What are the top 3 Kindle Publishing mistakes that I see authors and publishers make over and over again? Read on to find out.
Mistake 1: Bad (Or No) Keyword Research
This point could be also be called publishing a book that no one is interested in. I know that sounds harsh but it is the truth. The problem is a lot of publishers assume (wrongly) that they know what customers of Amazon want to read. They do not do any niche research to see if books on that topic are actually selling and are then confused when they launch the book and no one buys it. I was guilty of this myself in the beginning but I learnt from my mistakes and made proper keyword research my primary focus.
You might have the best idea in the world for a new book but before you starting writing (or getting it written for you) you need to see if customers on Amazon are actually looking for that book. Because if they aren’t it will not sell any copies because nobody is looking for it.
You need to publish your book in a high demand niche for a high demand keyword or else it will not sell. When you are doing keyword research you need to check that at least 3 books in the top 6 results are below 100,000 in the bestseller rankings. That will mean that you book will make at least 1 sale per day.
You can also look at the top 100 categories to see what kind of books are selling well at the moment to get some ideas for book topics.
Mistake 2: Doing The Bare Minimum And Expecting Amazing Results
This could also be called throwing up a 15-page e-book (more like a pamphlet) with a poorly designed cover and 2 reviews and expecting it to be a best seller. I could write an entire article on this point alone. Some publishers are posting some crap to Amazon and it is giving the rest of us a bad name. They are hiring writers that barely speak English to write them a 15-page book that they are then charging $2.99 for. Then they cannot understand why they get hammered with 1-star reviews from customers who have bought their pamphlet and feel like they’ve been ripped off.
If you want to be in this business long-term you need to have some integrity and actually, put something good out into the market, and want customers to be happy with what they’ve bought. If your book is getting hammered with bad reviews that might be a sign that you are doing something wrong.
Something else I also see far too often is publishers who are not graphic designers and yet insist on designing their own book covers. Then they post in Kindle Publishing facebook groups asking why their book isn’t selling. I take one look at it and can tell instantly because they’ve designed their book cover in MS paint.
Here are some fine examples……..
Yes, these are real books. I’m as surprised as you are! In fact, there’s a website called Kindle Cover Disasters showcasing the worst book covers on Amazon. That is where I found the two covers above. It’s a great way to waste 20 minutes. I assume you get my point. Wouldn’t it have been a better idea to pay a professional $5 to design you a better book cover?
Finally, I see publishers who wonder why their book isn’t selling so I take a look and see they have only managed to get 1 review for it. You need to understand that reviews are the social proof that sells your book. Amazon customers will look at the number of reviews before they even read the description. You need at least 10-20 reviews (depending on the keyword) minimum to be able to sell your book. Any less than 10 and the book won’t sell well, even if it is in a profitable niche.
Mistake 3: Giving Up Too Easily
This is the biggest mistake I see new Kindle Publishers making. They publish their first book and it doesn’t sell as well as they’d like so they throw in the towel and give up on the first go. I’ll let you into a little secret: no one’s first book does well. The first 3/4 books I published did not sell at all. What if I would have given up after book number 3, what would have happened? I would still be sat doing my day job, wishing the week to go faster, and counting down the days until my next week off.
Kindle Publishing isn’t easy, but it isn’t difficult either. It rewards those who learn from their mistakes and try to do better on their next book. Starting a new business method like Kindle Publishing is like playing a new sport, you don’t expect to take up boxing and assume you’re going to be out striking the pros in your first lesson, do you? Yet new publishers assume that they will hit a home run the first time they publish a new ebook.
Failure is a part of the process of getting good at anything. It’s unavoidable in everyday life and publishing is no different. You can either let a setback defeat you and give up, or you can use it a learning experience and make sure you improve for next time. That is how you get better at Kindle Publishing and any other business or skill, you learn and you improve over time.
Don’t Let This Be You
Do not be like these Kindle Publishers, take pride in your business and give customers good value and books that they want to read. That way they will come back and purchase your other books.
The best way to fast track your learning curve and avoid common pitfalls like the above mistakes is to learn from others who are already successful in doing what you want to do. They can help to speed up the process so you can be successful in a shorter period of time.
Above I said that my first 3/4 books didn’t sell at all. That was because I was stubborn and tried to do it all on my own without buying a course and getting help. As soon as I realised I had no idea what I was doing I bought a course called K Money Mastery. The next book I published made me over $100 in its first month on sale. Imagine if I’d bought the course straight away, I’d have saved myself about $300.
That course taught me not to make stupid newbie mistakes that would cost me money in the long run.
Read my review of the course here.
