Kindle (KDP) for Paperbacks? My Advice!

Amazon just sent an announcement that when you publish your e-book on Kindle (KDP), you can now “automatically” make it into a paperback which means your book will be available digitally and in print.  

They point out advantages: You don’t have to pay any costs upfront or carry any inventory to do it and your royalty payments will be consolidated which saves you some bookwork, too. They automatically post the paperback to all their Amazon sites for you. You can also use the Web site in most of the languages (not yet all!) that Amazon has outlets in. 

All true enough and they are working on more improvements. But until then, they don’t have some of the benefits of Createspace which Amazon owns. 

Amazon admits you can’t yet order paperback proofs (they are working on it!) Many Amazon experts are saying it is better to wait a while to use this feature and suspect that Amazon will soon be folding Createspace with all its benefits into the KDP platform anyway. 

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and The Great First Impression Book Proposal, another booklet, helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart,and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com)

Letting Amazon Help You with Easy Book Launch

Do you know what Amazon Kindle Countdown program is? How about their Matchbook program? (I have discussed the latter a bit in my SharingwithWriters newsletter and this blog, so the chances you know about this one are somewhat better!)

And what about their 5 day promotion program in which you can discount your book or give it away to kick start your book’s campaign? (It’s been around a while, but there is still a lot of misunderstanding about this “giving a book away” business).

All three benefits are offered by Amazon Kindle through their Kindle Select Program. And I love them all from a pure marketing standpoint.

I’ve seen so many new authors decide on a marketing plan without getting full information first. Obviously getting the full lowdown on book marketing is not a ten-minute project (which is why I wrote The Frugal Book Promoter), but I thought it would help if I gave you—all of you, not just the newbies—a fast rundown on a very good marketing approach to your new book. It may be an especially good, easy, inexpensive launch idea for a second edition or way to remarket a book that’s been around for a while. This plan isn't in any way complete in terms of all the possible exigencies but you might at least consider it.

So here’s a marketing approach-in-a-nutshell you might consider.

1.   Start your marketing campaign for a new book by releasing your e-book first with Amazon’s Kindle.

2.   Use the benefits listed above that are available only the Kindle Select Program (meaning that you must give Amazon your e-book as an exclusive for 90 days—though you may have the print book anywhere else you want to during that time).

3.   Publicize your e-book like crazy using all of Select's benefits. Get it out there. Get the buzz going. Ask for reviews from those who get your book free or at a big discount.

4.   Then, if you want to have your book available across many other e-book programs, withdraw from Amazon’s program at the end of 90 days and get it installed on Smashwords, Nook, etc. But do know that in my newsletter I quote from an article in the IBPA Independent magazine that says most books that use Kindle's program exclusively are more profitable than the ones that are available on many of the other e-book platforms as well. It wasn't clear if they were taking into consideration the costs and time involved with reformatting that may be required for the different programs, but it's something to consider.

5.   Depending on what you decide based on the profit vs. distribution conundrum I mentioned above, you can leave your book in the Kindle Select Program and eventually repeat your campaign (with slight variations) as the terms of your agreement allow (maybe once a year.)

 

PS: I’m using something like the above marketing plan for the second edition of my The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your new bestseller. It’s Updated! Expanded! Newly formatted! (Which it desperately needed!) It has a new cover by Chaz DeSimone and a new subtitle. And is available for the moment only on Kindle. Eventually, I’ll reformat the second edition for print, too, but only after I’ve utilized the power of Amazon. (3D book cover by Gene Cartwright of iFOGO .)

 

PPS: If you don't want to miss articles like this one, subscribe to my SharingwithWriters newsletter at http://howtodoitfrugally.com and get an e-copy of my fun and fast booklet, Great Little Last-Minute Edits, also available in paperback. The subscribe window is in the upper left corner of almost every Web site page.

 

 
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

Debating Kindle Select with a Google + Follower

Debating KDP Select (Kindle’s Promo Track) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

QUESTION

Ester Benjamin Shifren is one of my Google + followers who tell me, "I'm debating whether to do KDP Select which requires exclusivity for six months, or put my book out there with all the other e-readers. I'm leaning towards the latter. I think some of the magic of Select is wearing off. What's your opinion or thinking on the subject."

