All You Need to Know About Self-Publishing on Amazon

Many authors face a certain amount of struggle when it comes to finding the right publisher or publishing house. This struggle that aspiring and even well-known authors face stems from agents and editors hired at different publishing houses that just don’t have the capacity to see the true value of every story told. In recent years, more and more authors have been self-publishing their books to avoid submitting their manuscripts to hundreds of publications and getting rejected countless times. With self-publishing, authors have gained complete control over the work they have spent months or years writing. Creative freedom is just one of the benefits of self-publishing. Other than that, authors have started receiving a larger share of royalties when compared to working with a publishing house. In 2018, the self-publishing market expanded by 40% and has been increasing every year since then.

What is Self-Publishing?

The concept of self-publishing was birthed when author Dan Poynter published his book, The Self-Publishing Manual, in 1979. The Self-Publishing Manual was the first-ever self-published book produced through a word processor and distributed digitally. In simple terms, self-publishing is the process of publishing a book independently instead of depending on any help or funds from a publishing house or traditional publisher. In the self-publishing process, the author has to look after the various processes that go into the completion, promotion, and marketing of their book. This includes editing the final manuscript, determining the book layout, printing, and distribution. As the concept of self-publishing became more common, companies and people started offering the different services mentioned above to independent authors. In today’s time, a struggling author can hire a book writing and publishing agency in order to get all the necessary services they need to get their book ready and published.

Leading Book Writing & Publishing Agency

As a book writing and publishing agency ourselves, Book Writing Experts offers an extensive range of services at cost-effective prices. Our services include ghostwriting, editing, publishing, proofreading, audiobook creation, book promotion, book marketing, book formatting, eBook writing, blog writing, book video trailer, book cover, author website development, and much more.  Our stellar book publishing services are curated for talented writers that want to take the independent route in the world of books.

Our process of publishing begins with the submission of the full-length manuscript. At this point, the client is informed about our publishing guidelines and presented with a contract to sign. After this, our talented and experienced editors review the manuscript thoroughly, making any necessary changes to the content if granted permission by the client. The next step is all about formatting and typesetting. At this stage, the final manuscript is formatted into a proper book, and images are added according to the client’s requirements. Once the layout and formatting of the book content are finished, the book production process begins. During this stage of the publishing process, the first copy of the book is designed and sent to the client for the final review. Once we get the green light from the client, we begin the production of the book. In order to ensure the success of the book, we make sure readers around the world have heard about the upcoming release of the client’s book through different marketing channels. Our skilled marketing experts curate custom-tailored marketing strategies for the client’s book and market it across popular social media platforms. Once the word is out, we publish the book and watch the sales increase day by day. But our book publishing services don’t end here, we also handle the distribution of the books for our clients. We perfect your masterpiece and release it to the world to enjoy.

Amazon Self-Publishing

Independent authors can utilize two ways to sell their books: they can choose to sell them on their official website through an e-commerce tool or sell it through Amazon, the biggest online marketplace in the world. Since Amazon introduced the option for independent authors to market and sell their books through its platform, the publishing world was significantly impacted. Many upcoming authors that have not had the chance to collaborate with publishing agents or publishing houses have utilized the platform to sell their books. Self-publishing on Amazon has become one of the easiest ways to get your book published and marketed to millions of loyal Amazon customers.

Using the KDP direct publishing program, Amazon has established its dominance in the growing world of self-publishing. If you are an aspiring author looking to bypass the time-consuming and highly competitive traditional publishing method, then Amazon self-publishing is the most viable option for you. But before you make your final decision, you need to consider the good and the bad that comes with Amazon self-publishing.

Self-Publishing on Amazon Pros and Cons

Pro: Self-publishing is easier

The one thing that makes self-publishing on Amazon significantly easier for authors is Kindle Direct Publishing. KDP offers authors detailed information about the process of self-publishing, comprehensive tutorials, forums, FAQS, and a support center to answer any queries that authors might have regarding the self-publishing process. All these features are designed to guide authors through the self-publishing process. Without the help of experts, even new and emerging authors will be able to make the best out of Amazon self-publishing.

