Self Published Books About Thailand On Amazon

[ExpatJ]

Does anyone have experience of self publishing a book on Amazon? I understand amazon takes 30%, you keep 70%. In terms of sales anyone have any data on number of sales of Leather and Burdett and other authors who set their books in Thailand?

Im writing a novel set here and just curious to know (plus procrastinating is a key part of writing any great novel:-)

[PFC]

Why not to listen Stephen Leather himself on this subject.

On the next page he gives some numbers.

http://www.stephenleatherpublishingebooks.blogspot.ru/search?updated-max=2012-08-04T00:02:00-07:00&max-results=7

[andrew]

Why not to listen Stephen Leather himself on this subject.

On the next page he gives some numbers.

http://www.stephenle...0&max-results=7

Great link.

Try this, too: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/

[Somtamnication]

Some of the ebook agents in BKK charge way too much off the cover price. I am withholding my book until I can find someone better. Will check out the links.

[craigt3365]

Let's try this over in the Business forum. Might get some more answers over there, OK?

Topic Moved.

[ExpatJ]

Thanks for the links. Very interesting.

[finy]

You can find out rough estimates by the ranking in the Kindle store.

I'm sure the main goal is to stay away from topics that are less than 10,000 in rank. I think 10,000 gets you a few hundred dollars per month, but that's just a guess.

I have a book at the moment that's over 100,000 and I still make about $50-60 per month. Obviously you need lots of these to make an income. Luckily it only took me a day to write.

[ExpatJ]

Some of the ebook agents in BKK charge way too much off the cover price. I am withholding my book until I can find someone better. Will check out the links.

Why don't you self publish on amazon? What service do ebook agents offer here?

Edited January 15, 2013 by ExpatJ

[Ulysses G.]

Just my opinion, but I would not buy a self-published book unless it was by an established writer - like Steven Leather - or on a subject that was very specific and that there were very few professionally published books about - like how to go about robbing a bank, growing ganja or obtaining fake identification.

[ExpatJ]

Found some interesting data on self publishing from a large survey last year. The average profit from self publishing is 6,000 US$ per year BUT that is skewed because the top 10% of self publishers earn most of the profits - top 10% are earning 10'000s -100,000s +++++ US$ per year. 50% of self publishers earn less than 500 US$ per year.

Still for me personally any profit would be icing on the cake only- i have always had a personal goal to write one book and have a new years resolution to finish this year. But if it ends up in riches and movie deals then so be it, i'm prepared.

Edited January 15, 2013 by ExpatJ

[finy]

Still for me personally any profit would be icing on the cake only- i have always had a personal goal to write one book and have a new years resolution to finish this year. But if it ends up in riches and movie deals then so be it, i'm prepared.

Most people are making money with a series of books, so you would write 4-7 in a series and link to each one in every book.

If people enjoy your work they will buy all the books, so you've essentially just increased your profits by 400-700%.

[finy]

Just my opinion, but I would not buy a self-published book unless it was by an established writer - like Steven Leather - or on a subject that was very specific and that there were very few professionally published books about - like how to go about robbing a bank, growing ganja or obtaining fake identification.

I think Amazon sell more eBooks than printed ones now, plus with tablets/eReaders getting more popular they will take over the world.

[ThailandInvestmentGuide]

hi. i have a publisher for hard copy edition and self-published an e-book edition on amazon.com

Re: the level of commission taken by amazon ... it's a bit complicated ... largely depends on the where the buyer is and the option you have selected when you publish. You can select the 70% option (you get 70%) but whether you get it depends on the sale price being within a defined range (and not more that USD9.99) and the buyer being in certain specified countries. If they are in one of the other countries then you cut slumps to 30%.

Google on "Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing" and have a read of the info there, plus there is also an active discussion forum you can peruse and participate in

[HeijoshinCool]

I've done quite a bit of investigation, and despite the rabid (and quite biased) rantings of Knorath and Eisler, I have failed to find any success stories from self-publishing for any first-timers.

For that matter, I can find nothing about Eisler's The Detachment sales; the book he self-published after turning down a $500k advance from his publisher and writing scathing comments about traditional publishing. So, how many e-books did The Detachment sell, Barry? Anybody know?

It's easy to walk in a book store and within minutes you've scanned the promo tables, the front rack of new releases and best-sellers, then, if still empty handed, you can very quickly walk the aisles and see hundreds of covers at a glance. Sitting at a computer and viewing 10 per page just doesn't work for me. But that's me. Then again, I'm not so egotistical to think I'm unique.

As far as I can see, "no-names" vanish quickly from the first twenty pages of Amazon. Only the big names are making it. Newbies need an agent and the publisher's marketing.

Correct me if I'm mistaken.

Oh, and I could be very wrong here, but I just wouldn't trust Amazon. Or Apple for that matter.

Edited January 15, 2013 by HeijoshinCool

[HeijoshinCool]

Oh, and there's also the fact that you'll either need to self-edit, or pay a pro. Unedited books are unpleasant to read.

