Writing an eBook can be an exciting, but also daunting experience. For many bloggers, it is not the writing of the book that causes confusion, but selling the eBook online once it’s finished. Of course, you can sell your eBook on your own website and you also have the option to make it an affiliate product for other bloggers, but what about other avenues. How can you sell your eBook on Amazon? Get Your eBook On Amazon? Amazon is one of the best places to buy and sell books online as it has hundreds of millions of users from around the world. Getting your eBook on Amazon opens the door to a lot more people than you could ever hope to get with a normal website, which is why it is SO important that you get yours listed on there. Amazon only accepts Kindle formats of eBooks, which can put many bloggers off from using the service as they feel that this process must be difficult. This however isn’t the case and shouldn’t be a stumbling point for you because Amazon will automatically convert your eBook when you upload it. Pretty exciting right?! Selling your eBook on Amazon is not as difficult as it first sounds. Whilst trying to work through the myriad of Amazon rules and regulations it can appear to be a minefield. You will however be pleased to hear that there are actually only a few simple steps that you need to take to get your eBook listed for sale. Let’s get started Create an Amazon KDP Account The first thing you need to do is open up a KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) account with Amazon. However, there are some drawbacks to selling your own eBooks. First, applying Digital Rights Management (DRM) to an eBook is expensive, and can become prohibitive if you only have a few titles. As is explained on our DRM page, the only standardized DRM you are able to apply to your own eBooks is Adobe Content. Create a detailed outline of the entire eBook. Map everything out, from the introduction to the concluding paragraph. Look to the best selling books in your niche for inspiration and advice on structure and organization. You should have a thorough outline detailing the style, tone and content of each chapter. ![]() You can sign up for this for free at the following link – (If you already have an account with Amazon, you can use the same login details.) Don’t worry too much if your eBook is not in Kindle format, you still need to sign up. Your eBook will be converted to Kindle at a later point, so try not to worry. ![]() Once you are all signed up, you will be taken to your “ Bookshelf”. This will list all the books that you have available for sale on Amazon. This will obviously be empty right now. But not for long! Add Your eBook To The Bookshelf In only a few more steps your e-book will be available for sale with Amazon – it truly is as easy as that! In the top left hand corner of your KDP account, you will see a tab “ Add New Title”. Click on this tab and it will take you through to the page where you can start entering all the details of your book. Most of the fields on this page are self explanatory, but if you do become confused there are prompts to give you some direction. You want to make sure that you fill in each of the sections and provide as MUCH detail as possible about your book. In the very first section titled ‘ Enter Your Book Details’, you will see an option to add an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). Note that I said “ optional”. When I was looking to add my eBook onto Amazon, everywhere I read said you needed an ISBN number and I didn’t think I would be able to get my e-book listed. So, I will be very clear here. ![]() You DO NOT NEED an ISBN number to sell you e-book on Amazon! If you do not have this number, simply leave it blank. If you are self publishing your book, you need to enter your own name into this field. Choose a category that is relevant for your e-book and use keywords to help customers find your book. The more targeted keywords you can use, obviously the better this will be. You will then need to upload a cover image of your eBook. This image will be shown on Amazon’s sale page, so it is important to spend some time on this getting it right. If you don’t feel you have the skills to make your own cover, you could hire someone to do it for you. There are plenty of people on who can design covers for only $5. If you do use Fiverr, make sure you check out the sellers credentials first and check previous work they have undertaken. It is important to note that the image you upload needs to be saved in a JPEG or TIFF format and at least 1000 pixels on the longest side (height/width ratio of 1:6) Uploading Your eBook This is the exciting part and you will be surprised at how quick this is to do. To have your eBook on Amazon it needs to be in Kindle format. You could organise for this to be converted before uploading, or you could upload the PDF or Word file and have Amazon convert it for you. This was certainly my preference! Amazon will take the file that you upload and covert it to a Kindle friendly format. There is an option to view your converted file and I highly recommend you do this, especially if you have used pictures or graphics in your eBook. Conversion can sometimes distort the formatting so it is incredibly important you check the final upload BEFORE you continue any further. This is your book and you need to be happy with the final look. ![]() Confirm Your Pricing & Royalty Options Amazon requests that you choose between two royalty options which are 35% and 70%. This is the percentage of the book sale that is given to you, and Amazon will keep the rest. For a 70% royalty option, the e-book must be priced between $2.99 and $9.99. If you e-book is priced above or below this amount, you will need to select the 35% option. It is worthwhile playing around with some figures here, because you may be better off selling your book for $9.99 than $14.99 for instance, as the money in your pocket would be higher. Wait For Your eBook To Be Published Once you have completed all the details for your eBook and you have saved it, Amazon will review it before they accept it for sale on their site. This can take between 24-48 hours, so just be patient! Amazon will email you once the e-book has been approved and will send you the direct link where it is for sale. Here is what mine looks like. All you need to do now is start sharing your new Amazon link and wait for the sales!!! Have you listed your eBook on Amazon yet? How did you find the whole process? Please let us know by leaving a comment below! About Catherine Holt Catherine Holt is the founder of. She is a stay at home mum with a passion for celebrating life’s little moments, with creative yet budget friendly ideas. Catherine often has a camera in hand capturing everyday events and is a self obsessed chocoholic! She loves connecting with other mums on the blog and sharing party planning tips and tricks. Get all the answers to every aspect of party planning with her eBook today! If you want to hold a party with that ‘wow’ factor and have it tailored to the person you’re holding it for then this is for you. Let Catherine take the stress and headache out of organizing your next party or event. Connect with her on,, and. Amazon is definitely a great resource to look at if you have an eBook for sale. In terms of being exclusive to Amazon, this is the case if you choose ‘KDP Select’. The benefits are you receive higher royalties and you will be open to a wider audience being on Amazon’s Kindle lending