Get More Money from a Self Published Book

About this video

Dale argues most authors cannot live off one book, so they should diversify that single asset into ten revenue formats. One, an ebook — the path of least resistance, which he says can be created 100% free with internet access. Two, a paperback, messier to format at first but achievable with practice or a hired professional. Three, a hardcover, now offered across major print-on-demand platforms, reusing the paperback interior while the cover needs extra bleed; for dust-jacket variants he points to IngramSpark, Lulu, Blurb and Barnes & Noble Press. Four, an audiobook: citing the Audio Publishers Association, he says audiobook revenue grew 25% in 2021 to $1.6 billion, a 10th straight year of double-digit growth, with 45% of Americans 18 and over having listened, up from 44% in 2020, and affordable narrators and royalty-share options lowering the entry barrier. Five, large print at 16 to 18 point font versus the usual 10 to 12, useful beyond vision-impaired readers for comprehension and word recognition, and worth issuing in both paperback and hardcover. Six, illustrations and images — illustrators for fiction, infographics and screenshots for non-fiction — while warning KDP deducts delivery fees based on ebook file size. Seven, colour choices: KDP offers full colour, standard colour and black and white; full colour costs most and raises retail price, so reduce page count, and standard colour warps if pages are ink-heavy. Eight, a companion workbook, easiest for non-fiction. Nine, compilations bundling two or more related books — treated and promoted as a new book, but never over-bundled. Ten, translations, researched against demand on stores such as Amazon France, multiplying every earlier format.

Key takeaways

• Start with the low-resistance formats from one manuscript — ebook (which Dale says can be created 100% free online), paperback, then hardcover, reusing the paperback interior for the hardcover though the cover needs more bleed.
• Add an audiobook: Dale cites the Audio Publishers Association that audiobook revenue grew 25% in 2021 to $1.6 billion, the 10th straight year of double-digit growth.
• Make a large-print edition at 16 to 18 point font versus the normal 10 to 12 point, researching proper formatting rather than simply enlarging the font, and offer it in paperback and hardcover.
• Add value inside the same book with illustrations or infographics and with colour options — noting KDP charges delivery fees based on ebook file size and full-colour printing raises the base cost and retail price.
• Extend the asset with a companion workbook, compilations of two or more related books (without over-bundling, which Dale says exhausted his readership), and translations researched for demand in the target market — never using Google Translate, which he says KDP will shut down.

Episode details: published July 12, 2022 · 7:26 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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