Beginner Mistakes That DESTROYS Book Sales (Amazon KDP)

About this video

Sean critiques subscriber-submitted KDP books and draws repeated beginner lessons. A well-designed puzzle adventure book is held back by a vague title/subtitle: he suggests making it explicit, e.g. an interactive puzzle adventure book for kids, then getting reviews via sites he names like Pubby/GetBooksReview and marketing it as a series. For ‘Leo Learns About AI’, a text-heavy cover fails for a children’s book; the focus should be the character, and the subtitle should state what the book is, its benefit and who it is for. A fiction series has covers and internal illustrations he calls not professional enough to sell, a subtitle that explains nothing, no Kindle version, and no KDP Select/KENP focus; he suggests outsourcing a cover (naming a $25 children’s gig and a $10 fiction gig on Fiverr), pricing book one at 99 cents to sell the series backend. Other errors: a mother’s guided journal priced at $18 hardcover with zero reviews and no cheaper paperback; an eyelash extensions book in a niche where he found no books selling well, showing no keyword validation; and a piano scales book priced oddly, with Kindle at $16 forcing 30% royalties versus $9.99 at 70%, and possibly niching down too far versus broader piano-for-beginners demand.

Key takeaways

• Subtitles must clearly explain what the book is, the benefit, and who it is for, in every genre including fiction
• Children’s and fiction covers need professional, genre-appropriate illustration; outsource on Fiverr if you cannot match the market
• Validate demand first with BSR tools like BookBeam, KD Spy or DS Amazon Quick View; avoid topics with no selling competitors
• For fiction series, add a Kindle/KDP Select version, price book one low (he suggests 99 cents), and earn from read-through and backend books
• Price to your reviews and format: add cheaper paperback versions, get reviews, and keep Kindle pricing within the 70% royalty band where possible

Episode details: published January 8, 2024 · 14:58 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Sean Dollwet’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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