Self-Publishing on Amazon KDP
Self-Publishing on Amazon KDP
So, you are thinking about writing a book and self-publishing on Amazon KDP? Go for it! You will learn so much and once it’s done, will feel very accomplished.
I am proud to say that I am now a published author! I self-published through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). My book, from idea to fruition, was four years in the making. A lot of that time was me dragging my feet. Like most people, I am scared of my flaws. I thought, if I can’t do it perfectly, then why not wait until I can? Of course, there is no such thing as perfect. The sooner you can accept this fact, the sooner you will move forward with your project.
Now that my book Speaking With an American Accent: A Guide to General American English is done, I can’t believe some of the things that I procrastinated on. It took a lot of work in the beginning, but in the end, things just fell into place.
Here are 7 things I learned by using Amazon KDP that I hope you will find helpful wherever you are on your publishing journey. You got this!
Formatting
One of the first things you should do is to figure out what margins you should use. This will impact the spacing big time, so the sooner you know what yours will be, the better. Amazon KDP has a webpage for this. I also found videos on YouTube to be helpful in figuring out how to change settings in Word.
If you are considering an eBook and paperback, the formatting will be different for both. Unfortunately, eBook versions may not work for everyone, like if you have a workbook format or lots of boxes and charts.
Recruit friends to edit
Hiring an editor can cost upwards of $3,000 or more. Most people don’t want to shell out that much money upfront for a book. I had several friends who volunteered to read it for me. They had a great eye for grammar and gave me feedback on any content that didn’t make sense. Side note, even though they volunteered, I did pay them in wine and a home-cooked meal.
My book is on accent modification for professionals, so I also recruited fellow SLPs who do accent modification to read it. I reached out to the admin of a Facebook group for SLPs in Accent Modification and she recruited them for me. In return, they got to keep the portion of the book they read. I also plan on sending them a desk copy of the finished product. Their feedback was invaluable. I highly recommend having as many eyes as you can view your book and give you feedback.
Use Fiverr
If you are thinking about self-publishing on Amazon KDP, you may need to spend a little money upfront. Fiverr is an amazing platform for freelance professionals to sell their skills at a reasonable price. For book writing, you can find someone to do every task, from ghostwriting, editing, formatting, and cover design. I reached out to someone on Fiverr, and she designed my front, back, and side cover for $50 (with unlimited edits). It was totally worth it to know that the size and pixels would work the first time around. She also created a 3D image, which I didn’t even know I needed, but have already used a lot for marketing (and as the featured image on this post). KDP does have an option for you to create your own cover. However, I found the options to be very limited and looked antiquated.
I used Pro_eBookCovers on Fiverr and would highly recommend her!
Order a proof copy
Uploading everything to KDP is actually very easy. Once it’s there, you can make as many changes as you want. You will be able to view your manuscript online and order a proof copy. I highly recommend this! It will look exactly like the printed version but will have a gray line around the cover that says Not For Resale. You will want to see your cover and inside of the book in person before giving it to your blessing and hitting publish.
Once your book is published, you can order a desk copy for the cost of printing. This is exactly what customers will receive. Order these for your friends, family, and volunteer editors.
You can make edits, even after you publish
Yes, that’s right. After you hit publish, you can still make minor edits. It’s not exactly clear what Amazon KDP means by minor but from what I have gathered, as long as the page number doesn’t change by more than 10%, you can make changes. I have already done this twice!
Don’t give away the whole farm
Amazon has a Look Inside feature that is automatic within a few days of your book being published. It shows at least 10% of your book, starting with the very first page, and you don’t get to choose what is shown. I learned this the hard way.
My book comes with a companion website that buyers can go to and access with a password. In the first version of my published book, the link and password were visible! Fortunately, I was able to make an edit and move that information to the back of the book while still leaving a marker in the front so buyers could see there was bonus material available.
Just do it (Self-publish on Amazon KDP)!
It’s that simple. Don’t let anything get in your way of achieving your dream. You will learn so much and be glad you did it, despite that little voice inside your head that is scared of critics or making a mistake. Sadly, there will always be critics, but like a friend and fellow author says, f*@k them! It’s the people in the arena, not the critics on the sidelines, who count.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” -Teddy Roosevelt
For tips on accent modification, check out some my other blog posts:
Efficacy of Accent Modification