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The Many Amazon Formats

Your Options as A Self-Published Author

You're done with your book. Everything is fully edited. The summary is done. The cover is made. You've made the decision to self-publish, giving you full autonomy on your content. You've chosen Amazon as your platform to make money off of your hard-earned work, but you're given so many options! Which ones do you pick?

I'll be giving you the options that Amazon has given you as an author. I'll also give my experience with each option. Hopefully, this article will help with your options to publish your work in any capacity.

The E-Book and Kindle Unlimited

The first option is the e-book format. I remember years ago, everyone was saying that the e-book format will kill the hard-copies. Luckily, that never happened. Everyone has a love for both formats, but sometimes the e-book is the better option for those on the go. Whether you're washing your clothes in the laundromat, or you're on your lunch break from work, the e-book is there for you to keep your mind occupied.

As a reader, you have two options: either buy the e-book, or join Kindle Unlimited for US$9.99 a month. Kindle Unlimited, or KU, is basically a streaming service where each page you read pays the author. I only recommend it if you're an avid reader. If you're like me, where I don't really have time to read unless it's for the Coalition book clubs, or my own works, buying the e-book is the better option. I can read on my own time at my own pace.

As an author, I do prefer people just buying my books directly. I get the royalties a lot faster, and I see the earned income in my bank account. While with KU, I only get American pennies for each page until the reader is done with the book.

Amazon does have an app called Kindle Create. It converts your document into an e-book. You can format it in any way you want. The title font and everything to give your book a certain aesthetic. You can add a dedication and such to the e-book. You save the final product to submit to Amazon. It's fairly easy to work on.

When it comes to pricing, you can make this format as affordable as possible. For me, in order to see something concrete, I price them at US$5.99 each. It's affordable enough for the reader, and it's enough to see some decent royalties in my bank account. You can do sales on them. I don't know when I'll do a sale, but I do know people are more inclined to buy your book if it is on sale for free. I should know, as I have gotten free romance books myself.

It's really up to you as an author if you want to join KU. Your book would be exclusive to that platform, unless you decide to opt out. At least with the e-book, it can be published on other platforms. You'll get your earnings either way.

Paperback

Paperback is another option. This one is where you'll make the most money, but it's also the hardest one to do. You have to follow the required guidelines that Amazon provides for you. You can't just have the cover of the book; you'll also need the back cover as well. Amazon does provide a plain back cover, but it also has a template to place the artwork on the spine. For the spine itself, it depends on how many pages are in your book. For the file, you have to convert the document into a PDF file. You may have to purchase Adobe Acrobat to make this happen and make adjustments.

As a reader, you'll get to hold a physical book, one that was made by an internet writer. As a writer, it would be your prized possession, your hard-earned work finally in your hands.

With paperback, you're given the option to make it available for wider distribution, such as physical bookstores and libraries. Printing costs depend on your country's currency, but here in America, it's almost US$5. If you want to even out your earnings, you'll have to figure out how to even out the costs. You'll have to make the paperback more expensive than the e-book.