Kindle Self-Publishing Lessons Learned — Part 1
I recently published my first Kindle book — The Quick Start Guide to Making a (GREAT!) Living as a Freelance Copywriter — on Amazon. It’s been an exciting (and sometimes challenging process). And it’s one I intend to keep repeating and improving on. I’m sold on the business of self-publishing as a way for writers to make money with their skills, and to also make a difference in the lives of their readers in the process. The video below is Part 1 in a series of videos I’m doing about the lessons I learned during this first foray into self-publishing. Hope you find it helpful. It’s all about sharing the journey and helping each other achieve success!
Recap of Lessons Learned — Part 1
- Treat Self-Publishing Like a Business — because it is. Take the time to understand the self-publishing process so that you can prepare for it and so that you move through it without undue frustration. It’s very helpful to know what to expect and to be able to take advantage of opportunities that others who DON’T understand the business might miss. (See the resources I used below.)
- DO YOUR RESEARCH! Do people really want to read what you’re writing about? Make sure they do before you ever write the first word. Look at books in your category and determine (in their Product Details), what their Amazon Best Sellers Rank is in their respective categories. The categories I looked at included reference, home-based businesses and entrepreneurship. Ideally, you’d like to find several books related to your topic that are in the top 20 within their categories.
- Make an Appointment to Write There are so many things that can get in the way of completing your book. Life happens, right? If you want to self-publish, make working on your book a priority. Put time for it on your calendar — even if it’s only 30 minutes a day. And give yourself a deadline regarding when you want to launch your book.
Resources I Found to be REALLY Helpful
As I mentioned in the video, it’s INCREDIBLY important to understand the business of self-publishing. So you definitely need to educate yourself. Here are some resources that made my first venture into self-publishing MUCH smoother and enjoyable than it would have been otherwise:
The following two books are easy to understand and include the info newbies to the self-publishing process need to know. I have both of them. But either of them on their own would be very useful.
I love Nick Loper’s Side Hustle Nation podcast. That’s where I first heard about him and the success he found in self-publishing. So, his Udemy course about publishing Kindle books was something I had to have. If you’re a visual learner, I would highly recommend Nick’s course.
Kindle Launch Plan: $1400 in 30 Days & an Amazon Bestseller-by Nick Loper
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