Self-Publishing On Amazon Is Quick, It’s Easy And It’s Free
Self-Publishing On Amazon Is Quick, It’s Easy And It’s Free
Authors who are looking for a self-publishing platform often ask why there is a cost to self-publishing on Amazon when Amazon is meant to be free.
So why the question?
Preparing your manuscript for publication
Preparing a manuscript for publication has costs associated with it. Any author planning to produce a professional-looking manuscript will have to pay to have a quality manuscript.
In the past the traditional publisher organised the editing, the proof-reading, the book’s design and formatting, the printing, and the marketing. Once an author takes the self-publishing route they then take on the responsibility of all aspects of the publishing and marketing process.
Book quality is a key factor in a book’s success so authors need to invest in editing, cover design and formatting.
Professionalism
This is where professionalism comes into play.
While it is relatively easy to list your book both as a Kindle eBook and as a Paperback on Amazon there are certain areas where mistakes can be made and you risk having a badly published book. Don’t rush into having a badly published book.
If you choose the do it all yourself path, the no cost way, you run the risk of creating a publication that looks unprofessional, unless of course you are highly skilled in all the areas of cover design, editing, and formatting.
An author needs to avoid the end result with their book looking amateurish and unprofessional. This can result in bad reviews and in little or no sales.
The self-publisher has the responsibility of ensuring that the end product, their own publication, is either a quality paperback or a quality eBook.
The author planning to self-publish has two choices: either do everything themselves the no cost way or outsource to professionals.
Outsource to professionals
The best strategy is to outsource to the services of professionals. They can help an author with
- the cover
- editing
- formatting
It is possible to find professionals to help authors with these aspects of book publishing and to get the help they need that is affordable.
To create a professional looking publication be prepared to pay for the editing and proof-reading, cover design, formatting and even the uploading of the manuscript and cover files to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
Expect to pay anywhere from $100 upwards because all the costs associated with self-publishing vary.
So if to be a successful publisher on Amazon is the goal then plan on producing a quality product.
Are you an Amazon expert?
Amazon provides a simple, easy and fast method for authors who want to self-publish their books. Plenty of authors take the plunge and do it themselves publishing on Amazon.
Indeed, it is very exciting to reach that goal and to actually get a book published on Amazon.
It is a cause for celebration!
But so few authors know how to self-publish on Amazon properly.
Many authors are unaware that there are ways to optimise their book’s listing. There are certain things an author must do to increase the visibility of their book so that readers will discover and buy it.
To become successful an author needs to become a bit of an Amazon expert.
Sources
The following sources were consulted for this article.
Altucher, James “How to self-publish a bestseller: publishing 3.0” jamesaltucher.com