The Harsh Reality of Amazon KDP (Is it Too Saturated?)

About this video

Sean argues Amazon KDP is not meaningfully too saturated, though people have been saying it is since 2015 and all popular online businesses get more crowded over time. His core claim is that most newcomers are not real competition: he says 99% expect maximum money for minimum effort, will not invest time or money, will not even spend five bucks on a decent cover or invest in a course, try to piece everything together free, spam low-quality journals, planners and no-content books, and quit after a first book fails. By investing in skills and higher-quality books, he says, a publisher leaves that 99% pool and competes only with the 1% doing the same. He sets expectations that any business takes time: some results after one year of consistent effort, pattern recognition after three years, and expertise after five years, though publishing can be faster. Sean recounts his own sacrifices from age 18 to 25 — door-to-door sales 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week for less than $1,000 a month, a first business that made $100 in four years, and losing $125,000 at age 22 to 23 — and claims he became a self-made millionaire at age 26.

Key takeaways

• Sean says saturation claims about KDP have circulated since 2015, and increased crowding is normal for any popular online business.
• He argues 99% of publishers do the bare minimum, spam low-quality low/no-content books, and refuse to invest in covers, education or the business itself.
• Investing in skills and book quality moves a publisher into the 1% group, so competition is effectively only with other high-quality publishers.
• He advises expecting a long timeline — results after about one year, pattern recognition after three years, expertise after five years of consistent effort.
• Success requires sacrificing time and/or money; Sean attributes his own outcome, which he claims was becoming a millionaire at age 26, to years of extreme saving and work.

Episode details: published August 1, 2022 · 10:51 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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