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You Have a Story

I’ve written two books. Non-fiction “Trophy Bucks in Any Weather” on how weather affects animals in 2008 through a major publisher of outdoors-themed books, and my self-published novel “Species Unknown” in 2019 using tools provided by Kindle Direct Publishing (KPP) through Amazon. One of the most common questions I’m asked by people wanting to publish a book is, “Should I self-publish or go the traditional route?” Here’s how I answer.

Traditional publishing is great if you can break into it. All you do is write. Promotion, advertising and getting your book to market is done by the publisher. But these days, you almost have to know someone in the business to do that. Because traditional publishing is feeling the heat of competition from self-publishers in a big way, they’re reluctant to take risks on first-time authors. That’s why you’ll need an agent, and finding a good one is hard. But if all the winds blow in your favor and your agent gets you an offer from a traditional publisher, you’ll sign over the rights to your book to them in exchange for some money up front and royalties once sales begin. Unless you’re already famous, it won’t be a lot. You’ll be paid a percentage based on book sales that varies wildly, but let’s say 10 percent. If your book sells for $24.99, you’ll be paid $2.50 for each copy sold. To make a living as a traditionally published author, your book has to sell a lot of copies. And it will likely be more than a year before you see royalties.

More than 80 percent of book sales in the U.S. are done on Amazon now. Love it or hate it, that’s reality. To sell your book on Amazon, you write it first. If it’s your first book, take advantage of Kindle Direct Publishing services free, 3-minute videos on how to format your book for publication. Doing so took me about 6 hours over two days. You can also design your own cover using KDP. Then you upload it to Amazon, and about 48 hours later are notified if it’s been accepted for publication. You set up a sale page on Amazon with a description and author bio, and voila! Your book is for sale and each copy is printed as it is ordered. No inventory, no minimum purchase. You retain all rights, earn anywhere from 25 to 70 percent commission for each sale, and it’s for sale in both e-book and paperback versions. If you make $4.99 for every paperback of yours sold for $9.99, selling 100 books a month nets you $500 in royalties that start rolling in two months after publication. But all marketing, advertising and promotion must be done by you.

I prefer self-publishing because it’s relatively easy, gets the book to readers the fastest, and I retain complete control and rights. Everyone has a story to tell, so why not make a little money telling it? Get writing. Put your novel, short stories or poetry out there for readers to find. It might be the next best-seller! The only sure way not to succeed as an author is not to try.

 

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