What is Amazon KDP?
Amazon KDP, or Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, is a faction of Amazon dedicated to the sale of eBooks and audiobooks. It’s also a way for third party sellers to make fairly passive income online. Amazon KDP works by first conducting research into the various Amazon book categories and competitive keywords within best-sellers. Then, some Amazon sellers write their own book (usually around 15K-30K words), cover art, book descriptions, and product listing (or outsource these tasks to ghostwriters and other creators). From there, they market their book to get reviews that will boost sales.
You can publish many types of content through Kindle, including fiction, non-fiction, and even low-content books like sketchbooks or notebooks. The best Amazon KDP course will walk you through these processes.
If you're looking for something that is a bit more passive and sustainable than fighting the worldwide, saturated market for ordering books online, consider this business model instead.
No, you do not need money to sell KDP books, which also makes it a great way for beginners to get started with Amazon KDP. Your Amazon KDP Account is free. You could easily create your own book for no additional cost.
However, to publish a book on KDP Publishing using outsourced strategies, expect to spend at least $1K on the creation of your book, and additional money for paid ads. How much does it cost to advertise your book on Amazon? $3/day is a good starting point.Yes, KDP on Amazon can still profitable in 2022. Amazon pays Kindle eBook authors in the form of royalties, around 70% of the retail price for a book between $2.99 and $9.99. Otherwise, royalties are around 35%. Amazon pays authors each month via direct deposit, wire transfer, or check, around 60 days after a customer purchased.
But, self-publishing on KDP is very saturated. So, to make good money on something like low content books, plan to publish at least 200 books or use Kindle advertising. Still, KDP authors can make around $10,000/month with good keyword research and excellent customer reviews.
It will take at least one full day for Amazon Kindle Publishing to approve and list your book in the Kindle store, but you can start making money directly after it's listed. Yet, it will be another 60 days before any funds reach your account.
Yes, Amazon KDP is still worth it in 2024, especially if you are:
So, what is the best KDP course? The best self-publishing course on the market will teach the more technical side of keyword research, strategies for outsourcing, and more. It will also have some sort of support, like a private community or mentorship with the course creator.
NOTE: If you are searching for a KDP course on Expertnaire, know that this platform is based out of Nigeria and may not have the latest information for Amazon.com.So, what is the best KDP course? The best self-publishing course on the market will teach the more technical side of keyword research, strategies for outsourcing, and more. It will also have some sort of support, like a private community or mentorship with the course creator.
NOTE: If you are searching for a KDP course on Expertnaire, know that this platform is based out of Nigeria and may not have the latest information for Amazon.com.Expensive Amazon KDP Courses
Self-Publishing School
With the Self Publishing School, you have 4 different packages to choose from. “Become a Bestseller” teaches you how to create a bestselling nonfiction Kindle book and sell it online. “Fundamentals of Fiction” teaches you how to write a fiction book that will sell. The third will help you with children’s books.
The fourth, Accelerated Author Publishing Program, is a done-for-you service that will help you scale, and includes a personalized author website, lead magnet, and email marketing strategies. Every package comes with Amazon optimization training, lifetime training access, one-on-one coaching calls, and dozens of additional perks.
Pros
Proper education platform with live customer service
Supports the writers who want to publish online with some done for you services and help with Amazon SEO
Cons
The school only accepts the people that fit their programs
Some guarantees of becoming a bestseller on their sales page- ultimately they can't guarantee this
Price:
Both the fiction, nonfiction, and children’s book packages are $8K. The final done-for-you package is $20K.
Rating:
Level:
Intermediate
Length:
Nonfiction: 4 Modules + 7 bonuses Fiction: 8 Modules + 7 bonuses Children’s Books: 6 Modules + 7 bonuses
Number of Students:
Unknown
More info:
Publishing CEOs by Alex Kaplo
Publishing CEOs is another course that focuses on outsourcing the book writing process and then selling them on Amazon. While they were once a course, they have now transitioned into a done WITH you coachign program so that they can come along with you every step of the way. Alex came from a typical job and built his publishing business from the ground up. He is active on YouTube and TikTok, where he shares tips and tricks in line with his course. This course is best for someone who hopes to build a full digitial publishing company, not just someone who wants to publish a single book on Amazon.
