CAN I MAKE MONEY SELF-PUBLISHING ON AMAZON (KDP) in 2023?

I've been trawling the internet the past few days looking for some sage advice on Self-Publishing in 2023. They say that everyone has a good book in them, and I want to test that theory. I called my agent and asked if he knew any decent literary agents, he asked what's my book idea? 

I was flummoxed for a minute. An idea? This already sounds like hard work. Can't I just self-publish my memoir, or a guide to the pubs that have the best toilets and hand dryers across South London? I thought to myself. 

In a state of panic I informed him it's about how the Gladiators from the hit 90s series Gladiators, are trapped in some lucid dream where they are sent back to Rome 230AD. They have to convince the Emperor Nero that the family friendly version of Gladiators where men and women have to climb cargo nets and zip slide into foam mats, is better than the sword-wielding blood bath of present day. 

'It's a tough sell Carl, maybe self-publishing might be the answer,' he said, and rang off. 

SO I HAVE TO SELF PUBLISH 

First off, let's just go down the Amazon route. We all know it's the place where people shop for things online. There are 5 recommended platforms for self-publishing from M.K Williams on YouTube, Which platforms should I use to self-publish my book in 2023? | How do I get my book on Amazon?

• AMAZON KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)

• DRAFT 2 DIGITAL (eBook)

• INGRAMSPARK (Print) 

• ACX (Audio book - which is basically Audible) 

• FINDAWAY VOICES (Another Audiobook) 

With KDP, you can upload your book and (barring any errors in the file) it can be live on AMAZON within 72 hours. The quality guideline is higher than it used to be when KDP was launched in 2007. You simply can't fart out a book. (Although a book on farts is also something I am contemplating. Such as, the top 100 ways to describe your farts. I.E quickly ripping duct tape from cardboard or stepping on Chewbacca's toes).

The algorithm on whether your book hits the first page of searches is based on performances and ratings of that book, not SEO or Key Words. 

One thing to note with Draft 2 Digital

When uploading a PDF to D2D you will need to look at keeping it under 95.4 MB. Unsure why there is a limit, but this is something I gleaned from the YouTube comments from someone that was trying to upload her book to this platform. 

Does Amazon Proof Read the Books before Publishing? 

From the research I've done this is the most expensive part of the self-publishing route. According to this site, How Much Does Amazon Self-publishing Cost? The proof read will cost roughly £1,200 for a novel that is 75,000 words. Yikes. Maybe I can just preface the book with 'this book does contain errors, they are deliberate. Should you spot them please give yourself a pat on the back for being someone that pays close attention to detail.' 

Yes that should cover it. 

Should I elect Expanded Distribution? 

For many reasons that I didn't quite grasp, the general consensus is to click 'NO' to this. You can always add more platforms later, such as Google play. 

What are the Royalties with Amazon Self-Publishing? 

KDP offers a fixed 60% royalty rate on paperbacks sold on Amazon marketplaces where KDP supports paperback distribution. Your royalty is 60% of your list price. eBooks have a tiered system of 35% - 70% and that is described online here. 

Book sales on the Kindle store are a self-publishing author’s bread and butter. After all, KDP offers the highest percentage royalty, which greatly appeals to authors hoping to self-publish profitably. 

The Most important thing about Self-Publishing in 2023

From what I gathered, despite what all those empty-calorie office signs say, people do judge books by their cover. I mean, I only judge books by their covers. When someone gives me their book I barely take time to read it, but that's because I don't have to. My powers of deduction on the time and creativity spent on the book cover allows me to give an informed opinion to the author on whether their book was worthy of print, or should be pulped post haste. 

Not only the book cover, but the name of your self-published book also counts big time!

How do I get a good book cover? 

In this video Amazon KDP in 2023: What It Is + How Beginners Can Start, the show's host talks about werewolves and vampire love stories. It always helps if the werewolf has a six pack on the cover. (Sex sells too apparently. Although, isn't it about time we saw a slightly overweight werewolf? Why are werewolves constantly body shaming us with their cubed pectorals and washboard stomachs?)

When it comes to the name, 'Amazon Search' acts like Google Search where you type in the key word and it populates other ideas for you. These are based on what people are looking for the most. So follow these 2 simple steps to help you identify what is selling the best in your genre. 

Identify the genre for your book. Go to Amazon, click through to Kindle Books and see the departments listed down the left-hand side.

Look at all the best rated books in that genre and identify what works with the names and covers. Why are the covers so eye-catching? Is there a common theme like werewolves with huge biceps cradling a buxom damsel in distress? 

Fiverr will have people on hand who can provide a great book cover for you. 

Is the Amazon KDP market too saturated? Can I still make money Self-Publishing in 2023? 

According to this video by Sean, Amazon KDP is DEAD - The Harsh Reality (don't worry about the title it's just click bait) people can still make money from Self-Publishing. Yes there are more people doing it in 2023, but there are also people quitting every day. 

Yes it's harder to get your book self-published, as I mentioned previously there is a tighter quality control, but that won't affect you right? Your book is the nuts right? So long as you don't steal my Gladiators book idea, because that's mine, even if it's rubbish. 

Lastly I asked.. 

A friend of mine Pete Brooker who co-wrote From Tailors With Love: An Evolution of Menswear Through the Bond Films, whether he wishes he self-published his book. He wrote back, 

Yes a part of me wishes I self-published. We (my author and I) would have had more control and autonomy, especially as the publisher I went with issued royalty cheques in dollars at the beginning. This was a real headache as I couldn't even cash my own royalty cheque. Eventually I got him to pay me via PayPal, which was a halfway house. 

Plus you have to think about the content of your book with regards to illustrations and colours. Our book was only in black and white, (in print) the online version was in colour. So unsure if there was anything to be really gained by having it in print through a publisher.

That said, the proof reading was a cost absorbed by the publisher. But again be careful with proof readers. Our one changed all the text from English to American, which meant we had to go in and do another proof read ourselves. 

But ultimately, it was good to say that 'I have a publisher'. Plus whenever I want to get out of a meeting, I ping an alert tone on my phone and say, 'sorry I have to take this, my publisher is on the phone.' - Peter Brooker

Main Photo by Ugur Akdemir on Unsplash