# Thinking about Kindle



## MJ Preston (May 5, 2011)

I have been thinking about Amazon Kindle and how it might work for me to get my novel published and out there. At 46, I don't expect to be the next Stephen King, and though I think I might have another book or two in me I have to face facts.

So, I am considering Kindle, but my reservations are that I won't have the expertise of an editor to help me do a final polishing and assist me with my grammar shortfalls. I have gone over the manuscript a dozen times or more and I'm not sure what else to do short of hiring someone to help polish it.

Anyone else published on Kindle? Thoughts? Suggestions?


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## Baron (May 5, 2011)

I can't help with editing but I suggest you go for it with Kindle.  Let me know what books you have on sale once they go onto Amazon and I'll add them to out book shop.

While people are focusing on Kindle I'd advise them to take another look at Lulu who are now doing epub for Itunes/apple applications.  The iPhone has its own e-reader and this is another good potential market.


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## MJ Preston (May 5, 2011)

Baron said:


> I can't help with editing but I suggest you go for it with Kindle.  Let me know what books you have on sale once they go onto Amazon and I'll add them to out book shop.



Thanks Baron. I'm still moving cautiously on this. Want to make sure I am not leaping before I think.


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## jnau (May 6, 2011)

I have also been looking into printing through Kindle, and ran across smashwords.com.  From what I can tell, it allows you to distribute a digital version of your book through more than one medium (i.e. Amazon, iPod, etc).  Does anyone have experience with smashwords?  (Ugh...I keep typing "smashmouth" every time!)


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## MJ Preston (May 6, 2011)

I've looked at smashwords. 

Although, I want to see how the digital book will be best presented. 

Like putting in your own artwork and such. I downloaded a Smashwords novel and found it rather bland in appearance.


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## kennyc (May 6, 2011)

There is a ton of great info and forums at amazon for authors!


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## MJ Preston (May 7, 2011)

Thanks I'll check it out.


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## kennyc (May 7, 2011)

I'm kind of headed down this path myself. There are a few other outlets for self-publication as well you should check out as well.
Here are a few links:

Amazon/Kindle: Amazon KDP Support : Support Home


Smashwords: Smashwords - Join Smashwords
Feedbooks: Publishing your own work | Feedbooks

A list of various publishers/outlets: eBook Architects - eBook Retailers

Enjoy. And good luck!


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## C.M. Aaron (May 7, 2011)

You are right to be concerned about your inability to self edit your own manuscript. You can, and probably should, hire an editor yourself. Even if you went the traditionally published route, you might still have to hire your own editor. Most agents lose interest when they read unedited manuscripts, and you won't get to a publisher without first going through an agent. So consider the cost of an editor as the price of doing business. Editors usually charge by the word so depending on the length of your manuscript, expect to spend two to four thousand dollars.


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## TWErvin2 (May 7, 2011)

MJ Preston said:


> I have been thinking about Amazon Kindle and how it might work for me to get my novel published and out there. At 46, I don't expect to be the next Stephen King, and though I think I might have another book or two in me I have to face facts.
> 
> So, I am considering Kindle, but my reservations are that I won't have the expertise of an editor to help me do a final polishing and assist me with my grammar shortfalls. I have gone over the manuscript a dozen times or more and I'm not sure what else to do short of hiring someone to help polish it.
> 
> Anyone else published on Kindle? Thoughts? Suggestions?


 
There is no reason you cannot self-publish the work on the Kindle, through Smashwords and Pubit, and through any other venue you can identify. That would = more access to readers.

As far as the grammar and other concerns, while it may not be as effective as paying an editor, someone you know who is competent with writing (from a secretary who writes/corrects memos and letters all the time, to a current or retired English teacher, even a journalist, or just a pretty sharp person--there are plenty of those) will catch things you will overlook.  If they're an avid reader, that is a plus, as they may catch plot concerns and consistencies. 

The other thing you can do yourself is to set it aside for a while (if you already haven't) and then come back to it. Fresh eyes and a little distance can do wonders.  Reading the work orally will catch minor wording problems that you won't catch reading silently.

And at 46, thinking you cannot produce more than another novel or two?  Even if it's a novel every 5 years, how many does that equal with the average life span?

If you think you really have a good piece, you might consider 'the traditional route' and seek an agent/publisher. That would take time, however. But your mansucript would be professionally edited (as that is a concern), and it would not be money out of your pocket hiring an editor--which has been mentioned can be expensive (you generally get what you pay for).

A final option is to find a writing partner, someone who you can exchange manuscripts with. It can be a challenge to find somone that is a good fit for all of your concerns, but not impossible.


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## WriterJohnB (May 14, 2011)

MJ Preston said:


> Like putting in your own artwork and such. I downloaded a Smashwords novel and found it rather bland in appearance.


 
Don't forget that Smashword (and the others, too, including Kindle) can only download a good e-book if the author has UPloaded a good e-book. I've self-published on Smashwords, Kindle and Amazon's Createspace. It took a LOT of self-training to get it right - I would upload, then download and check the quality. And you probably need to consider buying Adobe Acrobat, so you can make a PDF.

I recommend going with all three I mentioned. Kindle gets you on Amazon, Smashwords gets you on Barnes and Noble & others and CreateSpace gives you a print copy, available through Amazon. 

With CreateSpace, you have to figure out how to format your manuscript to the proper size and get a page count, then you use their cover-creator to put you artwork, title, etc. on one of their standard covers, which makes it look custom. You don't pay a CENT until you order a proof copy, which is reasonably priced. Then you can sign up for their ProPlan ($39.00- pays for itself if you order ten copies) if you wish, and buy author copies for a low price. The quality is excellent. I don't want to mention prices here, but if anyone want to PM me, I'll give more info.

