Eddy

Do I Need to Pay Taxes on Book Royalties? TL;DR:Yes, book royalties are taxable income in the United States. If you earn $600 or more from a single platform in a year, you will receive a 1099 form. Self-published authors can deduct business expenses like editing, design, marketing, and software costs. Consult a tax professional […]

How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book? TL;DR:A realistic budget for self-publishing ranges from $500 to $5,000+ depending on the services you invest in. The largest costs are professional editing ($500–$3,000), cover design ($200–$1,500), and formatting ($50–$500). Publishing platform fees themselves are free or minimal. One of the biggest advantages of self-publishing is […]

What Are Kindle Unlimited Page Reads and How Am I Paid? TL;DR:Kindle Unlimited pays authors based on pages read, not books borrowed. Amazon normalizes all books to a standardized page count (KENP) and pays from a shared monthly fund. The per-page rate fluctuates but has been approximately $0.004–$0.005 in recent periods. If you enroll your […]

How Do KDP Royalties Work? TL;DR:KDP offers two ebook royalty tiers — 70% for books priced $2.99–$9.99, and 35% for prices outside that range. Print book royalties are up to 60% of the list price minus printing costs. The 70% tier includes a delivery fee based on file size. Understanding KDP’s royalty structure is essential […]

How Should I Price My Self-Published Book? TL;DR:Ebook pricing for most genres falls between $2.99 and $9.99 to qualify for Amazon’s 70% royalty tier. Print book pricing depends on your production costs, genre norms, and desired royalty. Research comparable titles in your genre and price competitively — too low signals low quality, too high limits […]

How Do I Set Up Pre-Orders for My Book? TL;DR:KDP allows Kindle ebook pre-orders up to one year in advance but does not offer pre-orders for print books. IngramSpark supports pre-orders for both print and ebook editions. Pre-orders help build launch momentum because all pre-order sales count toward your first day’s ranking. Print-on-demand (POD) has […]

What Is Print-on-Demand and How Does It Work? TL;DR:To get your self-published book into bookstores, you need to distribute through IngramSpark with a competitive wholesale discount (typically 55%), make your book returnable, and have a professional-quality product. Even then, most indie bookstore placement comes from special orders rather than shelf stocking. Print-on-demand (POD) has fundamentally […]

How Do I Get My Book Into Bookstores? TL;DR:To get your self-published book into bookstores, you need to distribute through IngramSpark with a competitive wholesale discount (typically 55%), make your book returnable, and have a professional-quality product. Even then, most indie bookstore placement comes from special orders rather than shelf stocking. Getting a self-published book […]

What Is Wide Distribution and Should I Go Wide? TL;DR:Going wide means selling your book on multiple platforms rather than exclusively on Amazon through KDP Select. Wide distribution gives you more revenue streams and reduces dependence on a single retailer, but KDP Select’s Kindle Unlimited access can be more profitable for certain genres. In self-publishing, […]

KDP vs. IngramSpark: Which Should I Use? TL;DR:Most self-published authors should use both. KDP is best for Amazon sales and gives you the highest royalty on the world’s largest book marketplace. IngramSpark gives you access to 40,000+ bookstores, libraries, and global retailers. They serve different purposes and work well together. This is one of the […]