Walter Shillington is with us today to talk about other publishing options that writers have. If you have any questions for Walter, feel free to leave a comment below.
(Note: Due to computer issues, the post below didn’t align as it should.)
PUBLISHING THROUGH AMAZON KINDLE
At some point every writer feels that their time has come. They’ve learned the ropes, practiced their
techniques and honed their skills. They are confident of their ability and ready to take the plunge.
Traditionally an author, ready to be published, would find an agent and work to secure a lucrative
contract with a reputable publishing house. If successful, the writer could begin work on his next book
while his publisher edits the first novel, designs the cover and places the book into bookstores.
It’s an expensive proposition for a publisher to take on a new author. They must be fully confident
in his ability and convinced that he will continue to produce over the life of his contract. The average
publishing houses already represents many established writers and, unfortunately, adds few new
authors each year.
For those with time and patience, I’d advise checking around for an agent or sending a letter of inquiry
to the various publishing houses. It will take months – maybe years – but that doesn’t mean you can’t
work on your second novel while you’re trying to sell the first. The time won’t be wasted.
For those who can’t wait or have a drawer full of rejection letters, there is another way. You can
become an independent writer and publish with the aid of companies such as Amazon, Apple, KOBO
and Smashwords.
These companies will make your work available at no cost to yourself. Those that purchase your novel
will pay the company and a healthy commission will be passed onto you. Note that books printed by
these companies are printed on demand and, therefore, are more expensive than a traditionally printed
book. EBooks are produced relatively inexpensively.
I publish through Amazon Kindle and this article will concentrate on Amazon and their methods.
Before a writer makes the decision to publish he should ensure the following steps are complete:
• He is entirely satisfied with his novel.
• The book has been edited by a competent editor. This could be a professional editor, a school
teacher or a university graduate who has majored in English.
• A book cover has been designed with the specific intention of drawing potential readers.
Specifications required by Amazon Kindle can be found here.
• A description of the book’s contents has been composed. This must be no more than 4000
characters in length. The potential customer uses this outline to help decide whether or not to
purchase the novel. Time spent preparing this description will not be wasted.
• The writer has pinpointed his target audience and has decided upon a price point.
• If necessary, a unique ISBN number should have already been acquired. Before a book can be
sold in a tradition bookstore, it must have an International Standard Book Number.
• The author is prepared to spend a great deal of time promoting his work.
The next step is to create an Amazon account at kdp.amazon.com. Choose the option to
Signup. Submit your email address and select I am a new customer. At this point you will be prompted
to register. Once registered, Amazon will provide you with a Bookshelf and a Reports section. The
Bookshelf lists your books and the Reports section is used to track sales. It is important to read through
the information pertaining to Kindle Direct Publishing to ensure you fully understand how the system
works.
Then navigate to your Bookshelf. Select Add New Book. This will bring you to the page used to submit
the book’s details. Each section of this form provides information that guides you through the various
steps.
During this process you will upload your book file and book cover to their server. Once the form is
completed, select publish. Within twelve hours your book will be offered for sale throughout much of
the world.
It’s a great feeling to be published but, remember, that is only half the job. Be prepared to spend
countless hours promoting your work. If no one knows your novel exists, it will be lost among the
millions of available on Kindle.
Walter Shillington is authors the popular weekly serial, Difficult Times – An Alien Invasion Serial.
His new book, which encompasses the entire first season, can be located here. His website, Walter
Shillington’s Author’s Workshop, contains numerous articles aimed toward the novice writer.