Pros
One on one training with Alex
6 month refund policy
Cons
Not alot out there about the course from real reviewers
Similar strategies to other courses
Price:
$4997
Rating:
Level:
Beginner to Intermediate
Length:
5 services and 5 bonuses as you travel through the process
Number of Students:
74
More info:
Audiobook Income Academy via PublishingLife by the Mikkelsen Twins
The unique thing about Audiobook Income Academy is that it focuses more on audiobook creation through Audible. The Mikkelsen Twins’ strategy includes having some of the book production tasks done for you through outsourcing the writing, editing, cover creation, and voiceover through Amazon ACX. Their niche research strategy includes looking at the best-selling books on Audible and checking the Best Sellers Rank. The biggest perk- the Mikkelsen Twin’s team will pick this niche topic for you within their Partner Program.
Pros
New partner program chooses your niche, saving you time and avoidable errors.
Audiobooks add an income stream to just publishing physical or eBooks.
Cons
Outsourcing, by the Mikkelsen Twins' methods, may produce low-quality books.
Audible has additional royalties, around 25%-40%.
Price:
$4K
Rating:
Level:
Beginner
Length:
6 Modules
Number of Students:
15,000
More info:
Kindle Publishing Income by Sophie Howard
Sophie Howard (of the older Amazon FBA course Blue Sky Amazon) has a newer course all about Kindle Publishing, using books written by others. Sophie claims to make $20-$30K per month through her publishing gig. Kindle Publishing Income includes 1 year of personal coaching, weekly group coaching, a Facebook group designed for students to promote their books, and a number of guides and mini-classes. Sophie also includes a niche finder software tat will help you find a profitable niche to publish books in.
Pros
Teaches a public domain book strategy, where you re-publish classics written by dead authors.
Free webinar is fairly useful
Cons
Public domain and low content books are in a highly competitive market
refund policy is good (180 days) but only if you go through the entire program an dlist a book.
Price:
$2485
Rating:
Level:
Beginner to Intermediate
Length:
6 Modules
Number of Students:
unknown
More info:
Royalty Hero by Sean Dollwet
Sean Dollwet has been an entrepreneur since he was 18, trying different business models like multi-level marketing before he learned self-publishing. Sean has developed his own stratgey for selling books on Amazoncalled Book Stacking. Book Stacking involves creating multiple books, focused on a specific niche. Then, you create a brand and build an audience that will buy your books. Sean used this strategy to earn $10K/ month, and then he built it to $35K.
Pros
Useful for both beginners and experts
Valuable email marketing insights
Cons
Price hidden until after you book a call
Free/cheap ghostwriters won't produce quality content
Price:
$2K
Rating:
Level:
Any
Length:
9 Modules
Number of Students:
unknown
More info:
Affordable Amazon KDP Courses
Ryan’s Method: Passive Income School by Ryan Hogue
Ryan Hogue is a 7-figure Amazon seller. He’s made most of this money off of different business models on Amazon, but $300,000 of it came from selling print-on-demand products.
Ryan has created Ryan’s Method: Passive Income School, where you will find this course along with others on Amazon FBA, Merch by Amazon, Amazon advertising, and more. In his KDP course, you will find information on using Amazon’s Best Seller Rank (BSR), Book Bolt research tools, and EZ Pub Profits to find a good niche. He also gets technical with his insights on advertising, explaining match types, rules, and other more data-driven aspects.
Pros
Ryan has experience across the Amazon platform
The technical side of advertising will really help you, and having both the basics and more advanced methods in one course is a huge upside.
Cons
Ryan isn't solely focused on KDP
Ryan may be an affiliate for many of the paid tools he uses.
Price:
2 payments of $265 or 1 payment of $497
Rating:
Level:
Intermediate
Length:
5 Modules + 5 bonus materials
Number of Students:
Unknown
More info:
Cheap Amazon KDP Courses
Amazon KDP Low Content: The Complete Amazon KDP Masterclass
KDP low content publishing is a popular way to create books on Amazon because they don’t require you to write anything at all. This online course, taught by Business Hero (an education company from Germany) will teach you how to take these kinds of books and sell them on Amazon. The one downside to this course is that it was last updated in 2021, so it doesn't mention that low content publishing is becoming extremely saturated on Amazon. But, for those really interested in learning about low content books, this is the course for you.
Pros
Course is very well organized
Includes tips on getting your book translation so it can reach a wider audience.
Cons
Last updated in August of 2021
Course coach Leo sometimes speaks so fast it is hard to understand him.
