Hello. I recently started watching your videos. These are just eye openers. I subscribed to your channel. Can you please give an idea about how much should I invest for marketing my self published book in KDP?
Another first time author here. I appreciate the information and the bit about traditional publishing is something you never hear in other videos. I've been looking for that for a while.
I attended a seminar given by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen and I walked away with so much incredible information on writing, publishing, marketing, etc. One of their best nuggets of publishing has stayed with me since their class in 2002. They said “best selling book” does not mean “best WRITING book”…it means selling…marketing…marketing…marketing! Which actually helped my shoulders relax a bit. I agree with your comment ..😊👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Working on writing, illustrating and self publishing my first children’s book! I am diving into Facebook for promoting my book. Also using Linkedin and I created a website. I am looking into using Pinterest for marketing as well. I feel like the marketing and promoting of my book is almost more work than my actual book! lol 😂 But I’m enjoying all of it! Great video! Thanks and God bless!
Hey Virginia, I've only just read your comment which was posted three months ago. How's it going with your children's book? Did the various ways of marketing work for you?
Kdp is great but anyone self publishing better be prepared to either do advertising on Amazon and or have multiple social media outlets for advertising or your book will just sit there, lost in a sea of books on Amazon.
@@SvenGeorgiev meaning you better be prepared to run multi social media pages promoting yourself and your books. Some people going into this think they just hit publish on kdp and their work is done. Just like anything else in life this takes actual work and knowledge beyond writing a book. I think it’s a great way to go but too many people gripe and complain about not making any sales….
@@SvenGeorgiev KDP is one outlet. Ingramspark, Google Books, Draft2digital are all outlets that will print and sell your book and eBooks just like Amazon but if you use an Amazon "Free" ISBN you can't use it outside of Amazon so you're stuck only on Amazon. The other outlets are typically higher cost to print your books and less royalties given to you than Amazon but they sell to schools, universities, and other stores that Amazon doesn't. Amazon isn't the only place you can self-publish books. Plus what she said above. Once your book is out there you need to get people to see it. That's where advertising comes into play. You have to promote your book in some way and get people to give reviews. Advertise on Amazon, Tiktoc and other social media platforms to get your book seen. If people don't see it, people can't buy it.
Thanks. I've been an organic vegetable farmer since 2009 and want to write a book about Gardening by the Moon this winter. I've been writing the book in my head for a decade and just need to write it. I don't want to write any other books, just this one. I wonder about illustrations going into a book, especially how to format them and place them within the text. I will look at the KDP website and also your other videos, thanks very much!
Pages, the word processing software that comes on apple computers, is great for adding images to your text. There are many videos about how to use Pages. It is fun to compose a book in Pages. If you scan your illustrations, you will just drag the file in, and there is appears on a page. You can then anchor that image to text or the page, and later you can change your mind and anchor it to the other.
Hi Caroline, I have a book ready to publish, and Amazon KDP looks good. I also want to have physical copies because I have outlets that want to sell it. How do I do that.
One online video says don't accept the free ISBN that KDP provides because you can't bring your work over to other sellers with that ISBN. I believe the video says that if you live in Canada an ISBN will be free but it will be $125 in the US.
I design digital pattern paper for cardmaking, and would like to get them published into a pattern paper pad. Would I be able to do this with KDP? Is there any other P.O.D sites to do this?
Can you explain about pens names? I talked with KDP Support and they said if you use a Brand Name it has to be also on your application form and bank account. Are Pen Names different than Brand Names?
They are different. You make an account with your real name and personal info. When you upload a book, you put either your real name or a pen name in the author section. A brand name is not the same as a pen name.
GOD bless! I was thinking of uploading a book on KTP but all of a sudden I feel hesitant because of the things that I’ve been reading that Amazon is doing some of the owners of books in there. Terminating their accounts, and keeping the royalties for example; not explaining why the account was terminated, or lowering the price of the book without any warning. My book 100% original, and I have not used at all AI because it’s a book about The HOLY SPIRIT. So have you seen accounts being terminated by Amazon in a regular basis?
I'm an older person who has spent quite a few months creating a book on a pretty unique subject, a pacific island called Bougainville which has been featured a bit in the news over the last few years. It is about 160 pages long and contains maybe 700 colour photographs. Would Amazon be a suitable place to put such a book?
Presumably you want to create a print version of your book. If that is the case, you are probably better using Lulu rather than Amazon as your colour photos will need better paper than you get with Amazon.
