Frequently Asked Questions

There is no right answer to this question. Both traditional and self-publishing has its own Pros and Cons. Although, in self-publishing the author retail the complete right to his/her work, whereas, in traditional publishing, the author will have no say in the production process.

In traditional publishing, the publisher does the marketing of your book whereas in self-publishing you are responsible for the marketing of your book.

Traditional publishing takes between 2 to 5 years for your book to be published, whereas, in self-publishing, you can get your book out in as less as 60 days!

It depends, mostly on the type of book you write and the quality. Most authors see the most success after they have published multiple books, and also if they have a good launch plan and marketing plan. The actual publishing doesn't take that long— 30 minutes tops to upload the book and everything.

I use all 5 KDP Select Free Promotion days at once. I prefer a 5-day promo because 1) I only have to do the marketing one time 2) it gives more time for your book to gain momentum and climb the bestsellers lists 3) it gives you a higher chance of reaching the Top #100 Free books and 4) it gives you a higher chance of your book being featured in an Amazon promotional email during your free promo.

There is no minimum or maximum. I’ve seen 10-page books on Kindle and I’ve seen 1037 page books there.

Personally, I recommend at least 10,000-15,000 words for nonfiction, unless you can do justice in less.

For fiction, I recommend 5,000 or more. Some people like to read short stories for 99 cents, go figure.

Your book-length should be determined by its usefulness to the reader, not your personal agenda. Always remember to give your readers what they want! That’s how you become a successful author. Everything else is secondary.

E-book Royalties

So what do Amazon’s royalty rates look like? First, let’s take a look at the e-books:

• E-books priced between $0.99-$1.99= 35% royalty rate
• E-books priced between $2.99-$9.99= 70% royalty rate
• E-books priced above $9.99= 35% royalty rate

Print Book Royalties

Let’s say you’re printing a 300-page novel with a standard 5.5″ x 8.5″ trim. Let’s say you set your list price at $12.99. After you add up Amazon’s costs & cut (the numbers listed in the right-hand column if you’re using their calculator), which total $10.02, you’re left with a profit of $2.97. That comes out roughly to a 23% royalty rate.

Now, that might not seem like much, but do you remember the royalty rate of a traditionally published paperback? It was: 8% for the first 150,000 copies sold, then 10% after. (Plus, remember, you have to pay your agent 15% of your profits.)

That means for that same paperback book you’d receive an 8% royalty of $1.04 per sale, minus your agent’s 15%.

YES, there are are other platforms where you can sell your books such as Kobo, Google Play, Nook, and iBooks.

Print on demand (POD) is a digital printing technology in which a book or other publication is printed on an as-needed basis. The POD model flies in the face of traditional printing, where large quantities of books are produced in initial print runs to reduce costs prior to distribution. The sales of online books and e-books facilitate POD and eliminate the need for hard copy book displays. POD has also changed the publishing industry by reducing the need for traditional publishing houses, allowing authors to self-publish at very low costs.

Your book is printed on demand when customers purchase it. Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is an Amazon self-publishing service. You can publish your books in digital and print versions and sell on Amazon to millions of readers.

There are different types of book editing — including copy editing, line editing, developmental editing, and proofreading — for different stages of the publication process. You should be aware of what kind of editing your manuscript needs and what is involved in each type.

The best way to get ideas is to collect bits of inspiration. Many writers keep a file, a box, or even an Evernote notebook full of things they find interesting or inspiring. Read the news and find stories that are compelling, or articles that describe fascinating things-- history, or technology, or ideas-- you're sure to find something that strikes your fancy. Hold on to all of that. It has a way of percolating in your head and becoming a germ for a story. This is why as a writer it is very important to read widely-- not only to learn from fellow writers but also to gather new material that can turn into a new idea.

The other suggestion I have is to write what you want to read. If you find yourself wishing there was a certain story or type of book, then start working on writing that book.

The third suggestion is to document your own life. Journaling is an easy way to write daily and writing about the minutiae of daily life means you'll never run out of material. It also can put you into the discipline of writing every day, which helps out later when you stumble onto the writer's block!

In my opinion, NO.

Pen names are more a matter of choice than something necessary to hide behind. Some authors adopt catchy pen names that suit their genre or are easier on the eyes or ears, but for the most part, new authors who are trying to build a brand name and gain exposure don't need to use a different name.

1. Use black, 12-point, Times New Roman as the font.
2. Use the U.S. standard page size of 8.5×11 inches and set your margins to 1 inch on all sides.
3. Set alignment to left-justified.
4. Use double-spaced line spacing.
5. Indent all paragraphs by .5 inches, and don't hit tab or space to indent.

Last for not the least... hire a professional typesetter for your book. It is a tedious job to do it all by yourself.

Although I personally do not recommend this to GBP authors. You can publish ANY book for free on Amazon Kindle. You have to Price Match it down to free though.

Step 1. Publish the book through KDP

Pick whatever price you want.

Step 2. Tell us about a lower price?

In the Product Details section of the book page, click “tell us about a lower price” and link to your website or blog post where you offer the book for free. Amazon will then price match the book down to zero – permanently.

Warning: This is permanent and you won’t be able to raise your price again. It will always remain free.