Price:
$84.99
Rating:
Level:
Intermediate
Length:
70 lectures
Number of Students:
776
More info:
FPA Workshop Karla Marie
FPA Workshop, or Fiction Profits Academy Workshops, focuses on selling fiction books rather than nonfiction. This is unique to FPA because most other courses will tell you that nonfiction books sell better, specifically in the self-help category. But Karla teaches you to outsource everything, including the writing, cover art, software, and ads. She claims to have a 6-figure income, so it's a tremendous bonus that she holds a live Q&A session each month.
Pros
Free Facebook community you can join before purchasing the course
30 day 100% money-back guarantee
Cons
Additional costs for outsourcing and software are high.
Sketchy reviews on Karla's sales pitch webinar.
Price:
$1997 or 4 payments of $649
Rating:
Level:
Beginner
Length:
10 Modules
Number of Students:
Unknown
More info:
Mastering Amazon Advertising (AMS) for Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Romney Nelson, who is a best-selling author, teaches this course. It’s entirely dedicated to creating an Amazon KDP ad strategy. Romney’s tips will help keep your ACOS in line and your campaigns effective with well-researched keywords. Romney breaks everything up into bite-sized chunks, and so you can apply these tips as you go.
Pros
Training specific to advertising books on Amazon
Course is designed for beginners
Cons
New course with not many reviews
Some lectures are a little short.
Price:
$16.99 on Udemy or $13.75/month on Skillshare
Rating:
Level:
Beginner
Length:
15 Modules
Number of Students:
around 150
More info:
Blog-To-Book Strategy by George Kao
George Kao's Blog-To-Book Strategy is a specialized self-publishing course about transforming existing blog content into a published book on Amazon within 5 weeks. It is structured to assist with topic selection, title, publication, book promotion, and garnering reviews. It focuses on various formats like audiobooks, e-books, and paperbacks. The course taps into the self-publishing market's potential. Highlighted by the vast number of books published annually on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. Pros of the course include affordability, ease of understanding, and positive feedback from students. The course might be particularly beneficial for those with a collection of relevant blog posts and aspiring to authorship as a means of personal and professional growth.
Price: The price of Blog-To-Book Strategy is $150.
More Info: Blog-To-Book Strategy Review
Amazon KDP Courses for Beginners
Royalty Prints by Ike Paz
Royalty Prints is a self-paced 20-video online course developed by Ike Paz to assist beginners in creating and selling mid-content books on Amazon KDP. Ike teaches aspiring KDP publishers to generate medium content books like maze books, puzzles, and coloring books using specialized software. The course offers software tools, templates, and step-by-step training videos for a fee of $37. Ike’s standing as an Elite Vendor and Top 5% Affiliate on WarriorPlus allowed him to attain 1K+ course signups. The course also garnered a 4.3/5 rating on WarriorPlus. While it has limited external reviews, it’s praised for its beginner-friendliness and automation tools.
Fiction Profits Academy by Karla Marie
Fiction Profits Academy, an online course by Karla Marie, focuses on teaching how to earn through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) without being an author, by leveraging eBooks creation. It features an AI writing tool, FictionPub AI, which assists in generating story ideas, chapter hooks, and plot outlines for ghostwriters to develop into full books. Targeting newbies and existing publishers, the course aims to streamline the book creation process using AI tools and ghostwriters for quick publication.
Price: Fiction Profits Academy costs $1,995 or three payments of $995.
More Info: Fiction Profits Academy Review
Publishing CEOS by Alex Kaplo
Publishing CEOS is a coaching program aimed at helping individuals become digital authors using outsourcing. It focuses on Amazon KDP. Publishing CEOS was created by Alex Kaplo. The program changed from DIY to an interactive format. It offers personalized guidance, including one-on-one sessions with Alex. It teaches strategies for both low and high content book publishing. It provides tools and resources for growing a digital publishing business. The program's effectiveness is supported by internal positive reviews, given its recent market entry in 2021. Alex Kaplo has a background in digital self-publishing. He is active on social media. And he brings practical industry insights to the program.
Price: Publishing CEOS costs $4,997 with a limited offer of $1,997 and a six-month money-back guarantee.
More Info: Publishing CEOS Review
AI Publishing Academy by the Mikkelsen Twins
The AI Publishing Academy program is a training course that teaches people how to self-publish books using AI tools. It focuses on creating books by leveraging AI and ghostwriters to produce high-quality content quickly and efficiently. The program includes step-by-step guidance, case studies, and access to a supportive community. You also get access to the proprietary publishing.ai tool.
