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Selling an Amazon Kindle Book: Do’s and Don’ts

Are you an author or an article writer who wants to profit from the popularity of the Amazon Kindle? 

If so, you can put your writing skills to work and create an e-book.  Once finished, that book is uploaded onto the Amazon website, converted to digital text, and sold in the Kindle Store.

Whether you have written a print book, an e-book, or a collection of articles, you are at an advantage.  Many people trying to capitalize with Amazon’s self-publish option are inexperienced writers at best. 

For that reason, many make mistakes.  Unfortunately, most of those mistakes are costly.  They lead to bad reviews, poor profits, or no sales at all.

As previously stated, you are at an advantage of being a professional writer.  You already know the importance of compiling coherent sentences, proofreading, and editing; you are good to go. 

That doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes, so don’t let your guard down.  If you do make them, it will likely be in the selling process.  How do you avoid these cost eating mistakes?

DO create an eye-catching cover.  If you have sold e-books before, you have one more advantage up your sleeve.  That is the ability to make a cover or the contact information of a graphic designer. 

Use the same approach you did to create previous e-book covers.  If you are unfamiliar with graphic design, hire a professional.  Your cover is the first thing buyers see in the Amazon Kindle Store.

DON’T assume you have a good cover.  As previously stated, Kindle Store shoppers will see your book cover first.  For that reason, it needs to be good. 

A poorly designed or created cover will be a turnoff.  If your cover appears to be sloppy, buyers will automatically assume your writing is too.  So, ask for feedback.  Create two or three different covers and ask those you know for input.

DO make sure your e-book is in proper format.  Not all eBooks are compatible with the Amazon Kindle device.  All documents must be in digital text format. 

Luckily, Amazon handles the conversion for you.  You will, however, need to start with an HTML, Word, text, or PDF file.  They recommend an HTML file. If you use Microsoft Word, keep your file as is or save as HTML.

DON’T assume your documents loaded properly.  Once uploading your e-book to the digital text platform, you can override the preview function.  Don’t do this. 

Instead, preview the book.  Look at its formatting.  It is not uncommon for formatting malfunctions.  You may find page break errors and more.  You must spot them before you can fix them.

DO provide many details about your book.  Before you convert your e-book file into digital text, you will provide details about it.  This involves the title, author names, descriptions, genre, and more. 

Use this section to your advantage.  Recheck your title.  Is it the perfect fit for your book?  If so, move on to the description.  Provide as much information as possible.  Use this spot to convince buyers your book will be the best they ever read.

DON’T set your price too high.  Amazon lets you set your own price for your Kindle book.  This provides you with a unique opportunity, but also the opportunity to make a mistake.  Set a fair price.  If your book is less than 50 pages, don’t expect to get more than $10. 

Also, consider the cost of the Kindle.  It is expensive.  After paying a lot for the device, owners don’t want to spend $20 for a book to read.  After all, they can head to the bookstore and pay less.

DO market your book. After you describe the book, upload and convert the files, and set your price, it will appear in Amazon’s Kindle Store in about 24 hours. 

Many first-time authors decide to sit back and wait for the sales to roll in.  Yes, you can do this.  Or, you can continue to market your Amazon Kindle book online and increase your profits.

In conclusion, whether wrote books or articles for the web or for print, you have a good chance of making money through the Amazon Kindle Store. 

Unfortunately, the ability to write a good book does not automatically translate into sales.  Have a good cover, check the formatting, and market it on your own time.


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