I wrote a weekly opinion column for years out here a small town in the Mojave Desert. Some of these columns are real jewels and cry out to be published as an anthology. Is Amazon KDP a viable platform for this?
Yes it is. But, they would need to be made into collections as a single book. And you must ensure that they don't sit more on another platform. And If so, try as much as possible to put it on the option you select that it is not only for Amazon.
HI, really good thanks; I have a question that you as a designer might identify with Caroline, how can you incorporate good quality graphics, and particularly images into a inside pages? Thx Ashley [photographer]
I have so many questions. I haven’t even set up an account for Amazon KDP but I’ve had a person tell me I can’t use fonts on my book that I have apps for on my iPad. Is that true that I can’t use my app that is called “Title” to use for my books fonts? Or does KDP offer fonts? Also I applied for a trademark for the name of my book/characters. But that can take up to a year to get it and I am told I might NOT get it but do I wait until I get the trademark or can I go ahead and publish anyhow? And lastly, for now, can I use KDP on an iPad? I haven’t touched a computer in years so I’m hoping to use my iPad. I did a “test” book on snapfish which came out really nice and I did part of that on my iPad and part on a friends computer. What I have on my iPad is the pages in a photo format so , not knowing how KDP works, I wonder if I can just put my photo pages in place, fonts and all.
Hi caroline, do you have a platform where I can ask you more questions about KDP. Ive launched a couple of coloring books and was just wanting to get connected and talk about ads and keywords and formats and all that kdp stuff
I have a question, which you might take up as a subject for a new video. Which is better: Creating a 101 Dogs Coloring Book with about 200 pages for $11.95 OR creating a Dogs Coloring Book with 50 coloring pages for $6-7 bucks? Does one sell better than the other? How does pricing and page count go together for a better selling book with everything else being equal, like the cover, etc.? OR, isn't there a real, direct association/correlation? IF you've done a video about this, can you put the link in a reply? THANKS
Do you consult 1:1 if so please let me know 🙏 I have a very marketable 75,000 word non-fiction narrative. In the realm of spiritual health, self-improvement, psychology, social justice.
I've watched several of your videos, and in each you don't mention the money advance that publishing houses may provide compared to self-publishing. Why do you neglect to mention that when you compare them? It makes a difference.
An advance is not guaranteed when you go with a publisher. I’ve just signed a contract to write a book. I asked about an advance and they offered a small sum, that would just hold off my getting paid after release. It wasn’t a big enough sum of money, so I opted to not accept an advance. An advance is simply getting paid up front, and if you don’t write a best seller, it might not be helpful in the long run, because you’ll have to wait too long to make it back.
I got a KDP termination email and I have NO idea why. I'm wondering: IF someone knew you were selling books on Amazon and they wanted to cause you trouble, COULD they open an account, with an invented email and YOUR name, so you would have two accounts open, even though you don't know about it, and THAT'S why you got terminated?
Self-publishing on your own will look like you self-published a book. Unfortunately most self-published books look amateurish. Self designed covers usually aren't very appealing; bad grammar is very common; and the layout and formatting (visual appeal of fonts, for example). Finding a company to help you self-publish often leads to people getting ripped off. And doing yourself will look, like, well... you did it yourself. At Andy Fairchild Publishing - We Publish Good Books.
@@hkray1988 It may be "shameless" self-promotion, but as far as what he stated about how self-published books look, is 100% correct. All the self-published coloring books that I see on Amazon, and the many self-publishing guru's example video walk-throughs on how-to use the simple (and many times free or low-cost apps and clip art, etc. to create coloring book pages DO LOOK COMPLETELY AMATEUR! As he said, "self-designed covers that aren't very appealing; bad grammar is very common; and the layout and formatting (visual appeal of fonts, for example), are just the tip of the iceberg, let alone the atrocious art, and obvious use and re-use of the same art in the multitude of coloring books by people who use the same handful of apps and websites to build their books on, just makes it all look cringe-worthy and unprofessional. And THAT is why people's books are not selling. And when you add in that a real and established publisher of coloring books would also have the supporting social media already in place for when they launch a new coloring book, as well as some paid advertising on Amazon, there is no way a non professional publisher of coloring books, who creates one without being a real artist/graphic designer with actual SKILLS, can expect to SUCCESSFULLY sell enough copies of the coloring book(s) to make a real living.
Publishing through a company is expensive and most are scams and fraud and totally unprofessional. German publishers are serious and pro. This is my experience after 3books.
