If you’re hoping to be an author, generally speaking you’d need to go through the traditional channels. You’d need to have a literary agent, have many talks with publishers, write and rewrite the books based on the publisher specifications etc.
But in the modern world, there are new ways to do this. With KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), you have a platform to self publish your ebook and then sell it through Amazon.
But with this platform, you will need to know the methods of how you can make money. Luckily, we’ve written this handy guide that shows you all the top methods to make money using Kindle Direct Publishing.
Ready to learn more? Then read on and discover the answers.
Validate Your Book Idea
Before you go any further, the first step for you to do is validate your book idea. You need to ensure that what you’re going to write is a popular area with an established, existing audience of millions.
Of course, you don’t want to waste your time writing a book which will remain unread. So, you need a way to size up your competition. You can do this in the following ways:
Check For Similar Books
In any form of competition, you should always check your competition. Some people may say that if their idea is not out there, it means there’s a gap in the market – but when it comes to novels, there’s a different meaning.
Typically, if there’s no books out there similar to your idea, the chances are that there’s no interest in it. At this point, you should also ask yourself if you can compete in this competition.
Assess Your Potential
Ask yourself if there are going to be enough buyers. Is it worth you writing the book if you do not have any serious interest? Eventually, this question must be examined and only you can determine this.
Act Like A Bookseller: Packaging
Anyone who has ever used this system before will tell you, you could have written the most amazing novel in history – but if you are unable to package it in any meaningful way which is appealing – you won’t have many readers.
Now, there are four main areas you need to focus on when it comes to packing your book.
- Your title
- The design of the cover
- The book’s format
- The description of the book
Let’s examine them in more detail below.
Your Title
When it comes to marketing your book, it has been said that the title is by far the most important facet of it. While your title might not be the selling point of your book, you can avoid it being the rejection factor.
Your book’s title needs to be memorable and catchy. It should somewhat hint toward the content of your book, but above all else it should attract your chosen audience.
If you choose to have a subtitle, it should be more about clarification to the reader about what the book will offer. Very good subtitles can end up being the memorable name of the book too, so bear that in mind when you’re brainstorming.
The Design Of The Cover
This is a very important step if you’re looking to make money using Kindle Direct Publishing. You need a cover that really grabs the attention of the potential reader as this will be the first impression of the book.
If the cover appears sloppy or confusing, it won’t be attractive and readers will simply avoid purchasing it. Ensure your cover:
- Has a clear, legible title that can be easily read when condensed into a thumbnail. You will need to pick your font very carefully here
- Has a design that really stands out from the rest and catches the eye of the reader
At this point, it’s worth us mentioning that, unless you are a designer or you have done this before, it’s best to outsource this step to a professional. This step is not the time to try to save any money – it’s a very important investment.
The Book’s Format
The formatting of your book will also be critical. The syntax needs to be correct and the spelling needs to be spot on. However, it’s not just about this.
You will need to ensure that the text is readable. Here, the choice of font you use will be essential and the sizing of the font. Even in a digital format, people will still respond to this in a negative or positive way.
The Description Of The Book
Now, you may be able to attract people to the book in theory, but once you have grabbed the attention of the reader toward the book, you will now need to seal the deal. This is where a very good description of the book comes into play.
Readers have to know what the book is about and how they might benefit from it. Weak writing will not cut it here.
It’s important to remember that the book’s description is not going to be a type of summary of the book. It’s more of a marketing ploy to try to entice the reader to actually purchase the book.
Successful Book Launch
While we haven’t included this in the previous points, a successful book launch utilizing social media, email marketing and word of mouth will significantly increase your chances of initial sales.
Continue The Sales
Once you notice the sales roll in, you will now need a way to start making significant money and keep the sales coming. So, here’s how you can do that.
Weekly Price Hike
You’re going to make money from royalties when all is said and done. So if you keep your book’s price extremely low, the amount of money you earn will also be low. As a result, you should consider attracting readers with a low price and then gradually increasing it.
It’s also a great way to almost “force” people who were interested, but did not buy the book, to panic and make the purchase before the price goes up.
Use Your Blog And Social Media
One of the best ways to keep the money rolling in is by creating and publishing more content, using links which send the audience to either your subscriber list or to the Amazon page.
The more you can engage with your audience, the better. It shows an element of authority and the more subscribers you have, the more potential buyers you have.
Amazon Ads
If you use AMS (Amazon Marketing Services), you can create a PPC (pay per click) campaign and this can significantly increase the chances of your book selling more! Sometimes, you have to speculate to accumulate and this is one such way to do so.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to trying to make money using Kindle Direct Publishing, it’s imperative to first attract the reader, but then you have to keep the sales rolling in. Once you’ve been successful, remember to write more books for more money!
