Self Publishing Interview with Tom Corson Knowles

About this video

Dale interviews Tom Corson-Knowles, founder of TCK Publishing, who says he started his first business at 13, was earning a full-time income by the time he graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business at 22, and had been self-publishing for about six years at the time of the interview. Corson-Knowles says his first Kindle book sold 11 copies in its first month without him telling anyone, which he took as proof of concept, and that a year later he had, in his account, his first $12,000 month from Kindle royalties alone. He argues Kindle publishing is a long-term business rather than a get-rich-quick route, notes the early gold-rush era of cheap outsourced books and fake reviews has been cracked down on by Amazon, and advises newcomers to take action one step at a time and find people who have already solved the problem they face. He describes TCK Publishing as a traditional publisher that charges authors no fees, pays 50% royalties — described as three to five times more than other publishers — and provides free one-on-one coaching and free courses to its clients, handling editing, covers, formatting and ebook, print and audio production. Submissions are free via TCK Publishing’s submissions page, and manuscripts that are not ready receive at least three suggested improvements and may be resubmitted. He says TCK uses KDP Select for ebooks for most authors until they reach large sales volumes, does audiobooks for about 67% of its books, and focuses on Amazon conversion, citing an average book conversion rate of 10% and his own book Unlimited Memory having sold over 80,000 copies, in his account, because it converts well.

Key takeaways

• Corson-Knowles says selling 11 copies in his first month was proof of concept, and that he reached a first $12,000 Kindle month a year later — presented as his own account
• Treat publishing as a long-term business built on high-quality books and honest marketing, not a get-rich-quick scheme
• TCK Publishing charges no author fees, pays 50% royalties, and gives clients free one-on-one coaching and free courses
• TCK’s free submission process gives authors whose manuscripts are not ready at least three improvements to make, with resubmission welcomed
• Focus on Amazon conversion: Corson-Knowles cites 10% as an average book conversion rate and says Amazon promotes books that convert above average

Episode details: published January 16, 2018 · 30:38 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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