Has anyone here published on Amazon?

[Pokeyonekenobie]

So...I wrote a novel and haven't had any luck getting an agent so I thought I'd self-publish through Amazon.  I was wondering if anyone else has done this and if any of you have any tips, tricks, warnings, etc. so I don't get in over my head.  Any help is greatly appreciated.

[rosierjay]

never went through amazon, but i know bn has and epub program that you can self publish an ebook to kind test the waters. don't remember if it cost anything. i think if you sell any they get a percentage.
but there are lot of self publishing companies that can help you. well mostly with the printing.
but if that's all you need then you'd be fine.
beaver's pond
millcity. and tons more.
i work at a book binding company, so i know alot of the self publishing companies.

are you hoping to have someone help with editing, publishing and publicly etc? or just printing it.
if you just need help printing it. i would go the ebook route at barnes and noble first. pretty sure its free or at least cheap.
and start self promoting on facebook and other social media.
depending on the book and length. start the price between 2.99 and 9.99 to get people interested.
i recommend the lower just because people aren't always willing to try new authors, once you get some more sales, you can raise it to 4.99 or 9.99 and then start doing books.

sadly unless you go through one of the big name publishing companies you'll probably have to do all your publicity and stuff on your own anyway.

[Leave a Whisper]

Good to hear, I think i'll try bn epub myself. Good luck to you Pokeyonekenobi

[rosierjay]

let me know if you guys go through bn epub. i'll buy them.
i have a nook, so i don't buy books from amazon
i love supporting new artist.
though you'll have to let me know when you print in paper so i get them signed.

*pauses* wait... are they horror? cuz i scare easily.

[Pokeyonekenobie]

Mine isn't horror.  And I was thinking of going through Amazon because then I could do both Kindle edition and a print edition.  I haven't looked at Barnes and Noble, though.  I might see if I can sell through both or if there's an exclusivity clause.

[Katika]

I'm just now getting to the point of putting the final touches on a novel I wrote 10 years ago and have been looking at self publishing, as well.  My main concern, though, is that I've heard (from published authors) that big publishing houses can force changes in your novels if they want to and since I write for myself and the love of my characters, that's not something I'm willing to ever negotiate.  That said, I'm not sure if we're looking at self publishing for the same reasons 

I am a member of the NaNoWriMo Facebook group and there is a whole mountain of knowledge from the other writers/authors on there.  I will warn you if you go the ebook route that the general consensus over there is for new authors to sell ebooks for 0.99 with occasional free promos.  I have no idea if that's what is actually *done*, but it seems to be the most commonly mentioned suggestion regarding this matter.  So, if making money is a huge priority for you getting your book out, you may want to do a bit more research about that mode.  I can also tell you that createspace (also done through Amazon) is tossed around by that group quite frequently, and that's the service I've been looking into the most, honestly.

Either way, best of luck with whatever avenue you choose!  We should start an Arena book club where we all read each other's novels and such!  How fun would that be

[kaoskat]

Never used amazon for publishing. I do wish you luck though!

[stopxmotion]

I haven't, but good luck!

[Archer]

My sister has a book published through Amazon Dead easy to set up and sort out

[flyawayraven]

I know there was one member who had managed to self publish a fantasy series through Amazon. Unfortunately, I haven't seem them here in a long time so I can't recall their name.

Edit: Also something very important to keep in mind is that a majority of the publicity and advertising for your book is on your shoulders. That can be very taxing and a full-time job on its own!

Have you had someone edit and proofread your work? Speaking from personal experience,  I know the editor is every author's bane, but they can make a huge positive difference! A good editor wants to make your work the best it can be, and that can sometimes be hard to put in perspective when you're discussing a beloved piece of craft.

I have sadly read too many books where the author did not heed their editor's advice, and the work suffered for it. We know what's best for our plot and characters and the other minute details, but an editor looks at the big picture and helps you shape it into a smoothly flowing whole.