About one in a thousand WRITERS writes in any way shape or form that others may enjoy. The other 999 are delusional about their "art". But sure, you are probably the one.
Well explained, many thanks 👌💜
You really give some great advice! Thank you for taking your time to share your knowledge on this!
Good information for new writers getting linked to KDP. The marketing budget thing stands out. Well done, thumbs up and subscribed
👍
Thank you for the information. I'm in the process of publishing. I'm grinding my teeth, but I'll take the step. ❤❤❤❤
A good video.Information passed on quickly and clearly and telling it as it is.
Hello. I recently started watching your videos. These are just eye openers. I subscribed to your channel. Can you please give an idea about how much should I invest for marketing my self published book in KDP?
Another first time author here. I appreciate the information and the bit about traditional publishing is something you never hear in other videos. I've been looking for that for a while.
thankyou for the information will see more of your videos just getting ready to try it
Thank for being truthful! No matter what any of us do it always requires dedication to making things happen!
As a first time author, learning the hard way, it is all about marketing. Very tough for new comers
I attended a seminar given by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen and I walked away with so much incredible information on writing, publishing, marketing, etc.
One of their best nuggets of publishing has stayed with me since their class in 2002.
They said “best selling book” does not mean “best WRITING book”…it means selling…marketing…marketing…marketing!
Which actually helped my shoulders relax a bit.
I agree with your comment ..😊👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Yes, and depending on the list, it likely doesn’t mean best selling either.
Working on writing, illustrating and self publishing my first children’s book! I am diving into Facebook for promoting my book. Also using Linkedin and I created a website. I am looking into using Pinterest for marketing as well. I feel like the marketing and promoting of my book is almost more work than my actual book! lol 😂 But I’m enjoying all of it! Great video! Thanks and God bless!
Hey Virginia, I've only just read your comment which was posted three months ago. How's it going with your children's book? Did the various ways of marketing work for you?
Hey Virginia, how did you get it illustrated?
How is going your sales?
And good luck for your book.
@@4268stephare you writing any book ? I'm thinking of writing a one.
Quite a well thought out and informative presentation, I found it very helpful and enjoyable 😊
Kdp is great but anyone self publishing better be prepared to either do advertising on Amazon and or have multiple social media outlets for advertising or your book will just sit there, lost in a sea of books on Amazon.
What do you mean with "multiple outlets"?
@@SvenGeorgiev meaning you better be prepared to run multi social media pages promoting yourself and your books. Some people going into this think they just hit publish on kdp and their work is done. Just like anything else in life this takes actual work and knowledge beyond writing a book. I think it’s a great way to go but too many people gripe and complain about not making any sales….
@@SvenGeorgiev KDP is one outlet. Ingramspark, Google Books, Draft2digital are all outlets that will print and sell your book and eBooks just like Amazon but if you use an Amazon "Free" ISBN you can't use it outside of Amazon so you're stuck only on Amazon. The other outlets are typically higher cost to print your books and less royalties given to you than Amazon but they sell to schools, universities, and other stores that Amazon doesn't. Amazon isn't the only place you can self-publish books.
Plus what she said above. Once your book is out there you need to get people to see it. That's where advertising comes into play. You have to promote your book in some way and get people to give reviews. Advertise on Amazon, Tiktoc and other social media platforms to get your book seen.
If people don't see it, people can't buy it.
Absolutley. K m just getting started but Social Media will be my focus
@@christian5707 Also paid ads!
Great information thank you for your time and knowledge, Awesome!
Thanks. I caught you right in time.
Thanks. I've been an organic vegetable farmer since 2009 and want to write a book about Gardening by the Moon this winter. I've been writing the book in my head for a decade and just need to write it. I don't want to write any other books, just this one. I wonder about illustrations going into a book, especially how to format them and place them within the text. I will look at the KDP website and also your other videos, thanks very much!
Pages, the word processing software that comes on apple computers, is great for adding images to your text. There are many videos about how to use Pages. It is fun to compose a book in Pages. If you scan your illustrations, you will just drag the file in, and there is appears on a page. You can then anchor that image to text or the page, and later you can change your mind and anchor it to the other.
@@thomasmione7704 thanks! I will check it out!
I would SO buy that book! Please write it!
@@susancahill8073 thank you! I need to focus!
My first book was great. I sold 2,000 units
I wonder if publishing on many self publishing platforms would be beneficial?
