My 'to do' list for publishing something on Amazon KDP, including links to sources or sub-posts, whereever relevant.
Read on... or visit the KDP Essentials page...
Let's face it
There's nothing wrong with writing your own book and publishing it.
But... you gotta' be realistic:every month there are literally thousands of books published on Amazon. (And most of them are bad.) But - unfortunately - that still doesn't mean you'll be the one standing out above all the slop.
The chance that somebody spots your book and decides to read it is small.
The change that you will actually sell enough to make a profit (anybything above a loss, and that's after paying your editor, your cover artists, Amazon's fees, and income taxes) are close to zero.
The chance that you will become rich and famous - or even make a living - is infinite negative.
Quality control
If you think your work is so good it doesn't need to be spell checked and proof read, then... I don' know. Perhaps you should consider another hobby.
I believe that a reader deserves all the attention he / she can get. So I believe a real writer should care about the reader - not only as a potential customer and source of revenue, but as a real person who is willing to give a slice of their live to read your work.
Such a person deserves a decent plot, living characters, proper spelling and correct punctuation. Such a dedication deserves multiple proofreads and a real editor. If you can't afford a real editor then find a bunch of real readers that give you honest feedback. (Which effectively excludes family and friends.)
In spite of all the negativity
Writing is fun. Yes, it can be hard work, but there is something entirely satisfying about wrapping up a great story, publishing it, and getting honest, enthusiastic feedback from readers.
Carefully consider the reason why you are writing. I write because I want to prove I can tell an entertaining story that is good enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with a professional writer. A story that is entertaining. Something I can be proud of.
I don't care if it sells well (though I would like to break even). I don't care if not everyone likes it. (That's simply impossible.) I do care about the reader though.
So yes, I wrapped up a story, spell checked it, then had an editor go through it. Edited it a thousand times. And now I need to market and publish it.
How? Where? What?
KPD Essentials
Let's face it (again). You probably end up with Amazon and KDP.
I added a 'page' with a list of all the things I still have to do, or that I ran into, or for which I found a solution.
You'll find that page here. It's still under construction!
Blog
In the coming days / weeks I'm going to post a number of entries describing my thought process, the curveballs Amazon throws at me, and how I dealt with them. You can find information like this everywhere on the Internet - this is just my little, personal story and tracker.
More
- KDP Essentials - organized index
- Amazon KDP - all posts
- Writing Essentials - organized index
- Writing Reference - all essential posts
- Writing - all related posts including less important stuff
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