Self-publishing

Do you like writing, or telling stories? Several platforms offer self-publishing services. Their policies vary slightly but in general with similar requirements. Amazon KDP and Draft2Digital are two such publishing services. These platforms allow authors to publish digital, bound and audio books. Digital books can be any size. You can choose whatever price you'd like but digital books are best sold for a price between $2.99 and $9.99 each. KDP offers a smaller percentage royalty when your digital book price exceeds $9.99. Draft2Digital percentage offer remains the same no matter the book price you choose. Digital and bound books do not attract an upfront production fee. Except you produce your own audio file for upload, a narrator fee is charged when publishing an audio book. The cost will depend on the length of the book. Royalty from these books varies at different platforms.

Before you start submitting your manuscript, be sure to complete the tax questionnaire. Your Tax Identification Number and a Government submitted ID will be required. I suggest any of these platforms you have too much unnecessary glitches with when submitting your credentials, think twice before continuing.

Amazon provides a kindle app that converts your word document to the format Amazon uses to produce kindle books. Drafts are checked for errors during and after submission. Amazon encourages exclusive publishing. Doing so will allow you to take advantage of promotions and their Kindle unlimited service. Although this offer appears attractive, exclusive publishing with Amazon will not guarantee more returns; neither will it increase your chances of getting more sales.

Draft2Digital is a distributor. They provide the publishing facility. You publish with them and they distribute your books to vendors and libraries including Apple, Barns & Noble and other large platforms. Most recently they announce their expanded library distribution to include Palace Marketplace. The publishing platform pays you royalties for books sold or checkouts via these stores and libraries. Like Amazon, Draft2Digital vet your drafts for errors and other content that will restrict book distribution and sales.

Smashwords, now merged with Draft2Digital has a formatting guide that works well for all platforms. It is a little outdated but with a little research to find the different tools for newer Microsoft Word Document applications, you will save time. 

Draft2Digital has a universal link tool called Books2Read that searches for your book titles from all the stores they are at and merge them in one link. It also creates an author page where buyers can find all your books at one place provided there is not a difference with any of your book’s author name, for example an initial left out or a full stop after your middle name initial left off from one or more books.

Next: Sources For Income and Their Payouts

Back: Camera's Limitations