Self-publishing is a great opportunity to earn passive income for a lifetime. But not everyone who tries it becomes successful—and it’s usually because they make one or more of these 7 mistakes.
Becoming a self-publisher on Amazon can be a lucrative business. In fact, it’s not unheard of for publishers to earn more than $10,000 per month on Amazon KDP.
But before you jump in with both feet… let me tell you another statistic:
The average self-published book rakes in $500 in sales.
That’s $500 not per month…
Not per year…
But in a lifetime!
And it’s not like all those books are bad, either. It’s just that their publishers probably made one or two big mistakes in self-publishing books.
In this article, we’ll take a look at 7 of those dangerous yet avoidable mistakes.
I’ll also give you tips on how to avoid these mistakes—so you can have a money-making title instead of a flop.
The 7 Mistakes to Avoid
As with any other type of business, your success in self-publishing depends on having a solid strategy.
And to help you out with that, here are the 7 most dangerous mistakes you should avoid when self-publishing.
Mistake #1. Hiring the Cheapest Ghostwriter
The best part of building an Amazon self-publishing business is that you don’t actually have to be an author or a novelist to do it.
Instead, you can easily find ghostwriters to write your next best-selling novel for a price.
Now, the sheer volume of available ghostwriters can tempt you into hiring the cheapest services you can find. That’s why I’d like to remind you:
You’ll always get what you pay for.
You can’t expect a badly-written book to earn you a sustainable monthly income on Amazon KDP. So, when hiring a ghostwriter, find one who can produce good quality books that people will actually want to read.
Mistake #2. Not Focusing on Quantity
Publishing as many books as you can seems like the best way to make more money on Amazon KDP.
But remember that every book you publish requires a significant investment from you, both in terms of time and money.
You have to pay your ghostwriter, editor, and graphic designer…
You also have to research the right keywords, categories, and tags…
You have to market and obtain reviews for your books…
It’s clear that the more books you publish monthly, the harder it is to be on top of them all the time.
Remember that the goal here is not to earn $500 in lifetime sales on hundreds of books.
Instead, the goal is to publish just a few books that can earn you a sustainable, recurring income month after month.
So, focus on publishing high-quality books and implementing a solid marketing plan for each of them.
Mistake #3. Skimping on Editing
As mentioned earlier, hiring an editor is an important step in self-publishing.
Truth is, errors in grammar, spelling, and basic sentence structure can be a magnet for bad reviews from your readers. And once you get a reputation for publishing low-quality books, you can say goodbye to earning a recurring passive income!
No one likes paying for a book that reads like a first draft. So, do not skimp on professional editing services. Make sure the books you publish are worth a read.
Mistake #4. Designing Your Own Book Cover
Along with lumpy writing and erroneous grammar, a badly-designed book cover can also kill your book’s chances for success.
Remember that the book cover will give readers their first impression of their book. So, unless you are a graphic designer by profession, better leave the book cover design to those who do it for a living.
You’d be surprised by how many people actually judge books by their covers, so better have all your bases covered.
Mistake #5. Not Paying Attention to the Book’s Metadata
Your book’s metadata is comprised of important keyword information, such as:
- Book description
- Title
- Genre
- Author bio
- Other information that can help readers find your book more easily
Like your book cover, the metadata is another opportunity to make a strong impression on your readers. Because once they click on your book on Amazon to learn more about it, the metadata will be the first thing they see.
That’s why you should take the time to make your book’s metadata interesting, error-free, and intriguing.
Mistake #6. Not Doing Enough Research and Market Analysis
According to Forbes, the number of books that are self-published every year averages 800,000. That’s a lot of competition for you.
So, if you don’t do enough research on what the market is like…
What kinds of books your competitors are publishing…
And what books are selling well right now…
You’ll find it hard to get ahead with such a tight competition!
Mistake #7. Pricing Your Books Too Low
Selling your books at a discount may be a great way to invite public interest…
…but it won’t be a sustainable strategy if your goal is to earn a sufficient passive income!
Worse, a cheap book might give the impression that it just isn’t good, potentially turning readers away.
That’s why it’s important to stay in the ballpark of how much the books in your genre are selling for.
This way, you can keep the impression that your book is high quality while also staying true to the reason you’re self-publishing in the first place:
To build an income-generating business that will allow you to live the life you want.
Get Your Money-Making Title Published on Amazon
If you are looking to create a highly profitable business you can run from anywhere, you need a strong strategy in Kindle publishing.
Avoiding the mistakes we outlined in this article is just the beginning, though.
Bear in mind that given the great opportunity the platform offers…
Many people are trying to do the same thing you’re planning to do!
But the good news is that I can help you edge them out!
Join my upcoming webinar so I can help you and establish your new Kindle publishing business—from conception to completion.