Pros and Cons of Amazon KDP (Is This The Right Business Model For You?)

About this video

Sean gives his pros and cons of Amazon KDP, noting he is biased because publishing is the business he had most success with after trying e-commerce, affiliate marketing and blogging. Pros he lists: low startup cost compared with businesses requiring thousands upfront (though he advises against doing it completely free), beginner-friendly and outsourceable skills, no inventory, no customer service because Amazon handles it, and access to Amazon’s existing buyer traffic unlike Shopify, Google or Facebook traffic. He adds semi-passive income that can continue after work pauses, time and location freedom with just a laptop and Wi-Fi, no need to be an authority or have an audience because ghostwriters can create content, anonymity through pen names, less competition than FBA or dropshipping, lead generation and credibility for an existing business, and exit potential. Sean reports he recently sold his own publishing business for $820,000. Cons: it is not get-rich-quick and requires time, money and hard work; less control because Amazon can close an account, though he argues every business faces platform or external risk and KDP is safe if rules are followed; continued investment is required; and the repetitive research-create-publish-market cycle can feel boring.

Key takeaways

• Sean presents KDP as low-cost, no-inventory and no-customer-service because Amazon handles fulfillment and support and supplies buyer traffic.
• He says work can be semi-passive and location- and time-independent, since books can keep earning after publishing pauses.
• Publishers do not need to be experts or have an audience upfront — they can use ghostwriters, pen names and Amazon’s existing audience, and stay anonymous.
• Sean reports he sold his publishing business for $820,000, which he uses to illustrate the exit potential of a pen-name portfolio.
• The main cons he names are lack of quick results, dependence on Amazon’s platform and rules, ongoing investment, and a repetitive, potentially boring process.

Episode details: published May 20, 2022 · 18:22 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.

← Previous: Audiobook Publishing is Dead… What to Do Instead · Next: This is The ONLY Way You Will Succeed in Self-Publishing →

All Sean Dollwet videos · Sean Dollwet profile · Sean Dollwet on YouTube