Writing has never been considered one of the most “profitable” types of professions, as much as many of us enjoy it. At least, for the “little guys,” it is typically not viewed as something that will rake in a ton of cash. Few of us reach the fame and glory of someone like Steven King, for instance.
With this in mind, it is not hard to see why so many folks out there are hesitant about becoming a professional author. It is certainly nerve-wracking. However, you do not necessarily have to hinge your entire livelihood on it. Thankfully. here are other options out there.
Most of us have heard of self-publishing books or other written materials before, so there is a good chance that you are aware of that existing as a concept already. Keep that in mind as we discuss what Amazon Publishing is, how it works, and whether or not it may be something worth pursuing for you. There is a lot that goes into it, so do not worry if you are not familiar just yet – we will be explaining all of it along the way!
Understanding Publishing: Books, Comics, and More
Thankfully, publishing is pretty easy to explain. You can read about some of the basics on this page, of course, but essentially, publishing is a form of sharing your written work with the world. Books and manuscripts are just two examples of the many things that we can publish. There are magazines and journals that accept articles for those of us out there who are a bit more academically leaning in our work.
Typically, at least in “pro” levels of being an author, it is seen as a way to get more eyes on your work. The goal is to get more people to read it, not necessarily be accepted every time that you submit a piece to be published. It is a bit counterintuitive, admittedly.
So – in that sense, the important bit in most people’s eyes is that you submit your writing anywhere and everywhere. Of course, if you are looking to self-publish, that is not really going to be the same process. We will discuss that further later, though.
For now, what you will want to keep in mind is that there are a variety of types of publishing, and each has its own unique ways to bring in revenue. Some are similar, of course, but it does not hurt to brush up on them. For now, here is a somewhat-comprehensive list of the types of publications: self-publishing, Amazon publishing, lit magazines, scholarly journals, webzines, books, letters to the editor, and newspapers, publications, and their staff.
What is Amazon Publishing, then?
Now that we have gotten the basics of publishing down, let us discuss how it is done with Amazon. For the most part, it will be through their Kindle program, so it is worth learning about that if you are not familiar. Sites like this can offer some insights: https://www.openpr.com/wiki/publishing-publisher.
If you have ever heard of “KDP,” also known as Kindle Direct Publishing, then this is what they are referring to. It is a method of publishing your work out there – you can even start earning money from it right away. While the process may seem a bit intimidating at first, it is rather easy once you start it.
If you were not already aware, for years one of the only ways to get your name out there in this industry was to get an agent. To put it lightly, it was not exactly an easy process to find one – especially someone who really believed in you and was willing to take whatever time necessary to sell your writing to bigger names in the industry.
Essentially, KDR is a way to circumvent the need for this. Now, if you are worried that it might end up causing problems for you down the line that you went with an option like this (i.e., if you were worried that you were burning bridges somehow), thankfully this really is not the case. It is quite a popular strategy these days to start a professional writing journey using Kindle Direct Publishing.
Realistically, it is just a tool that we can use to get our work out there and available to more people. There are even editing options once you start to upload your writing to the platform, so you can ensure that everything is to your liking before you upload it to be bought as an e-book. It is completely free to use for digital books.
With that said, do bear in mind that if you want to get physical copies of your book (whether it is hardback or paperback), that will incur some fees. So, depending on your current circumstances, which may be something to table for now. Just some food for thought, and you can learn more in this article.
Earning Money Through Kindle Direct Publishing: Is it Possible?
At last, we can get into the meat and potatoes of our topic today – is it possible to actually earn revenue by using this method to publish our books? It is easy to write such a thing off, really, but the truth of the matter is that we can earn money through the KDP method. Allow us to explain.
Primarily, you will want to think of it as a passive way to earn income. At least, until you start to really make it huge as an author in the industry, you likely will not be making huge profits. Everyone starts somewhere, though.
Seeing as it is free to use this platform when you want to make money online with Amazon publishing, all it takes is having a book written and then waiting seventy-two hours for it to be listed publicly.
It is in fact pretty easy. The trouble comes when we are trying to make money, of course. Part of it is that you will have to get the word out somehow that you have published something. Thankfully, the algorithm will be able to help you with that at least somewhat – just make sure that you insert the correct hashtags and descriptors for your book when you upload it.
Is it Worth Trying?
One final note for today – let us consider whether or not it is worth your time to try out Kindle Direct Publishing. The first thing we would like to point out here is that for the most part, it is most effective for folks who have already started to write a book or who are already interested in starting up something like that.
So, if you are someone who hates writing, it is probably not going to be worth it for you. Of course, there is not a very high chance that you have made it to the end of this article if that is the case, though, so let us shift our attention to the reasons that it may be worth giving a shot.
Think about it this way. For many of us who write, we do so as a hobby at least to some extent. It arises from the joy of creation itself. Why not try to make some profit out of it when we can, right? Certainly, it is not hurting anyone if we do give it a shot and go through with Amazon Publishing services.
While it may be somewhat difficult to get sales off the ground at first (and take some investment if you plan on doing things like advertising campaigns), it is hard to say that it is not worth it in the end. Especially if we are also pursuing our passions at the same time.
Hopefully, you have got a better idea of how this process works now. Sure, it can seem pretty complicated at first glance, but there are some more in-depth explanations of it out there as well if you are curious. Consider checking out some of the resources that we have provided above if you have any further questions, although we did our best to wrap things up neatly here today!
