Self Publishing On Amazon in 2020: What You NEED to Know NOW

About this video

Dale Roberts argues self-publishing on Amazon in 2020 is fundamentally different from the 2010-2015 Kindle gold rush, when, he says, authors could rely on organic sales and earn five to six figures per month. Amazon and its algorithm are now more sophisticated, and publishing via KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu, Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, Smashwords, ACX or Findaway Voices no longer guarantees an audience. He lists five requirements for success. First, bring your own audience or following, directing people from off Amazon to buy there; fiction authors should consider a prequel/teaser or reader magnet first, while non-fiction authors can use a flagship book with a call to action. Second, build an email list — he recounts a prolific romance writer earning, in his telling, about six figures per month who lost his Amazon account and had no list, website or following to rebuild with. He names Mailchimp, MailerLite and his preferred SendFox as options. Third, use social media to build hype, cover reveals and votes before launch. Fourth, have an author website as a hub and safeguard, noting a domain can cost about a dollar the first year and $15-$16 in following years. Fifth, maintain an ongoing marketing strategy — interviews, podcasts, guest posts and media appearances — rather than publishing and praying.

Key takeaways

• The 2010-2015 era of relying purely on organic Amazon sales is over; Amazon will not serve authors an audience on a silver platter
• Authors must bring their own audience — fiction writers can use a prequel/teaser or reader magnet, non-fiction writers a flagship book with a call to action
• An email list is insurance against losing an Amazon account, illustrated by a romance writer who lost his account with no list to fall back on
• Social media and an author website build hype, discoverability beyond Amazon, and a hub the author controls
• Success requires ongoing, daily or weekly marketing — interviews, guest posts and appearances — not publish-and-pray

Episode details: published April 28, 2020 · 9:32 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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