 

ANSWER

I did just the opposite, Ester, though I do think some of the novelty is wearing off. I also see that there are many more support sites out there for e-book freebies and that’s a big plus. Also B&N has pulled support for the Nook and the other platforms require another kind of language/format from the one Kindle uses. That means Kindle will not have that competition in the future.

It does get to be quite a time-consuming project for indie authors to reformat for all the different e-reader platforms. I had begun to get ready to do it for Kindle and am kind of relieved I don’t have to do it now. And Smashwords only pays you through Paypal which I distrust. Other authors also say that their royalties with Smashwords is negligible.Thinking back to my marketing theory that even promotions have to be promoted, that sounds about right. People usually go to buy your book where you send them and none of us can promote six to a dozen different e-book sites. Focus. Focus! (A warning here. Don't focus on  paperbacks only.  We need to cater to readers who prefer digital, too.)

 

Of course, there's always an alternative. Use Kindle Select for six months. Promote it. Reap the benefits. And post on the other platforms once your commitment is up. 

 

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

Kindle's New Matchbook a Pay-It-Forward Feature

 

This Matchbook program from Amazon and Kindle has not yet been rolled out, so it isn't too late to be among the first to use it.  Keep reading for reasons why I see it as an excellent marketing tool.  One that gives your reader extra benefits while improving your sales position at the same time.

I Think I’m in Love with Kindle Select’s New Program . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 . . . because it’s a real service for people who love a real book but may also want to read your book as an e-book when they travel or on their screen as they work. Here’s what Amazon says about it in their newsletter:

Introducing Kindle MatchBook: A New Program to Help you Sell More Books

Kindle MatchBook is an innovative new program which enables you to offer a Kindle book at a discount when readers purchase your print book. It is a great opportunity for you to sell more books. Here's how to get started:

1. Select "Publish on Kindle" in your CreateSpace member dashboard and follow the easy steps to create your digital book with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or simply sign in to your KDP account.
2. Select your title on the KDP Bookshelf and check the enroll box for Kindle MatchBook on the "Rights & Pricing" page.
3. Set the discount for your Kindle book by choosing a promotional list price of $2.99 or less and "Save" your Kindle MatchBook preference.

By enrolling your book, you will be among the first to be able to take advantage of this new program. The Kindle MatchBook discount you select will not appear on Amazon.com until the program is fully launched in the coming weeks. KDP will notify you by e-mail as soon as your Kindle MatchBook discount is live. Your readers will soon have an easy and affordable way to read your book in both print and digital formats.

Visit KDP today to enroll your books in Kindle MatchBook.

     Learn more

 

So, why do I love it?

1.   It rewards people who want to buy your paperback book.

2.   It encourages people to buy your paperback book.

3.   It gives you choices for your e-book (Kindle) offer—from free to $2.99. Example, Magdalena Ball and I love to have people buy our chapbooks in our celebration series (http://howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm) in paperback because the artists who have contributed to our covers and some internal photos make them into keepable little treasures that can be used as greeting cards. At the same time, we know that poetry isn’t the bestselling genre on the block so our Matchbook program for those booklets makes them all free a paperback has been purchased.

4.   When you choose to set a 99 cent or $2.99 price on the e-book edition of your book, it can mean more profit (royalties) for the author, not fewer.

And certainly not least, the Matchbook widget or link offering this program that Amazon will place on participating authors’ buy pages means additional exposure and additional interest for your book

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

Dan Poynter shares little known danger lurking in Kindle's royalty program

This is a tip from my SharingwithWriters newsletter. It's so important I thought I'd share with those of you who follow my blog, too. If you don't want to miss a single tip or article from my newsletter subscribe using the signup window in the right-upper column of almost every page of my HowToDoItFrugally Web site and get a free e-copy of my little booklet, Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers, too.

When I was chatting with Dan Poynter in the green room at the Greater Los Angeles Writers' Conference, he mentioned that authors using KDP Select (a Kindle marketing program) for very fat books or books with many images should carefully select their royalty. It may be that you will get more in royalties choosing 35% than 70% because the latter entails a delivery fee that's calculated on the megabytes of your book. If your has over 40 megs you may end up making nothing at all. The 35% royalty does not deduct delivery fees from your royalty paycheck.

PS. Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips is available in paperback for gift giving, too.   

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog: