How It Works: Publishing to Kindle

The publishing industry has changed, and as writers we need to learn how to change with it. The trend has changed from traditional books to the eBook and Amazon is leading the way. The retail giant recently announced that Kindle books have officially overtook paperbacks for the first time. Jump on this trend by publishing to Kindle.

Getting Started

Amazon makes it easy to get started. First you will need an Amazon Direct Publishing account. If you are an Amzon.com customer, you can even use the same email and password. You will be required to enter your name, address, and tax information. You will also be asked the most important question which is how you want to be paid.

Edit and Then Edit Some More

No amount of publicity or promotion can make up for a poorly written and edited book. Upload on your very best work that has been proofed numerous times by several people. Part of the stigma attached to self published titles is the poor quality of the copy editing. Don't be part of that problem. Take the time to edit your book thoroughly.

Design Your Cover

Regardless of all the warnings, people do judge a book by its cover. Sure you can \design your own or hire someone to do it for you, but keep in mind that this is different than print. Your cover must stand out from others on a webpage, that's a little different than standing out on a shelf. Your goal is to make your cover so intriguing that people just have to click the title and learn more. (Hint: Test possible cover designs on your blog or website and let your readers select the best one, the answers will surprise you.) 

Upload Your Content

Kindle Direct Publishing makes it easy to upload your content by supporting many document formats such as.zip,.doc,.pdf,.epub,.txt, and.mobi and.prc. Select your format and upload your book and cover where indicated. It couldn't be easier.

Publish Your Book

Publishing to Kindle requires very little effort once your content is uploaded. You will be asked about digital rights management, royalty preferences, book price, and a description of your book. There is a debate as to the best price for Kindle books, but most self published authors agree that sales are better when books are priced below three dollars.

Promote Your Book

All that is left to do is for you to promote your book. This can be as simple as telling your family and friends or it can be as complicated as a ten page marketing plan. The point is that success of your book depends not only on the quality of the work, but also that amount of work you put into getting the word out. And you thought the hard part was writing the book! 

Now that you know the basics to publishing on Kindle, why don't you get started living the life of a Kindle author?

Dana Michelle Burnett is the bestselling Kindle author of Home Decorating for the Real World. Her first fiction novel Ghost Country: A Novel was published to Kindle in December of 2010. She shares her experiences as an author at her blog Indie Author Guide.