, use it to request a correction.

You can also check to make sure there are no obsolete editions of your book kicking around. (This does happen occasionally!)

Promoting Your Book -- Feel free to take whatever steps you need to promote your book... but you really don't need to! If you've done your job properly, you have:

 Identified your target customer  Located a specific sub-niche that is narrow enough

If your sub-niche is in Kindle, it's a sub-niche that is selling eBooks. And when you consider how many millions of eBooks Amazon Kindle's customers purchase daily, that's plenty of profit even on a miniscule percentage of sales.

Your best promotional tool is already set up on Amazon.com. And that is the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought"... feature on book pages. If you've joined KDP Select and reaped some fast rankings in your sub-niche, your book stands a very good chance of being one of these Amazon-recommended reads in a surprisingly short time.

Although you only see five books in the screenshot above, Amazon can actually line up 20 books, if appropriate candidates are available.

Keeping an Eye on Kindle -- Do make a habit of monitoring the Kindle Junkies forum for up to date news and discussion. You'll see everything from helpful "how to" information to featured posts such as: "Kindle Fire Gets its Own Hotmail."

Using Publisher Tools -- Do make use of Amazon's free Publisher Tools. You can add more information about yourself, scans of your cover, writing samples for people to browse (up to one chapter in length), more reviews and even a full Table of Contents. Finally, check your free downloads. If in spite of being free, you notice they are moving sluggishly, try tweaking your Title or changing the cover. (Often, that's all it takes!) See which covers do best!

Next Time You Log Into Your Kindle Bookshelf -- Once upload more books, you will see it on your "Bookshelf" the next time you open it up. You'll have an instant overview of what stage your books are at: draft, publishing or live in the Kindle store.

You'll always be able to keep an overview of where you're at with your Kindle publishing empire!

See you in the Kindle Bookstore!