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| An example of the neat and professional formatting work done by 100 Covers |
By Linda Wilson bit.ly/44Dx1t9
Amazon offers a relatively easy—and free—way to publish your book. All five of my books have been published this way. As I write, my second chapter book, my sixth book, is in the process of being published by Amazon. This article focuses on how I upload my chapter books. Uploading picture books or other books is accomplished by a similar process.
Self-Publishing the KDP Way
Uploading your book onto Kindle Direct Publishing, KDP, https://kdp.amazon.com, Amazon’s publishing branch, gives you “control over your book’s content, design, price, audience, and advertising, in two formats, paperback and eBook; and can publish your book in more than 10 countries, in over 45 languages.” Fit your content into a genre, such as Business & Investing, Children’s Books, Romance, etc., and you’re on your way.
Steps to Follow:
• Create a KDP account
• Go to “Bookshelf” to get started
• Fill in Language; Book title, Author and Contributors
• Description—Book summary: I use the blurb on the back cover of the book
• Publishing rights: Either you own the copyright or it’s public domain (my books are the former)
• Sexually Explicit Images or Title: No
• Reading age
• Primary marketplace: Amazon.com
• Categories: Choose from a drop-down menu
• Keywords: I look up comp books—books similar to mine—and use such keywords as “Children’s Mystery, Detectives, and Spy” and “Children’s Chapter Books.”
• Publication date: Publication date and Release date are the same (for me)
• Either release book now or schedule release date: mine is the former
• Save & continue
• Next page: ISBN: Amazon offers a free ISBN, which is tempting, but Amazon’s ISBN is accepted only accepted on Amazon. I buy my own ISBN’s on Bowker.com, in bundles to save.
• Publisher: Linda Wilson (yourself or the name of your self-pub company)
• Print options: My choices:
Black and white interior with cream paper
Trim size: 5x8 (12.7x20.32 cm)
Bleed settings: Bleed (PDF only)
Paperback cover finish: Matte or Glossy—I choose Glossy
Manuscript: Upload the PDF
Book cover: Upload the PDF or you can create your own on Amazon Creator.
• AI-generated content: yes or no
• Book Preview: a good idea to check it out.
• Save & continue
• Territories: All territories or Individual territories (I choose the former)
• Primary marketplace: Amazon.com
• Pricing, royalties, and distribution: Choose 60% or 40% expanded royalty. A list of where the book will be sold and amount of royalty will show you what each will pay.
• Terms and Conditions: Agree
• Request a book proof: You can request a printed preview of your book. I skip this step in order to publish ASAP.
• Save as Draft or Publish your book: I choose the latter. KDP then takes up to 72 hours to review your book. If it can’t be published for any reason, explanations are given. You need to correct them. Finally, you will be informed when your book is ready to publish.
• You can then order author copies from a drop-down menu on your Bookshelf. You can upload the eBook information and publish it right away upon acceptance. Uploading your eBook is similar to the steps for uploading your paperback. An ISBN is not required for eBooks. Amazon will assign your eBook an ASIN number, which is their own number. And then you can look into how to advertise on Amazon.
Other Ways to Publish your Book
Publishing “wide” can be done in addition to publishing your book on Amazon. I have not gone this route because I sell my books locally at holiday fairs and local events and don’t feel the need to—yet. But I think it’s a good idea. Two companies I’m most familiar with are Draft2Digital and IngramSpark.
Personally, I work with 100 Covers, https://100covers.com, a company that has formatted my books, which includes uploading illustrations by illustrators I work with; loaded my book covers created by my illustrator, though they will create a cover for you; and help me in the process of uploading my books onto KDP. Editing is also offered. Their charge is affordable. The 100 Covers reps I’ve worked with have helped me every step of the way. My picture books have been illustrated, edited, formatted, and helped in uploading by their sister company, 1000 Storybooks, https://1000storybooks.com.
Whatever way you choose to publish your book, rest assured there is help out there for you to make your book, and quite possibly your dreams, become a reality.
Source: https://kdp.amazon.com
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| Ranae Wischmann and moi at a high school craft fair this Christmas |
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