Self-Publishing

ChatGPT authors are self-publishing Kindle ebooks at an astonishing rate on Amazon. Amazingly, many are not shy about adding ChatGPT as the author or co-author of their titles. However, it is probably only a minority of authors who admit to it so blatantly. New technology is always disruptive, and in this case, it’s the trend of…

Yes. You are a published author if you self-publish, and here’s why. The definition from the Oxford Dictionary makes it clear. You are published when a book, journal, piece of music, etc., is prepared and issued for public sale or readership. So you are a published author as soon as you make your book available…

Enrolling ebooks in KDP Select is popular. But Amazon can penalize authors if it finds a breach of its exclusivity agreement because of pirated ebooks. There is no ebook exclusivity with standard Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). It is only when ebook authors choose to enroll in KDP Select that the exclusive selling provisions apply. When…

Here comes a game changer in self-publishing. Ebook to audiobook production using AI or digital narration is starting. While it’s early days yet, Apple and Google are now offering AI (artificial intelligence) narration for ebooks. For self-publishing authors, it will make a massive difference in how they publish their books. The big question is if…

When you self-publish a new book on Amazon, you can order proof and author copies on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). Proof copies are essential to check your new print-on-demand paperback or hardcover book before publishing. But author copies are optional. However, if you want copies of your book to sign, use at book fairs, or…

Publisher Rocket is a popular book marketing tool for Amazon self-publishing authors. Essentially, it is a software program that gives authors access to the Amazon book database. It helps take a lot of the guesswork out of finding searchable Amazon KDP keywords and categories. But it’s not free, so is it fair value for money for…

For new authors, the biggest drawback of self-publishing is one word: marketing. Yes, there are plenty of opportunities to promote and advertise a new book. You only need to do a quick search to find hundreds of ideas to promote a book online. But these activities are not marketing. Here’s a quick guide for you…

Very short books of fiction include pamphlets, novelettes, flash fiction, or short stories. With nonfiction, it could include essays, academic texts, or guides and manuals. Many of these generally have a word count of between 1,000 words and 5,000 words. But this can cause a problem when you try to self-publish due to word count…

Can you remove your ebook from Kindle Unlimited but stay in KDP Select? No, you can’t. While your ebook is enrolled in KDP Select, you can’t opt out of Kindle Unlimited KENP page reads. The only way to remove your ebook is to cancel your current KDP Select enrollment and wait for the term to…

You can’t change the Look Inside percentage when you self-publish a new book on Amazon because it is set automatically. For a Kindle ebook, it is 10%. For a print book, either paperback or hardcover, it is 20%. It also takes between 7 to 10 business days for the feature to appear on your book’s…