[ExpatJ]

Oh, and there's also the fact that you'll either need to self-edit, or pay a pro. Unedited books are unpleasant to read.

Yes it's a good investment to pay an editor and an artist to design the book cover- should come to a few 100s $ in all.

[HeijoshinCool]

Oh, and there's also the fact that you'll either need to self-edit, or pay a pro. Unedited books are unpleasant to read.

Yes it's a good investment to pay an editor and an artist to design the book cover- should come to a few 100s $ in all.

Maybe for the cover, but I think a truly professional editor, who you can count on, will be substantially more than a few hundred.

[BookMan]

Just my opinion, but I would not buy a self-published book unless it was by an established writer - like Steven Leather - or on a subject that was very specific and that there were very few professionally published books about - like how to go about robbing a bank, growing ganja or obtaining fake identification.

I think Amazon sell more eBooks than printed ones now, plus with tablets/eReaders getting more popular they will take over the world.

eBooks will certainly take over, but the question will be how many of the titles that make up total sales volume will be self published?

It would have to be more than the current and recent historical figures for printed books?

Edited January 15, 2013 by BookMan

[finy]

Just my opinion, but I would not buy a self-published book unless it was by an established writer - like Steven Leather - or on a subject that was very specific and that there were very few professionally published books about - like how to go about robbing a bank, growing ganja or obtaining fake identification.

I think Amazon sell more eBooks than printed ones now, plus with tablets/eReaders getting more popular they will take over the world.

eBooks will certainly take over, but the question will be how many of the titles that make up total sales volume will be self published?

It would have to be more than the current and recent historical figures for printed books?

You've got to remember how traditional publishing works. Someone mentioned before that it's better to rely on publishing houses because they market your books, but I know published authors and you do most of the marketing yourself.

People slave away and build up a fan base, that's why successful published authors sell books. On the Kindle more people are opening up to the fact you can buy a self-published book and still find in enjoyable, plus you're maybe only paying $0.99-2.99.

Once someone likes an author they will probably buy all their books. They will also probably recommend it to friends and leave a good review.

In the past a published author would need to build up a fan base before they sold thousands/millions of books, so I think it's a bit premature to be slating Kindle because it's fairly recent and there will obviously be some good self-published authors building up their future fan-base as we speak.

If you blog and already have a fan base with a hundred thousand people reading your blog posts every month it's going to be easy to climb up the Kindle charts. The future is self-publishing and people need to embrace it. People talk about how they would rather go to a book shop, but unfortunately the current trend shows this is becoming less and less each day.

Most good writers with marketing skills should be able to earn a passive income from writing within about 3-5 years. That's my estimate for non-fiction, not really sure how fiction would work.

[davejones]

Just my opinion, but I would not buy a self-published book unless it was by an established writer - like Steven Leather - or on a subject that was very specific and that there were very few professionally published books about - like how to go about robbing a bank, growing ganja or obtaining fake identification.

How can you tell if a book you're interested in is self-published or not. And how do you define an established writer. Seems like you are missing out on a lot of fantastic books with an attitude like that. Some of the best books I've read are self-published. You should re-think your attitude.

[davejones]

Just my opinion, but I would not buy a self-published book unless it was by an established writer - like Steven Leather - or on a subject that was very specific and that there were very few professionally published books about - like how to go about robbing a bank, growing ganja or obtaining fake identification.

I think Amazon sell more eBooks than printed ones now, plus with tablets/eReaders getting more popular they will take over the world.

eBooks will certainly take over, but the question will be how many of the titles that make up total sales volume will be self published?

It would have to be more than the current and recent historical figures for printed books?

You've got to remember how traditional publishing works. Someone mentioned before that it's better to rely on publishing houses because they market your books, but I know published authors and you do most of the marketing yourself.

People slave away and build up a fan base, that's why successful published authors sell books. On the Kindle more people are opening up to the fact you can buy a self-published book and still find in enjoyable, plus you're maybe only paying $0.99-2.99.

Once someone likes an author they will probably buy all their books. They will also probably recommend it to friends and leave a good review.

In the past a published author would need to build up a fan base before they sold thousands/millions of books, so I think it's a bit premature to be slating Kindle because it's fairly recent and there will obviously be some good self-published authors building up their future fan-base as we speak.

If you blog and already have a fan base with a hundred thousand people reading your blog posts every month it's going to be easy to climb up the Kindle charts. The future is self-publishing and people need to embrace it. People talk about how they would rather go to a book shop, but unfortunately the current trend shows this is becoming less and less each day.

Most good writers with marketing skills should be able to earn a passive income from writing within about 3-5 years. That's my estimate for non-fiction, not really sure how fiction would work.

I'd say a good writer should be able to make $1,000+/ month in their first month, not in 3-5 years, In one year I expect to be making $5-10K per month, It's pretty easy selling books on Kindle if you pick the right subject. I think any good writer would be extremely demoralized if he had to write for 3-5 years before making money. You can make money from day 1 on Amazon.