library, but the trade off is that you have to have your eBook exclusive to Amazon for the time period you are in the program. If you choose to add your eBook to KDP but do not choose the ‘select’ option, it doesn’t have to be exclusive. My eBook for instance is for sale elsewhere hence I do not have it listed with KDP Select. I have the option to enroll at any time, but it would mean I have to remove it for sale elsewhere whilst it is in the program. Once you’ve finished writing your ebook, you have a choice to make: sell it on Amazon or on your website. Which is the better option for you? Today, Michelle Deery provides the pros and cons of each ebook-selling option so you can decide. Have you just finished polishing up your brand new ebook? Give yourself a pat on the back! Now the hard work starts. It’s it’s time to start selling your ebook and making a profit. You can choose to sell your ebook on your own website or you can sell it on the popular shopping website, Amazon. Take some time to consider your options, though, as the selling platform you choose plays a huge role in the overall success of your ebook. I’d like to cover your ebook-selling options in today’s post. Selling Your Ebook on Amazon Are you looking for a very fast way to get your ebook on the market as soon as possible? Then the option of selling your ebook on Amazon through maybe what’s best for you. By selling your ebook on Amazon, you’ll have the opportunity to reach millions of readers and receive royalties, with a few notable drawbacks, which I have listed below: Pros • Instantly publish your book. Publishing your ebook on Kindle can take less than 48 hours. Unless you do not follow Amazon’s policies for formatting, you won’t have to deal with many technical issues. • Take advantage of Amazon’s huge user base. Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce websites available today. If you publish your ebook with Amazon, people are able to instantly view it and purchase it in just one or two clicks. • Receive royalties with minimal effort. Is writing something you do on the side? Selling your ebooks on Amazon means that most of the e-commerce work is done for you. You won’t have to dedicate too much time to the process. Cons • Lower profit margins. While you can choose your base price, you won’t get 100% of the profit when a customer buys your ebook on Amazon. Furthermore, most ebooks only go for around $2.99 to $9.99, and you’ll be losing at least 30% of that to Amazon. • Lots of competition. It’s incredibly easy for people to sell their ebooks on Amazon right now. That’s why you’re going to face a huge amount of competition from other writers who have very similar titles. You may have to set your ebook for a lower price in order to successfully compete with other sellers. Selling Your Ebook on Your Own Website Do you already have your own personalized blog or freelancing website? Are you considering setting up a new website or online shop to showcase your ebook on your own domain? Using your own website can be a great way to make a larger profit for your ebooks and build customer loyalty, with a couple of challenges that I’d like you to consider: Pros • You look more professional and the customers are yours. Having a website can instantly boost your reputability. You can establish a deeper level of trust with your customers because they can go to your website and know what to expect. Also, you can develop a more direct relationship with your customers, and they may be more likely to return to your website in the future if they had a good user experience. • Make a higher profit and promote your brand. On your own website, you can sell your books at the same price as Kindle but make a larger profit per book sold. You also can create packages or products and sell them to different customers and clients at higher prices. All the while, you get your name out there and accumulating data to help you learn how to maximize your profits. • You don’t have to do it alone. Building a website that’s functional as well as attractive can be a challenge. However, you can use websites such as to help you build your online store. They’ll handle all of the e-commerce aspects, while you can focus on writing, engaging with your customers and growing your business. Cons • It will take time and effort. You’ll have to dedicate a fair amount of time and continuously work to sell your book even after it’s up for sale. You’ll also need to deal with any technical issues that arise, such as problems with purchases and delivery. Luckily, there are several tools and resources you can access if you’re able to spend a bit extra for help. • You may not see instant results. Unless you already have a large user base, you probably won’t see people flocking to buy your ebook right away. You’ll need to work on establishing a social media following and a large email list to ensure your website gets enough traffic. Where is the Best Place to Sell Your New Ebook? Where should you sell your ebook? The answer depends on the amount of time and budget you can commit to the publishing and marketing your ebook. If you’d like a low-maintenance way of receiving royalties for your ebook with access to millions of potential readers, Amazon might be a good option to start out. However, if you have already created a substantial following, there is no reason not to publish on your own website, as you will profit more from each sale. Have a think through these ebook-selling options today so you can receive greater rewards for all of the hard work you put into writing your ebook. About the Author Michelle Deery is a writer who specializes in writing blog posts and articles about digital products. She is a team member of Heroic Search in and assists with digital marketing. Photo courtesy of /123RF.com. Nina Amir, the Inspiration to Creation Coach, inspires writers and bloggers to create published products and careers as authors. Additionally, she helps her clients and readers achieve their potential, fulfill their purpose and make a positive and meaningful difference with their words. She is the author of,, and, all published by Writer’s Digest Books. As a hybrid author, she also has published 17 books independently. She is a nonfiction book editor and doctor, proposal consultant, and an Author Coach and Trainer as well as a Book and Blog Coach. Some of her clients have sold 320,000+ copies of their books and been published by major publishing houses. Nina also is an award winning blogger and journalist, international speaker and founder of National Nonfiction Writing Month, also known as the, and the. Also a Certified High Performance Coach, Nina strives to help creative people Achieve More Inspired Results personally and professionally. Or you can do both! It really isn’t even a one or the other choice at all. You can sell on Amazon, your own website, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, and many other retailer sites at the same time. The only time it is a one or the other choice is if you are deciding whether to enroll in KDP Select, which requires exclusivity with Amazon in exchange for your book being in KU and you getting access to a few promotional tools. And even then the choice is whether to be Amazon exclusive or go wide and sell wherever you want. If you decide to go wide, it only makes sense to sell on as many reputable platforms as you can, including your own website, to offer your potential readers more choices.
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