So proud of my latest cute kawaii prints. Book 1 was bad quality. Now i know the secret to make the images POP! Go me!!!❤❤❤
Hi Caroline, I have a book ready to publish, and Amazon KDP looks good. I also want to have physical copies because I have outlets that want to sell it. How do I do that.
Yes I would like to know as well!
One online video says don't accept the free ISBN that KDP provides because you can't bring your work over to other sellers with that ISBN. I believe the video says that if you live in Canada an ISBN will be free but it will be $125 in the US.
I design digital pattern paper for cardmaking, and would like to get them published into a pattern paper pad. Would I be able to do this with KDP? Is there any other P.O.D sites to do this?
I would buy this! A wonderful idea! 😊
Can you explain about pens names? I talked with KDP Support and they said if you use a Brand Name it has to be also on your application form and bank account. Are Pen Names different than Brand Names?
They are different. You make an account with your real name and personal info. When you upload a book, you put either your real name or a pen name in the author section. A brand name is not the same as a pen name.
@@leannaMA Thanks!
Excellent and helpful video- thank you
I couldn't understand the names of the suggested printing on demands business. Was it lili and what other ones? Thank you for clarification.
Is the Hand Drawn mazes and the Mazes software the same thing? Should I buy one or the other not both?
GOD bless! I was thinking of uploading a book on KTP but all of a sudden I feel hesitant because of the things that I’ve been reading that Amazon is doing some of the owners of books in there. Terminating their accounts, and keeping the royalties for example; not explaining why the account was terminated, or lowering the price of the book without any warning. My book 100% original, and I have not used at all AI because it’s a book about The HOLY SPIRIT. So have you seen accounts being terminated by Amazon in a regular basis?
They lowered the price of mine (it was 19.99). Wasn't too happy not even getting warned.
I am looking to published my book on amazon, and is not good with uploading, is this a service you offer?
Am interested in this topic. Thank you!
THANK YOU! I AM JUST LEARNING :)
I'm an older person who has spent quite a few months creating a book on a pretty unique subject, a pacific island called Bougainville which has been featured a bit in the news over the last few years. It is about 160 pages long and contains maybe 700 colour photographs. Would Amazon be a suitable place to put such a book?
Presumably you want to create a print version of your book. If that is the case, you are probably better using Lulu rather than Amazon as your colour photos will need better paper than you get with Amazon.
I wrote a weekly opinion column for years out here a small town in the Mojave Desert. Some of these columns are real jewels and cry out to be published as an anthology. Is Amazon KDP a viable platform for this?
Yes it is. But, they would need to be made into collections as a single book. And you must ensure that they don't sit more on another platform. And If so, try as much as possible to put it on the option you select that it is not only for Amazon.
You look amazing…..excellent genetics.
very helpful, thank you
This information is very useful
HI, really good thanks; I have a question that you as a designer might identify with Caroline, how can you incorporate good quality graphics, and particularly images into a inside pages? Thx Ashley [photographer]
I have so many questions. I haven’t even set up an account for Amazon KDP but I’ve had a person tell me I can’t use fonts on my book that I have apps for on my iPad. Is that true that I can’t use my app that is called “Title” to use for my books fonts? Or does KDP offer fonts? Also I applied for a trademark for the name of my book/characters. But that can take up to a year to get it and I am told I might NOT get it but do I wait until I get the trademark or can I go ahead and publish anyhow? And lastly, for now, can I use KDP on an iPad? I haven’t touched a computer in years so I’m hoping to use my iPad. I did a “test” book on snapfish which came out really nice and I did part of that on my iPad and part on a friends computer. What I have on my iPad is the pages in a photo format so , not knowing how KDP works, I wonder if I can just put my photo pages in place, fonts and all.
I don't have the answers, but that would be my wish too - being able to use my photo pages from the iPad, as is.
Hi caroline, do you have a platform where I can ask you more questions about KDP. Ive launched a couple of coloring books and was just wanting to get connected and talk about ads and keywords and formats and all that kdp stuff
I have a question, which you might take up as a subject for a new video. Which is better: Creating a 101 Dogs Coloring Book with about 200 pages for $11.95 OR creating a Dogs Coloring Book with 50 coloring pages for $6-7 bucks? Does one sell better than the other? How does pricing and page count go together for a better selling book with everything else being equal, like the cover, etc.? OR, isn't there a real, direct association/correlation? IF you've done a video about this, can you put the link in a reply? THANKS
Thank you for the useful info. You are a lovely looking woman. 🍵🍪👍
Okay agents say that they don't consider previously published work.
