I Made $34k on Amazon KDP using These 4 Easy Steps

I wish I would have followed these steps earlier

Self-publishing on Amazon can be a lucrative business if done correctly. I started uploading no and low content book in June 2020 and I have grossed $34,377.97 so far, with their biggest month being December 2022 where they earned $3,119.83.

I will provide you with 4 easy steps that helped me to gain more clarity and eventually earn more money during my self-publishing journey.

1. Define Your Strategy

Defining your strategy is essential in any business and self-publishing on Amazon KDP is no exception. To define your strategy, you need to determine your first what types of books you want to create (no, low, medium or high content books) and prioritise what’s important at each stage of your journey.

When starting out it’s crucial to set realistic expectations based on your budget, time, and skillset. You don’t want to overcommit and start creating books that are far too complex and take up most of your time. It’s more important to understand the basics and build a strong foundation.

You can start small, with no content books and learn to the full process from keyword research to uploading a book to Amazon. Then as you gain experience and confidence, you can challenge yourself to create higher quality and better books. This means improving your writing skills, creating eye-catching covers, and providing value to your readers.

I started with no and low content books such as notebooks, journals and planners but shifted once I gained confidence to mid-content books such as activity books, coloring books, and fact books. These books are more challenging to make however you can earn more money with them

In addition to improving the quality of your books, it’s also essential to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and changes in the industry. This means researching new niches and genres, understanding your target audience, and keeping an eye on your competitors.

2. Understand Your Strengths and Weaknesses

As a self-published author, you have to wear many hats, including writing, editing, formatting, designing book covers, and marketing. However, it’s essential to realise that you cannot be fantastic at everything.

When I began creating more challenging books I tried to control every part of the process and this become exhausting. I quickly realised that whilst I may be good at creating covers, I don’t enjoy the process and I could find a freelancer that specialises in book covers to help make my book stand out.

To create the best possible book, it’s vital to find people that specialize in areas where you may lack expertise. This way, your books will look 100 times better than you could make them on your own.

There are many websites available where you can find freelancers that specialise in book cover design, book formatting, book descriptions, and other tasks related to self-publishing. Fiverr and Upworks are excellent platforms to find affordable freelancers with experience in various aspects of self-publishing.

Additionally, there are AI tools like Chat GPT that can assist you in creating compelling book descriptions, titles and subtitles.

By outsourcing tasks to professionals or utilizing AI tools, you can ensure that your books look and read the best they can, without having to spend countless hours on tasks that may not be your strong suit. Remember, your goal is to create the highest quality books possible, and by understanding your strengths and weaknesses, you can achieve that goal more efficiently.

3. Focusing on a few niches where you have knowledge and expertise

Many self-publishers make the mistake of following the latest and hottest niches, which can be tempting but can also lead to fierce competition and a saturated market. By focusing on niches where you have knowledge and expertise, you can differentiate yourself from the competition and provide value to your readers.

It is far easier to create unique books to the market when you have a keen interest in the topic. If you have knowledge and expertise in a particular hobby or interest, you will be far more understanding of the keywords, ideas and styles that customers would be interested in. This will allow you to create books with unique insights and perspectives that aren’t readily available in the market.

Creating books that complement each other is another benefit of having knowledge in a specific area and this will increase your chances of getting repeated sales. For example, if you have a series of books that cover different aspects of a hobby or interest, readers may buy more than one book to get a complete understanding of the topic.

4. You need to learn to run Amazon ads

Running Amazon ads is an effective way to expose your book to a wider audience and increase your chances of getting more sales. Amazon ads work similarly to Google ads, where you bid on keywords that are relevant to your book, and your ads appear in search results when someone searches for those keywords.

One of the benefits of running Amazon ads is that they provide keyword information and data that you can use to optimize your ads further. This means you can see which keywords are driving the most clicks and sales, and adjust your bidding strategy accordingly. You can also see which ads are performing the best and adjust them to increase clicks and conversions.

To get started with Amazon ads, it’s best to start with low budget ads and gradually increase your budget as you gain more experience and see positive results. You can start with automatic ads or lottery ads, which are easier to set up and manage than manual ads.

Auto ads are the simplest type of Amazon ads. Amazon’s algorithm chooses the keywords and placements for your ads based on your book’s metadata and other factors. I have a youtube video on automatic ads that you can watch here.

Lottery ads are another type of Amazon ad that where you place all your books together in one ad campaign and set a very low default bid. You have to be very patient with the strategy but with time you should start seeing some sales and you won’t be losing much money as your default bid is very low. I have a youtube video on lottery ads that you can watch here.

Final Thoughts

Amazon KDP is a fantastic way to make money online if you define your strategy, understand your strengths and weaknesses. Focus on a few niches where you have knowledge and expertise, and learn to run Amazon ads.

Remember that nothing will happen overnight, don’t be afraid to ask for guidance. Commit to improving 1% each day and only focus on your own progress.

You can watch my full youtube video on this topic here.