CHAPTER 1:

Why your book needs to be on Amazon

On April 3, 1995, Amazon.com sold its first book: Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies:
Computer Models Of The Fundamental Mechanisms Of Thought.

On February 1, 2005, Amazon Prime was born. For a yearly fee, Amazon Prime members would
get free shipping in the US for eligible purchases, including books.

On November 19, 2007, Amazon released its first eReader: the Kindle.

These three events forever changed the book publishing landscape. Today, it’s an inescapable
fact: Amazon is the place for authors to be if they are trying to attract readers.

Readers can browse the world’s largest bookstore day and night, have their printed books
shipped for free, and get instant eBook downloads. Amazon sells every genre of book—fiction
and nonfiction—from mysteries to romance novels, from cookbooks to memoirs.

Meanwhile, writers around the world can bypass the traditional publishing process and self-pub-
lish their work, enjoying unprecedented freedom and autonomy in delivering their work directly
to readers.

But, as the saying goes, nothing worth doing comes easy. There’s a lot to do if you plan to
self-publish your book, and this guide is here to introduce new authors to the basic facts and
fundamentals of self-publishing and distribution on Amazon, the world’s most important online
retail bookseller.

How important is it for you to have your books on Amazon?

Amazon doesn’t publish many statistics, but book industry experts have shared these estimates:

• Amazon sells nearly 70 percent of all books sold in North America—both eBooks and
printed books. Amazon dominates the book-selling marketplace in almost every one of
its dedicated territories, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Mexico.
• Each month, nearly 200 million people around the world get on their devices and visit
Amazon.com. That’s more than the entire population of Russia.
• In 2018, Amazon Prime memberships reached a staggering 100 million in the US alone
(that’s 59 percent of Amazon’s total US customers).
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 • In his 2018 stockholder letter, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos noted that over 1,000 self-pub-
lished authors had each earned over $100,000 in book sales that year. Many thousands
more reported sales of $50,000+.

Amazon + BookBaby
Since its launch in 2010, BookBaby has been a proud partner of Amazon. In that time:
• BookBaby has partnered with more than 40,000 authors from around the world.
• BookBaby has helped authors self-publish over 65,000 titles, both eBooks and printed books.
• BookBaby has paid millions in book royalties to its authors.

BookBaby makes it easy for authors to get their books into the world’s largest bookstore while
enjoying all the benefits and marketing opportunities Amazon has to offer—all while paying
authors 100 percent of their Amazon net sales.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!

While Amazon is a must for self-published authors,

it’s a costly mistake to ONLY sell your books through
Amazon.

Yes, Amazon is the biggest and most important

online bookstore in the industry and you must
have your book in all the Amazon stores around
the world. But there are many other stores where
millions of eBooks and printed books are sold
every year, including Apple Books, Barnes & Noble,
and dozens more.

Remember, not everyone in the US buys their books

at Amazon, and that’s even truer outside of the US.
That’s why BookBaby’s eBook distribution network
includes more than 60 stores in 170 countries, all
managed from one BookBaby account. Want to sell
printed books? We offer you your own BookShop
page, as well as access to some of the largest online
and brick and mortar booksellers in the business.

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 CHAPTER 2:

How Amazon works

Amazon’s unique publishing suite of services makes it possible for independent authors to
bypass traditional publishing companies and self-publish their own books. It gives authors the
platform and tools to sell eBooks and printed books directly to readers. Amazon also offers
special book giveaway promotions, discount programs, subscription reading platforms, and
much more.

If you’ve ever been a customer of Amazon and purchased

a book—or anything offered on the site—you know how it
works: you order an item online and it shows up at your door
a couple of days later. But how does the process work for au-
thors trying to sell their books? It’s not as simple as you might
think. That’s one reason thousands of authors have turned to
BookBaby to help put their books up for sale on Amazon. We
are THE experts in helping independent authors navigate the
sales process on Amazon.

How does Amazon work?

In simple terms:

1
You create an account and upload your manuscript, cover images, and more onto Amazon’s KDP
(Kindle Direct Publishing) platform. You can either do it all yourself or work with a self-publishing
specialist (like the experts who work at BookBaby) to walk you through the process and assist
with every step.

2
 stablish a price for your book, list your book’s genre and categories, choose keywords so
E
readers can find your book, and supply more information (metadata) about the book.

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 3
 our book—digital or printed—will go live on Amazon just a few hours after you’ve uploaded all
Y
your materials. Millions of potential readers can now find your book.

4
When your eBook is purchased on Amazon, the file is immediately transmitted to the reader’s
Kindle or other digital reader. That’s it—the transaction is done. You can track your sales using
Amazon’s trending reports a few days after the sale is made.

5
If you sell your printed book through Amazon, it’s part of a relatively new distribution process
called Print On Demand, or POD. Amazon doesn’t have printed copies of your books sitting in
a warehouse waiting to be purchased. Instead, they order as many copies as were sold—from
one to 1,000 or more—based on the individual sales on Amazon.com. The exact number of
books purchased are batch printed, bound, and shipped to an Amazon warehouse for fulfill-
ment to the customer. The printing is done by the lowest bidding vendor, so quality can vary.

