What do you all think about Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)? You can make different kinds of books, from simple journals to full-on novels. I’ve seen some success stories and even 2-3 hour guides popping up. Any experienced publishers here? Is it too crowded now in 2024? What do you think?
I’ve been thinking about this too. There’s definitely a lot of people doing KDP, so it’s gotta be really competitive. But people have been saying print is dead for years and it’s still around. If you have a unique idea and can make your work stand out, it might be worth trying. Worst case, you learn a lot about publishing and marketing, and who knows, maybe you make something big.
@Scout
Yeah, I guess I’ll look into it. Even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll learn about marketing or SEO.
@Scout
True, we’re not really losing anything. I think it’s best to learn everything about KDP first and then decide if it’s worth the effort.
Depends on your approach. If you want to write about dogs, then yeah, it’s super crowded. But if you focus on something specific, like caring for a blind poodle with three legs, it’s not as crowded. It may not get as many searches, but when it does, your book will be ready.
I’ve learned to niche down by letting YouTube videos play for hours. The Amazon search bar is helpful—type in your idea and see what comes up. Go for books with fewer than ‘1000+’ results. Also, there are browser extensions that give useful info.
You probably won’t get rich, but you might make some sales. I’ve got a few coloring and activity books, plus a kids’ book on Amazon. I didn’t do much research before creating them, and I’ve only sold about 10-15 copies of one book over 1.5 years. You might make a lot of books that never sell, but the ones that do make it worth it. Just do proper research and make something you enjoy.
@Oaklan
That’s an interesting way to think about it. There’s probably some niche I could go for, but 1.5 years is a long time. I may need to reconsider. Thanks a lot for sharing.
If you’re going for low-effort work, you probably won’t make much. Why not put in more effort? There’s less competition, and you’ll earn more.
Yan said:
If you’re going for low-effort work, you probably won’t make much. Why not put in more effort? There’s less competition, and you’ll earn more.
For me, it’s tough without the right skills or money for good training.
@Ripley
You can still put in more effort. There are plenty of free resources to help you learn and make good money.
Yan said:
If you’re going for low-effort work, you probably won’t make much. Why not put in more effort? There’s less competition, and you’ll earn more.
Yeah, I was thinking the same. Maybe not full novels, but maybe a coloring or activity book to keep things different. Thanks.
@Ashwin
The market’s really crowded, though. You’ll be up against people with great books and lots of reviews. It might be too late for this, but if you’re good, you could give it a shot. Check out the competition first.
I’d first learn all the details about this business, then decide if it’s worth starting. I took a course that covered multiple ways to make money, including Amazon KDP, dropshipping, and more. You could learn and pick what works best for you.
@Will
Yeah, that makes sense, it’d be a waste if I put in all that effort just to drop it later. Are those courses free? Can I DM you about it?
Ashwin said:
@Will
Yeah, that makes sense, it’d be a waste if I put in all that effort just to drop it later. Are those courses free? Can I DM you about it?
The courses aren’t free, but I can still help you with advice or guidance. Feel free to DM me!
Nothing is really saturated. People say that as an excuse not to try. More competition means you need to be better and offer a great product.
Mai said:
Nothing is really saturated. People say that as an excuse not to try. More competition means you need to be better and offer a great product.
True, I need to stand out to succeed.
It’s way too crowded now because of AI.
Jay said:
It’s way too crowded now because of AI.
I’m planning to use AI to help me out, though. Thanks for the heads-up.
Jay said:
It’s way too crowded now because of AI.
I’m planning to use AI to help me out, though. Thanks for the heads-up.
To give you an idea of how competitive it is, people complain about the limit of publishing three books a day. There are thousands of people trying to publish more than 90 books a month.
@Hadi
Wow, I didn’t realize it was that crowded. Thanks for the info—I might stick to freelancing instead.