Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a platform by Amazon that lets you self-publish your e-book. It not only allows for the publication of e-books but also paperbacks and hardcover books. This platform also enables you to buy your e-book or print-on-demand book.
It is somewhat similar to the services offered by firms like Reedsy. Reedsy is a London-based startup publishing company that serves as a bridge between self-publishing authors and freelance publishers. The firm is known to offer a variety of tools and services for would-be authors.
For example, aspiring authors can get their manuscripts spotless with the help of proofreading services in London provided by firms like Reedsy. Besides this, the firm is also known to offer author promotion services to promote the self-published books of writers. That said, there is a multitude of other tools and services of the educational nature offered by Reedsy. You can visit their website to learn more about them.
Kindle direct publishing can be a great way for writers to generate passive income. This can be similar to how writers can generate income by opening a blog page and adding content to it regularly. However, many bloggers might not be aware of how to make money with their blog pages. These bloggers can look for paid opportunities (for more information, check Make Money Blogging) where they can earn money simply by allowing others to market on their page.
Anyway, coming back to KDP, if you wish to learn more about direct publishing, then continue reading. You can find out about our FULL AMAZON KDP PASSIVE INCOME GENERATOR COURSE to make 7 figures weekly.
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How Does Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Work?
There are two ways that Amazon KDP works and each depends on the type of book that is to be published.
- E-books: The process for e-books is pretty simple. For e-books, book files have to be uploaded directly by the authors and the books will surface on the Kindle store so you can purchase and then immediately download.
- Printed Books: Here, all an author has to do is upload their book files and KDP will use print-on-demand technology to print the paperback book when you purchase it.
What Do I Benefit from Publishing on Amazon KDP?
- It is free! Yes, free!
- You also get a really wide range of distribution. Your books can be accessed in all parts of the world.
- You have rights to your book.
- The publishing process on the KDP platform is fast and convenient.
- On the KDP platform, books are printed when they are ordered. Hence, no inventory.
What are the Steps Involved in Publishing on Amazon KDP?
Step 1: First things first, sign up.
Step 2: Login/sign in.
Step 3: As an author, upload your book files
Step 4: Authors should publish their books
Step 5: Interested readers can then buy your e-book which can also be downloaded to their device immediately.
Step 6: For a printed book, readers can buy the author’s paperback copy which will be printed by Amazon’s KDP platform and then shipped to the reader.
Step 7: Amazon then pays book royalties to you as an author. This royalty payment is made per every book sold.
Now that you have understood what Amazon KDP is, how it works and how to use it to self-publish, let’s see how you can sign up, log in and then make money with the platform.
How Do I Sign Up on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing?
Don’t have an Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing account? Not to worry, here’s how you can sign up.
You will need your name, email address, and a strong password.
Make sure you know how to truly get the best out of Amazon KDP;
- Go to the Amazon website (https://kdp.amazon.com) and click on Sign Up
- Enter your name
- Input your email address
- Enter a strong password (passwords must be at least 6 characters)
- Click on Create your KDP account
- Solve the puzzle to protect your account
- Verify your email address. A One Time Password (OTP) will be sent to your email address.
- Enter the OTP sent to your email address.
- Input your mobile number.
- Enter the OTP sent to your mobile number.
- Click on Create Your Amazon Account.
- Agree to the terms and conditions.
- Complete your account information to be able to publish a book.
How Do I Login/Sign In?
Already have an account? You can sign in with the following steps:
- Put in your email address or phone number.
- Enter your KDP password.
- Click on Sign In.
I’ve signed up, I’ve logged in, and I’ve done all the necessary steps needed to publish my book, how do I start making money on Amazon KDP?
Let me start by stating that it is completely free to publish your book on Amazon KDP. Well, not completely free if you are choosing to sell a paperback.
Choosing to sell a paperback book, Amazon will deduct the cost of printing the book from your royalties. In simpler terms, for every paperback book you sell, you will pay for the printing of that book. If you want to know the printing charges of a book, you can search websites of reputable service providers like Printivity and see their pricing plans. It may give you a vague idea of how much you will have to pay if you get the book published.
I would also like to include that even though publishing on KDP is free, money will be spent on author services. These services include the cover design for your book, formatting the book, editing it, and lastly, fees to create a strong market for the book.
Now for the juicy part – Royalties!
Money is made with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing through the payment of royalty fees. Of course, there are two kinds of royalty fees: E-book and Paperback royalty fees. To know more about this, click here
For e-books, the royalty rate is 35 – 70%. This, however, is subject to which royalty rate your book qualifies for.
With regards to the paperback books, the royalty rate is more fixed and it is set at 60%.
To simply explain this, for every royalty rate, you will receive the % of the royalty rate of your book’s list price.
Additionally, royalty payment is made to you as an author every month, say, 60 days after the end of the month that you earned your royalties.
However, it is important to note that there must be a minimum threshold that your payment amount must meet before it is paid out. There are also several selections of which these royalties can be paid: wire transfers, direct deposits, or cheques.
Final Note:
Now, you can comfortably write that book, publish it on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and start making money from your hard work and we are done!