If you sell your printed book on Amazon through BookBaby, it’s still part of a print-on-demand
program, but Amazon tells us how many copies they expect to sell (based on its internal order-
ing algorithm) and BookBaby prints and produces to that demand.

6
 mazon sends out royalty payments to authors each month, approximately 90 days after the
A
sales have been recorded. Amazon royalties are around 12 to 20 percent of the sales price for
the physical, POD books sold. Meanwhile, your eBooks sales can earn up to 70 percent of the
retail price. (If you’re working with BookBaby, you keep 100% of your net Amazon sales.)

200 million
people around the globe visit
Amazon.com every month

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 CHAPTER 3:

FAQ – We answer lots of questions about

how to get your book available on Amazon
How much does it cost to sell my book on Amazon?
Setting up an account on Amazon is free, as is listing your book.

What do I get paid?

Amazon pays different royalties for eBooks and printed books.
You can learn about eBook royalty options here and printed
book royalties here. (Note: Amazon pays author royalties
every month, about 90 days after the sales are made.)

What is KDP?
KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s direct and
exclusive self-publishing option, which provides access to
selling your eBook and printed book title on Amazon (and
Amazon alone).

What kind of (genre) books can I sell on Amazon?

Amazon accepts all genres of books.

Do I need an ISBN?
Yes and no. You need an ISBN (International Standard Book
Number) to distribute your book through retailers in the US
and globally. Amazon assigns its own identifier, called an ASIN
(Amazon Standard Identification Number). This ASIN is what
you and the public use to identify your book on Amazon when
linking to the book. If your book has an ISBN, that number can
be used as a search term on the Amazon website. (Read more
about ISBNs on the BookBaby Blog.)

Do I need a bar code?

Yes, all items sold on Amazon must have a UPC, EAN, or ISBN/ASIN bar code number.

How do I choose the best category?

Choosing the best category and keywords for your book is not as easy as you might think.
This information is part of your title’s metadata, which is used by search engines to help readers

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discover your book. It’s a fine art to make your metadata work for your title, and many authors
have turned to the experts at BookBaby for help with this important task As a general rule, the
more specific and niche you make your category, the better your chance of getting ranked as a
top-seller, which increases your chance of getting recommended by Amazon’s algorithm. So
getting this right can make a big difference in your success with Amazon sales. (Read more about
Amazon categories on the BookBaby Blog.)

Does Amazon do cover design?

No, Amazon does not offer a book cover design service, though it does provide a list of designers
you can contact directly and contract with. Whichever way you proceed, you should use a
reputable designer familiar with book cover design as well as the specifications of Amazon.
BookBaby has a team of talented book designers (cover designers and interior page formatters)
who have brought thousands of titles to life. You can use BookBaby’s design services regardless
of whether you publish through BookBaby or not.

Does Amazon edit books?

No, Amazon does not offer an editing service. (BookBaby does!)

Is Amazon exclusive?
If you publish directly through Amazon, your eBooks and printed books will only be available
through Amazon. You can work directly with other distributors and retailers as well, but you
have to go through the process of creating a profile, uploading information, etc. with each.
(When you publish through BookBaby, your book is made available for sale on Amazon and
60 other major bookstores around the world.)

What is Kindle Select?

Kindle Select is a program that requires giving Amazon exclusive distribution rights to your
book if you want to take advantage of its Pricing Countdown or free eBook offering—where
you can offer your book for free for a limited time. (You can opt in to Kindle Select through
your BookBaby account.)

What is/was CreateSpace?

CreateSpace is the now-defunct printed book distribution division of Amazon. All self-publishing
done direct-to-Amazon happens through KDP.

Do I need to warehouse my printed books?

No. Amazon works as a print on demand (POD) publisher, which means it prints your books
as they are ordered, so there is no need to house inventory. If you work with BookBaby, we
fulfill the printed books for your Amazon sales as they are ordered. (The same is true for your

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BookShop page, which is your own storefront, provided by BookBaby if you publish with us.)

Is KDP international?
KDP is supported in the USA, some European countries, Australia, and Japan.

What is a pre-sale?
Your pre-sale period is the time between when your book listing goes live and your release date,
which is the date your book is ready to be delivered to customers. Pre-sales happen on most
book retail sites and for some retailers (e.g. Barnes & Noble and Powell’s), pre-sale orders accu-
mulate and count as sales on your release date, which gives you a good chance at cracking some
top-100 bestseller sub-genre lists. Amazon counts all sales on the day they are actually made, so
your pre-sale numbers do not accumulate and increase your chances of becoming a bestseller
on Amazon. But, during the pre-sale period, Amazon uses its inventory algorithm to build a sales
forecast for new titles, which is critical. (Read more about pre-sales on the BookBaby Blog.)

Does Amazon promote my book?

No, Amazon does not promote books, though it does provide options to give your book away
for free and you can purchase advertising. You can read more about that program on Amazon’s
Advertising for KDP Books page.

How do reviews work on Amazon?

