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SilverProteus
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22 Aug 2017, 7:35 pm

I would like to know if anybody sells their book on Amazon, what their experiences with it are, etc.


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Kraichgauer
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25 Aug 2017, 12:48 am

I am a member of a scifi, fantasy, and horror writers group, and we are each contributing a short story to an anthology that will be published on Amazon. I myself am planning on collecting my own short horror fiction into an anthology, also to be published on Amazon as well.
Our group has discussed self publishing on Amazon, and we all agree that there have been far too many quality writers who never get published through mainstream publication houses, because those are run by business people who are more interested in making money off of an existing market rather than appreciating true art. So, they instead publish crap like Twilight, Fifty Shades Of Grey, or The Bridges Of Madison County, simply because there is a market for the publishers to make cash on said crap.
Some members of our group have had success with self publishing on Amazon, though they'd be the first to tell you that plenty of other authors who go that route don't make any money. A self published author, they've told the rest of us, needs to take the bull by the horns when it comes to promoting one's book.
Or to put it in shorter language, I am planning on taking a step into the "Amazon waters," myself. At the very least, there's a much greater chance of getting published on Amazon than there is going the traditional route, while going the route of the vanity press will just cost you money.


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SilverProteus
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25 Aug 2017, 2:50 am

Thank you for your reply. :)

As I'm not a professional author I don't expect to be making a lot of money through selling my book. Instead, I'll be content with just making a little extra. I am aware that one needs to promote one's book if it is self-published, if only I had the time and especially the energy to do so! :shrug:


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Ceramic
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29 Aug 2017, 1:32 am

SilverProteus wrote:
I would like to know if anybody sells their book on Amazon, what their experiences with it are, etc.


Yes, I do. I have four eBook in the Kindle store.
A memoir about Autistic burnout, two poetry eBooks and a guide to community event management.

It is quite common to not make any sales at all or sell 1-3 books over a few years. Personally I've make $36 the month it came out, $9, $5, I think I'm due another $5 payment for July.

Go for it. You may have noticed from your friends around you that we are a DIY, always learning, self determined lot.

Happy to chat further about self publishing.

For anyone looking to self publish, these tips may help:

If you are promoting it and its not selling, it seems to be usually these things: spelling and grammar, repetative & overly descriptive writing, a unprofessional cover (designed in Paint or MS Word, doesn't convey the book's content), and book blurb/ description.),

There are a number of things to think about. Cover
Did a graphic designer make your cover? Or does it look like a graphic designer made it?
Does it look similar to other books in your genre and Kindle categories?

Blurb
At the very least it should say the genre including sub category (eg: medieval fantasy / zombie horror / sweet romance / poetry anthology / memoir about disability).

I got this bit below from the Kindle author forum yesterday.

"Your blurb should also answer the following:

What is a general description of the setting in the initial area of the book?
(you don't want your blurb to go much past the setup of your story)

For fiction, you should answer the following in your blurb:
Who is the main charactor (char)? (Say something about them)
What is the char's BIG goal?
What blocker/antagonist stands in the char's way?
What must the char do to overcome the blocker?
What happens if the char fails?"
***

I recommend listening to The Self Publishing Podcast and Joanna Penn's books, blog and podcast. You can learn a lot about the business of self publishing from them.

Happy to answer some questions about self publishing. Just message me :)


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