Price: $1,995
More Info: AI Publishing Academy Review
Courses for Selling Books on Other Platforms
Punchy Books Accelerator by Matt Rudintsky
The Punchy Books Accelerator is a 13-week program by Matt Rudnitsky that guides aspiring authors through the process of writing and publishing their own books. The program offers interactive live sessions, expert coaching, and a variety of resources. It includes time-tested templates and active learning modules that aim to enhance writing skills and boosting credibility in the publishing world. Punchy Books Accelerator promises significant support and a value-back guarantee. However, it also involves a high investment of $3,997 and a 13-week commitment with no refund policy.
Price: Punchy Book Accelerator costs $3,997 but offers 3 monthly installments of $1,600.
More Info: Punchy Books Accelerator Review
Amazon KDP FAQs
No, you don’t need one an Amazon business account for KDP. But, your KDP account will be the same as your Amazon account, and so it might be helpful to keep the two separate.
No, Amazon Kindle Publishing does not have a specific app for listing books. However, Amazon has Kindle Create, which is a browser extension for PC and Mac that allows you to create well-designed books without having to use Canva. Plus, there are other third party apps that can help you with KDP, like KDP Wizard.
The steps to publishing your first book on Amazon include:
By choosing to join KDP Select, your book will be in Kindle Unlimited. This means you will reach Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Thus, you may also earn a portion of the KDP Select Global Fund, which is a complex number determined by how Amazon pays authors per pages read. Here’s how Amazon breaks it down:
Whatever sells best on Amazon KDP is up for debate; some course creators say non-fiction self-help books are best. Others say fiction or children’s books are the best. But, it's possible to list anything from novels, to planners, to coloring books, to textbooks.
Yes, KDP provides a free ISBN, but not to low content books. But you may want to purchase your own free ISBN if you plan to publish your book anywhere besides Amazon. This is because Amazon’s free ISBNs do not work outside of their marketplace.
Your image should have at least 1,600 pixels in height for every 1K pixels in width. The image should be less than 50 MB and 300 PPI at a minimum.
You don’t need to copyright your book to sell it on Amazon, but you must be the lawful owner of any content that you publish. Copyrighting your book will allow you to keep your content safe. Copywriting your book in the United States is simple:
Why Kindle Publishing is a Great Business for Beginners?
Kindle Publishing is a substantial business for beginners because of the easy learning curve. You won’t make as much money as another entrepreneur in a less saturated niche, but you will get hands-on experience selling products on Amazon. Also, it doesn’t require a lot of startup capital (especially if you write the book yourself), and the business model is less complex than others.
What Should You Look Out For While Publishing eBooks in Kindle Self-Publishing?
Above all, be aware of just how saturated Kindle self-publishing is in 2024 Low content books won’t make the same money they did when they first trended because there are just too many of them now. And, since it’s such a simple business to start, more and more authors are adding books each day. If you truly want to make money with KDP, you will need a following and extra capital for significant ad spend (at least $3/day).
Pros and Cons of Kindle Publishing Business
Pros
Easy business model, low startup costs
No need to house physical products or make sales in person or otherwise
Easy to find freelancers to outsource copy, cover art, translations, etc.
Many ways to create additional income streams, from audiobooks to listing your book on different platforms.
Cons
Low barrier to entry means that the Amazon marketplace is extremely saturated.
Creating a quality book takes time. If you outsource to save time, you'll have to spend around $1000-$2000 on outsourcing.
To make good money, you'll have to publish around 200 books and cultivate mostly positive custmoer reviews.
KDP seems like a very easy way to make passive income online- no negotiating with suppliers, making sales calls, or testing physical products. For instance, with local lead generation, you'll make deals with business owners, where with KDP you won't have to make a deal with anyone.
But, local lead generation pays out a lot more for your time, as your sites can bring in anywhere from $500-$2000 per month on autopilot- far more than under $2 per book sale. That's because any business model with such a low barrier to entry will saturate whatever market its in. Local lead generation requires a skill set, so its barrier to entry is high. Plus, you won't be competing in the worldwide Amazon market, but a small, localized niche.
Conclusion: Is KDP a Good Option?
Amazon KDP might be a good option for you if you are looking for a small income stream that will get you basic experience within the Amazon platform. Or, if you already have a following for your writing, KDP may give you a boost on book sales or another outlet for your fans to purchase. However, if you are not a writer, and want a way to make more than a small income while working online, Amazon KDP might not be worth it. Instead, consider a different business model entirely like local lead generation.