Thank you that was great!
Thanks for this video. Wonderful.
Do you consult 1:1 if so please let me know 🙏
I have a very marketable 75,000 word non-fiction narrative. In the realm of spiritual health, self-improvement, psychology, social justice.
It's also a bonus that Caroline is also pleasant on the eyes !!!!!!! But seriously, great information.
It's wonderful that Caroline is also pleasant on the eyes. !!!!!!!!!
what about a novel?
I've watched several of your videos, and in each you don't mention the money advance that publishing houses may provide compared to self-publishing. Why do you neglect to mention that when you compare them? It makes a difference.
An advance is not guaranteed when you go with a publisher. I’ve just signed a contract to write a book. I asked about an advance and they offered a small sum, that would just hold off my getting paid after release. It wasn’t a big enough sum of money, so I opted to not accept an advance. An advance is simply getting paid up front, and if you don’t write a best seller, it might not be helpful in the long run, because you’ll have to wait too long to make it back.
Thanks a lot
I got a KDP termination email and I have NO idea why. I'm wondering: IF someone knew you were selling books on Amazon and they wanted to cause you trouble, COULD they open an account, with an invented email and YOUR name, so you would have two accounts open, even though you don't know about it, and THAT'S why you got terminated?
They would have to know your social security number and bank account info. Two accounts with these two things matching would throw up a flag.
Self-publishing on your own will look like you self-published a book. Unfortunately most self-published books look amateurish. Self designed covers usually aren't very appealing; bad grammar is very common; and the layout and formatting (visual appeal of fonts, for example).
Finding a company to help you self-publish often leads to people getting ripped off. And doing yourself will look, like, well... you did it yourself.
At Andy Fairchild Publishing - We Publish Good Books.
Why an I not shocked with last sentence? Shameless.
@@hkray1988 It may be "shameless" self-promotion, but as far as what he stated about how self-published books look, is 100% correct.
All the self-published coloring books that I see on Amazon, and the many self-publishing guru's example video walk-throughs on how-to use the simple (and many times free or low-cost apps and clip art, etc. to create coloring book pages DO LOOK COMPLETELY AMATEUR!
As he said, "self-designed covers that aren't very appealing; bad grammar is very common; and the layout and formatting (visual appeal of fonts, for example), are just the tip of the iceberg, let alone the atrocious art, and obvious use and re-use of the same art in the multitude of coloring books by people who use the same handful of apps and websites to build their books on, just makes it all look cringe-worthy and unprofessional.
And THAT is why people's books are not selling.
And when you add in that a real and established publisher of coloring books would also have the supporting social media already in place for when they launch a new coloring book, as well as some paid advertising on Amazon, there is no way a non professional publisher of coloring books, who creates one without being a real artist/graphic designer with actual SKILLS, can expect to SUCCESSFULLY sell enough copies of the coloring book(s) to make a real living.
I was wondering if you can publish the same book on Amazon and another company like LULU?
Yes, although you have to see the ISBN. I'm not sure if Lulu gives you a free ISBN like KDP does.
KDP Kicked Me Out with over 80 books just for asking for my 60 Dollars
You didn't mention that KDP only lets you publish with them!
That only applies if you join KDP Select-aka Kindle Unlimited. They have no control over where you publish otherwise.
nice video...🥰🥰🥰
Does kdp own your book ?
High demand low competition rule
Publishing through a company is expensive and most are scams and fraud and totally unprofessional. German publishers are serious and pro. This is my experience after 3books.
What's happened to these videos? There are ads literally every 5 mins
UA-cam/Google places the ads where they want to.
Bottom line: selling books in any form is a very hard way to make a living.
It's not all about KDP, you didn't give any info on other avenues.
Did you not read the whole title? Your mistake.
@@DaveGme Sorry, my bad. Have a nice day!
@@InfiniteSuccessAcademy now I’m wondering if they didn’t modify the title after some confusion and your comment may have been correct.
Amazon looks like a VERY trashy company to work with. To say the least.
Never self publish with one of these Amazon self publisher online fake companies stealing naive wonderful authors Money . HANDS OFF
About one in a thousand WRITERS writes in any way shape or form that others may enjoy. The other 999 are delusional about their "art". But sure, you are probably the one.
"make sure you watch to the end" so your numbers look good, that's the truth. We all know the script now. WTF.
First time on UA-cam?