Anyone can post a review of your book on Amazon, but Amazon gives more weight to verified
reviews—reviews posted by readers who bought your book from Amazon. There is also an edito-
rial review section on Amazon where you can post reviews you’ve received from other outlets.

Can I make changes to my book once it’s published?

Yes, you can make changes to your book after it’s published,
though that is not ideal: you’ll need a new ISBN/ASIN and
it can disrupt your title’s product listing. It’s best to get it all
right before publishing.

Can I make changes to my book’s Amazon page once it

is published?
Yes, you can make changes to metadata, book descriptions,
categories, etc. after your Amazon page is live.

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 CHAPTER 4:

Producing and publishing a book on Amazon

Congratulations! You’ve finished your manuscript. You’ve decided to publish your book and
are wondering, “what’s the best way to go about getting my book for sale on the world’s biggest
bookstore?” Two options include working directly with Amazon’s KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)
or working with BookBaby. Here’s a simple step-by-step look at how each process works.

Amazon KDP BookBaby

1. Sign up for a KDP Account. 1. C
 all and speak with a BookBaby publishing specialist
or create a quote yourself on our website.
2. Provide social security and bank account information.
2. U
 pload your manuscript, fill out our design survey,
3. R
 ead over the pages (and pages) of help info and watch and provide distribution information.
multiple tutorial videos that teach you how to publish
direct through Amazon. You can also download Amazon’s 3. P
 lace your order.
guide, “Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines: How to
make books available for Kindle devices and applications.” 4. Wait for proofs and approve them.
(Beware, it’s 112 pages)
5. P
 rovide BookBaby with your metadata, book
4. F ind the help page with the list of designers and description, author information, and pricing
formatters (because you are a writer, not a book designer, information (which will be used for all the retailers
and you need someone to help you with this!). you’ll be selling your book through).

5. C
 ontact cover designers, get quotes, browse samples, 6. Y
 our book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble
establish turn times, etc. Pick a cover designer, enter and dozens of other stores.
into a contract, and work with him/her to design your
book cover.

6. C
 ontact manuscript formatters, get quotes, browse sam- BookBaby has helped
ples, establish turn times, etc. Pick a formatter, enter into a
authors self-publish over

65,000
contract, and work with him/her to format your eBook.

7. Upload files from the formatter and cover designer.

8. In your KDP account, provide the appropriate

metadata, book description, author information, eBooks & printed books.
pricing information, etc.

9. W
 ait a few hours for your book to go live.

10. Your book is available on Amazon.

11. W
 ant to sell on another site? You’ll have to repeat these
steps for each.

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 CHAPTER 5:

From book idea to book sale, BookBaby is your answer

Have you ever painted your house? Or fixed a leaky faucet? Or changed the oil in your car? Sure,
you can do it. You don’t need to have experience—though you’ll be certain to learn from your
mistakes in real-time (some are more costly than others). And if you really know what you’re
doing, or if you’re prepared for the work to take much longer than necessary, you might even get
the job done reasonably well.

Turns out, the same is true for self-publishing. You can work directly with Amazon, turn your
manuscript into a printed book or eBook, and do your best to sell your work on the world’s larg-
est online retailer.

But, as this guide has hinted at, there are a LOT of details to consider. Things you know but could
use some guidance with (penning a long and short book description), things you didn’t realize
you’d need to know (how many pages will your 60,000-word Word document translate to a 6x9
book?), things you have never heard of (International Standard Book Number), and things you
don’t want to have to do (you mean I need to do this all over again to sell my book on Barnes &
Noble?).

That’s when you may realize that paid is better than free. There is tremendous value in having
an expert partner who has answers to all your questions, has experience in every facet of the
book production and publication process, provides professional interior formatting and book
cover design, and offers a suite of additional author services (including editing and marketing
services).

People-powered publishing
What makes BookBaby the best partner in the business? It’s our people. We spend our time on
the phones, talking to authors just like you, who are nervous, excited, confused, experienced, in-
experienced... you name it, we’ve done it. We spend our time manning printers and binders and
cutters, carefully producing top-quality books. We spend our time translating the manuscripts of
independent authors into beautifully formatted, professionally designed books, every day. And
many of the folks who help you create your books are self-published authors themselves, so we
understand the process inside and out.

We offer help in other ways, too, like producing a one-of-a-kind blog that covers topics ranging
from marketing to writing to book production to editing—you know, the sorts of things an

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expert in the field would talk about. And the BookBaby website covers everything an indepen-
dent author needs to know, from book production to book sales.

And if you work with BookBaby, we’ll serve as your guide, letting you know what’s around the
corner, where the pitfalls are, and what you might have forgotten or didn’t see coming. There’s
a lot of ground to cover from book idea to book sale, and it helps to have a hand to guide you
through the entire process.

So, when it comes to your book, why settle for a job done reasonably well? That might work
when you’re painting the laundry room, but that won’t cut it for the manuscript you’ve been
pouring yourself into for the last 18 months.

Wherever you are in the writing process, you owe it to yourself to investigate your options.
Why not start at the place that has guided tens of thousands of authors to their publishing
dream? DIY doesn’t mean you need to do it all alone.

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