Edited January 16, 2013 by davejones

[finy]

I'd say a good writer should be able to make $1,000+/ month in their first month, not in 3-5 years, In one year I expect to be making $5-10K per month, It's pretty easy selling books on Kindle if you pick the right subject. I think any good writer would be extremely demoralized if he had to write for 3-5 years before making money. You can make money from day 1 on Amazon.

I like your enthusiasm even though I think your numbers are very generous.

[davejones]

I'd say a good writer should be able to make $1,000+/ month in their first month, not in 3-5 years, In one year I expect to be making $5-10K per month, It's pretty easy selling books on Kindle if you pick the right subject. I think any good writer would be extremely demoralized if he had to write for 3-5 years before making money. You can make money from day 1 on Amazon.

I like your enthusiasm even though I think your numbers are very generous.

Not at all. I know people who make $20K+ a month on Kindle after 1-2 years. My own first book made $800 in the first month. It sold consistently from day 1. Not sure why you think it's so hard. The people that don't sell many books tend to write about topics that not enough people are interesting in buying, or get the basics wrong. For example, I have read a few good books that I nearly skipped over because the covers were so awful. An awful cover usually means an awful book, but not always. Too many people are just too tight to spend some money on a decent cover. They also tend not to do any research to see what sells and what doesn't.

[finy]

I'd say a good writer should be able to make $1,000+/ month in their first month, not in 3-5 years, In one year I expect to be making $5-10K per month, It's pretty easy selling books on Kindle if you pick the right subject. I think any good writer would be extremely demoralized if he had to write for 3-5 years before making money. You can make money from day 1 on Amazon.

I like your enthusiasm even though I think your numbers are very generous.

Not at all. I know people who make $20K+ a month on Kindle after 1-2 years. My own first book made $800 in the first month. It sold consistently from day 1. Not sure why you think it's so hard. The people that don't sell many books tend to write about topics that not enough people are interesting in buying, or get the basics wrong. For example, I have read a few good books that I nearly skipped over because the covers were so awful. An awful cover usually means an awful book, but not always. Too many people are just too tight to spend some money on a decent cover. They also tend not to do any research to see what sells and what doesn't.

I'm not saying it's impossible, just unlikely. You're venturing more into marketing rather than good writing. I'm sure you appreciate a great writer couldn't expect to make $1000 in their first month if they were a bad marketer. It would take time to build a reputation.

Topics and books covers is marketing. If you're a good marketer than you might make good money in the first month. Not everyone will and you're holding people to your standards.

What rank were you when making $800 p/m? I presume it was under 7000? Most people won't be able to do that.

I think like you and I'm attacking it from a marketing angle. My first book is about lucid dreaming and I'm not expecting to become rich from it. I just uploaded the free book I give away on my blog.

Do you write fiction or non-fiction? I know someone who build up a full-time income in a few months so it's definitely possible. Everyone? I doubt it.

[davejones]

I'd say a good writer should be able to make $1,000+/ month in their first month, not in 3-5 years, In one year I expect to be making $5-10K per month, It's pretty easy selling books on Kindle if you pick the right subject. I think any good writer would be extremely demoralized if he had to write for 3-5 years before making money. You can make money from day 1 on Amazon.

I like your enthusiasm even though I think your numbers are very generous.

Not at all. I know people who make $20K+ a month on Kindle after 1-2 years. My own first book made $800 in the first month. It sold consistently from day 1. Not sure why you think it's so hard. The people that don't sell many books tend to write about topics that not enough people are interesting in buying, or get the basics wrong. For example, I have read a few good books that I nearly skipped over because the covers were so awful. An awful cover usually means an awful book, but not always. Too many people are just too tight to spend some money on a decent cover. They also tend not to do any research to see what sells and what doesn't.

I'm not saying it's impossible, just unlikely. You're venturing more into marketing rather than good writing. I'm sure you appreciate a great writer couldn't expect to make $1000 in their first month if they were a bad marketer. It would take time to build a reputation.

Topics and books covers is marketing. If you're a good marketer than you might make good money in the first month. Not everyone will and you're holding people to your standards.

What rank were you when making $800 p/m? I presume it was under 7000? Most people won't be able to do that.

I think like you and I'm attacking it from a marketing angle. My first book is about lucid dreaming and I'm not expecting to become rich from it. I just uploaded the free book I give away on my blog.

Do you write fiction or non-fiction? I know someone who build up a full-time income in a few months so it's definitely possible. Everyone? I doubt it.

Yes, very good points. But a good writer who wants to sell books should read a good Kindle marketing book. It's pretty simple stuff to get the basics right.

When I made $800, my book was selling for $4.99, and was usually ranked around 10,000-15,000. I'm not sure whether the ranking includes borrowed books, but for every two books sold, I had one person borrow it. You're right that everyone can't do this, but i think anyone can. If someone is serious about making a full-time income, then they need to approach it like a real job. I think too many people think they can just throw a book together and they'll become an instant success.