Pro: Authors get the creative freedom

When authors choose to stick to traditional publishing, they have to coordinate with different people at a publishing house that is just as involved as the author in the book publishing process. Authors tend to lose their creative freedom in this process because they need to keep the management informed about every little detail from the content of the book, book cover, the title of the book, and even the group of people the book is intended for. But when it comes to self-publishing, authors have the creative freedom that they need to deliver great work to readers around the world.

Pro: Make more money through higher royalty rates

In traditional publishing, the royalty rates for authors vary from 7% to 25%. Even the cash that authors receive in advance gets deducted from their royalties. While there are at times when publishing houses offer bonuses to authors, this usually happens when the books are grossing best-selling. On the other hand, authors that opt for self-publishing can receive up to 70% of the net profits. As independent authors, writers can earn 3 to 10x more than what they earn when they get a book deal.

Pro: Authors can opt for the audiobook format

Another benefit that Amazon self-publishing offers authors is to publish their books as an audiobook as well. Around the US, audiobooks are gaining popularity. And with Amazon, independent authors have the chance to utilize this lucrative opportunity. Through Audible, authors that have decided to self-publish on Amazon can release audiobook editions now.

Con: Self-publishing can be expensive

This is one of the biggest downsides of self-publishing, authors have to splurge on the various costs that go into completing the book. As an author, you can always design a book cover yourself, even edit the final manuscript, and choose a layout for your book. But in order to achieve that professional look, it is always the better option to hire professionals for certain tasks. For example, a book cover is important when it comes to marketing a book because many readers judge books based on their covers. Hiring different professionals can leave quite a dent in your finances.

Con: Sales can be affected by Kindle Unlimited

Many authors might think that Kindle Unlimited is an additional way to earn money, but it could have a serious impact on the sales of their books. Through Kindle Unlimited, readers can borrow books instead of purchasing them. When this happens, Amazon pays authors on a per-page read basis.

Con: No team to oversee the book creation process

When authors opt for traditional publishing methods, they get a whole team of experts, such as editors, proofreaders, graphic designers, and more, to look after the book creation. This way the author only has to worry about finishing the final manuscript of their book. But with self-publishing, the author is pretty much on their own. They have to take the responsibility of hiring and paying different professionals in order to complete the book. This comes with the risk of hiring the wrong person that can ruin an important aspect of your book. Though mistakes can always be rectified, it does take extra time and money for authors. As we discussed earlier, hiring different experts can be quite expensive.

Con: Harder to get your book on the shelf

Authors can get exclusive deals with publishing agents and publishing houses, making it easier for their books to get on the shelf in some of the biggest bookstores around the world. On the other hand, self-publishing authors struggle with getting their books on the shelves of bookstores. They usually depend on the online marketplace to sell their books or on print-on-demand services.

What Our Clients
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My sister was struggling with her book sales; I recommended Book Writing Experts book promotion services. Since then the sales have skyrocketed. I have never seen such great results in a short time.
James Moris

Book writing Experts are truly remarkable!
I worked with Sam Jordan and he stayed in contact with me almost every day. This was my first time as and Author and To put it mildly, I probably drove him crazy, but he never once was unkind or got angry a true professional and patients of a saint.
Evelyn Keplinger

I worked with Sam Jordan for a few months preparing my first book. Sam was very helpful and courteous. We connected on the phone several times a week. I am not the most patient person, but I found Sam to be capable and professional. He helped me overcome any fears I had about the process..
Ron

my creation of this 24 chapter book is actually a 24 part mini series.
But once Claire and Sam from the book writing experts Joined forces with me  they turned my little Mini masterpiece into a  Netflix/Amazon series.
43 years of silence Will become an overnight Box office success.
Thank you Claire.
I love your team.
Luis Reyes

Since I was short on money and couldn’t afford an expensive proofreader for the book, I was legit quite worried because having a second opinion is always better? My friend recommended Book Writing Experts’ affordable proofreading services, and wow! They were very accommodating and got my work done in 3 days only. So happy!
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