As for the editing, I may be able to help you. I'll PM you.

Take care,

JohnB


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## Ditch (May 14, 2011)

I have two books published on amazon for Kindle, Baron, take not please. They are "Vengeance a Pirate's Tale" and "The Tribe". They are also coming out in paperback. when you submit a manuscript on Createspace for a print on demand paperback, they send you a proof to read, edit then approve. It's amazing that I wrote these books and had others read them but still found typos when it is on paper and not a computer screen. I put those bright colored sticky notes on each mistake then edited it and resubmitted it. You still must purchase another proof for $7-$8.99 and check it, then just go to createspace and hit "Approve". Your paperback will then also be available for no cost to you and you make 70% of the cost of the book.

As far as kindle goes, print your manuscript out and read it on paper, the mistakes will leap out at you much more. Then edit and upload it. Mine are selling slowly but they just came out, it sure beats submitting queries and getting rejected by agents who are only looking for vampire stories.


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## Forest Girl (May 15, 2011)

My books are in paperback both at Amazon and Barnes & Noble ... but they are also available in Nook and Kindle.

While I do not use Nook or Kindle, I am very glad for them.

I belong to a couple of (non-writer) Yahoo groups.  I had mentioned my books in one of them and one of my group friends ordered the first two of my series. She liked them so much that within two days she had ordered the next two and over the weekend finished the whole series.

She loved them and posted her review to the group.  That would not have been possible had she had to wait for the mail.


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## Ditch (May 16, 2011)

You can edit the content of an ebook on amazon at any time by going to KDP Amazon. Then choose "My Bookshelf">Actions>Edit


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## MJ Preston (May 19, 2011)

Can you saturate the market with your book or if you are bound by a particular ebook publisher. 

In reading Kindles contract, it said that rights are nonexclusive, I'm to assume that means you can publish with them and others. If this is the case couldn't you also also offer a PDF version of the book directly from your site as well. Or some hard copies using print on demand.


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## mastermm4 (Sep 25, 2011)

I have 2 novels published on Kindle and I have found it a great way to boost popularity before committing to printing costs. The Kindle community is always growing, giving ebooks more of a chance to thrive. A lot of people who are 40+ have also started purchasing Kindles, possibly to save themselves the effort of finding places in their homes for more books than they currently have (although that is just speculation).
I also think Kindle is a great way to test how well your novel reads to other people. Amazon offers a free sample of most Kindle books, allowing people to get a taste of the finished product before actually purchasing it. It is also much easier to edit a novel that has been posted onto Kindle if there is anything that you want to add or remove after it has been published.
Hope this helps!


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## Bloggsworth (Sep 25, 2011)

MJ Preston said:


> I've looked at smashwords.
> 
> Although, I want to see how the digital book will be best presented.
> 
> Like putting in your own artwork and such. I downloaded a Smashwords novel and found it rather bland in appearance.



With Kindle you can do all the set-up work, email it to yourself @kindle and it is there for you to download and check - I assume that when/if you go ahead it will appear in the same way. Amazon do a guide to self-publishing with them http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-summary-page.html?topic=200260520 The singular thing with Amazon is that about 75% of the sales price goes to the writer.


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## MJ Preston (Sep 25, 2011)

Bloggsworth said:


> With Kindle you can do all the set-up work, email it to yourself @kindle and it is there for you to download and check - I assume that when/if you go ahead it will appear in the same way. Amazon do a guide to self-publishing with them http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-summary-page.html?topic=200260520 The singular thing with Amazon is that about 75% of the sales price goes to the writer.



Thanks Bloggs. I have been published with Kindle for awhile now. As well I have print copies in with Lulu and Createspace.  I have sold books, but of course selling more books is always nice. I am penning a piece on the whole experience which will be published in the next issue of Motley Press.


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## MadBen (Oct 29, 2011)

Interesting topic, considering that I am also trying to publish with Kindle in the future.

Something that might help a few people: You don't need Adobe Acrobat (expensive) to create PDF. If your favorite word processor or design software does not support PDF export, simply use a so-called PDF printer driver such as "FreePDF". It allows you to "print" into a PDF file that will look just the way things would look like on paper and this method works with any application that can print.


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## BookReader (Apr 6, 2012)

Bloggsworth said:


> The singular thing with Amazon is that about *75% of the sales price *goes to the writer.



It's actually 70% if it's $2.99 and above.

*Amazon Kindle Publishing Royalties:*


$2.99 and above:  70%
under $2.99:  35% 


*Barnes & Noble Pubit Royalties:*


$2.99 and above: 65%
under $2.99:  40%


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## markcarraway (Apr 25, 2012)

There are definitely a couple of options for you and I would agree in general with what has already been posted here. Amazon KDP does not require exclusivity, but there is an option to include your book in their KDP Select program which DOES require exclusive rights to any digital version of your book for a term of at least 90 days. So as I have said on other threads the question is whether the extra money you stand to make with KDP select (and it can be significant) outweighs what you might get from other channels. 

As I have also said before, if you do opt to go the self-publishing route you must make sure to create a professional product that meets or exceeds that which a traditional publisher might produce. To be honest it is easy to type up a word document and publish it as an ebook but editing, sharpening and professional design and layout are essential to the long term success of any book. Editing wont make a bad story good by any means, but it can arguably make a good story great. 

I think I could definitely help you with the editing, but alas I don't think I can yet send PMs.


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