₦airaland Forum

AncientTimes:
Hello, House. I wrote a book. Can anyone in the post a review on Amazon? . If you can, I will. Appreciate it.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N21NCBU

I love the book. Why do you put the title all in caps. It should be in initial caps

AncientTimes:
On this email list thing, how do you do that? Do you do gather mailing list through Amazon author Central or do you do it through your website or a blog?

I do it through my blog. Inside all my books, I have a section (usually in the 3rd or 4th page of the book) where I offer them 4 free books if they will click and go to my website and signup to download them.That gets me like 4-5 signups daily

Once again, gentle men and ladies, do whatever it takes to build this business. You earn even when you are not working. This to me is the best definition of passive income. In Nov and December 2016, I did not write any book, but I earned about $1,000 plus in November and over $1,400 in Dec (all markets combined, including CreateSpace).

It's just 9 days gone in January 2017 and I have already crossed $600 in kindle and $150 in CreateSpace (See screenshot below). Yet no book written this year yet. I now have over 150 subcribers from people who read my books in my new email list created to get emails of people who may be interested in my future books.

I will advise, if you have a passion for writing and creating content, then this is a business to start, learn, grow and persist. My goal this year is to create 50-80 new books. God help me. So while you are chasing other forms of making money, like MMM, UC, etc, work on this. If your books are not selling now, just continue to create quality content, continue to learn of your audience, give yourself 5 years in this business and you may earn quality income for life from them.

When I started in August last year (2016), I didn't know I would sell many books. My desire was to write the books and have them on Amazon. To be proud that my books are on Amazon. So initially, when they weren't selling, I just kept writing. Today, two of my books have been marked as bestsellers by amazon in their category. Many of my books are still struggling, but that's their business. I will create more, because God has called me to provide solution to people using my writing and information collation ability.

Once again, welcome to a Year we must flourish, no matter what our economy does.

Joseid:
$2.99 for an eighty paged book? Is that not too high?

$2.99 for an 80-page book is not too high. If the content provides solution, people will buy it. I have a friend that some of his books are less than 30 pages (less than 4,000 words) and he is selling them at 2.99$. He is into the animal husbandry niche.

AncientTimes:
Thank you so much sir. Please let me learn. Someone said you don't justify your fonts in Kindle Ebooks because they said that the reader is in charge of the fonts. Secondly, please tell me how we've you able to download Kindle ebooks. How can I download books from Kindle and what do I need to do? With the font size, you said you use font size 14 for books that are less than 15,000 words and for books more than 15,000 words, you aid you use fonts size of 13. So I too the clue from you. Please respond sir.

On my system it was easy for me. You'll see the option. Your books are stored at read.amazon.com for those who dont have kindle

AncientTimes:
Hello, House please can you people help me to review this book. I need more review as my promo ends today.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2ZI3DO

I like the packaging of your book. Downloaded it and took a peek in Kindle Cloud Reader. I think the font is big and the text not justified.

Also, don't too much dwell on the success of one or two books. You need to write more and more books.

AncientTimes:
Okay sir, wouldn't the lines spacing be too much of you made it two since kdp adds their line spacing too.



Please sir, do you also use the same font size for creastpace book? I want to know and thank you so much for your anticipated answer..

Thats what I use for Createspace too

AncientTimes:
Rejoinder, My createspace experience.

I had posted something like this before on this thread. Even as at that time, I still had so much to learn and even today, I am still learning much about this business. However, after playing with different pdf softwares, I have come to realize that Do 8 PDF printer from this links http://www.dopdf.com/download.php is the best for creastpace. Its prints in high guality with good embeding abilities. When I was printing pdf with Foxit pdf Reader, it was giving me some issues, with most of my pictures disappearing when my digital proof copy was ready for me to read though. This troubled me a little. I contacted creastpace and they told me that the problem was with the software that I am using to create my pdf. So I tried and downloaded others and after trials, Do pdf 8, was the best. When I published books with pictures, all I hear now is, "OUR AUTOMATED CHECKER DIDN'T FIND ANY ISSUES WITH YOUR DOCUMENT."

Just felt like sharing, it could help someone tomorrow.

This is a great contribution. Thanks so much. I was using smallpdf.com before now Will check them out

Joseid:
It just occurred to me to ask (surprised I never asked).
Bros1234 What font type, size and line spacing do you use? I use Time New Romans size 12, 1.5 line spacing. Just curious about a possible need for change.

I use

Font Type= Georgia

Font Size = 14 ( If the number of words is less than 15,000 and 13 if it is over)

Font Space = 2 Line Space

Uvo11:
@Bro1234, thank you very much for this thread. I have learned a lot from you and other contributors and, by His grace, I'll soon join you all in the published author clique.

Keep up the good work. May God bless you (and the other key contributors) for the altruism that you have shown here. Shalom!!

You're welcome bro. This thread was for us all to learn while doing. It's been 5 months and guess what, we've learned a lot.

Pls join us and share your own lessons.

Happy New Year

AncientTimes:
Please house, still. Waiting for answers. Is there any way to proof read books very fast? Can it be done online? Bros 12345 and other gurus in the house.

Grammerly is okay but costs money. Thats the only one I know. The idea is read your book twice, then abandon it for like a week or two and work on others. Then come back to it and you will be shocked to see more ways to improve the work. But more importantly, if possible, get a third eye to look at it.

everton4life:
sorry to ask this. I registered on sept and I finally got paid day before yesterday. I understand that payment comes sixty days after the first month of registration. does this mean my next payment again will be on February ?

October payment was made this December, so November (salary) payment will be made in January, while Dec. payment will be made in Feb. So henceforth you will be paid monthly..

Cheers

AncientTimes:
Oga Bros 12345 I salute you. I wanted to wish all in the house a happy New Year. May we never forget God as we sell our ebooks Next year. Remember your creator in thr days of your youth!



HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL KINDLERS

Happy New Year EVERYONE that joined to make this thread lively and enriching. May we sell more books this 2017 in Jesus name.

Amen

AncientTimes:
Please, what does this KENP READS MEANS? I need more understanding on this please.

It is the number of pages of your book that people borrowed to read. If you enroll your books in KDP Select, people can borrow your books and read and Amazon will pay you for these pages read. Each 3,000 pages of free read is about $15.

Joseid:
I'm quite okay with Corel draw. I think my designs are well above average.
My problem is the measurement and the likes. In fact, I have covers for them already, I just don't know how to make it fit the requirements in terms of sizes.

Corel Draw is very good for designs if you can use it

Kindle cover size spec is: 1563 x 2500

Createspace is: 3848 x2850

For the CreateSpace, you're better off downloading a sample from CreateSpace using this link:

https://www.createspace.com/Help/Book/Artwork.do

There, build your template by selecting your book format and then download the cover template. After that import the template into CorelDraw and design what you want.

AgreatMan:
@ancienttimes. Yeah, the promo is on, you get 50usd in free adverts from Amazon, it will end by the end of this year tho. However, you will need to register a seller account with Amazon.com, but you cannot have a seller-central account as a Nigerian.

I sent an email that I am only interested in the sponsored adverts and I am not selling, but they said NO! In my case however, I happen not to be in Nigeria and the country I am in, is allowed to have an Amazon seller account. Again, I mailed them and they replied this time around, that it doesn't matter if I already have createspace, kdp or amazon.com account with my Nigerian details, and that I can still register on seller central with my foreign details.

I just wanted to share this, so that people will realize this. With time, as I stabilize in this thing, I will share my niche information with the group. I really don't have a proven strategy yet. There isn't really nothing to be proud of that much. But if it will inspire ancienttimes, I made 800 from one book this December. But guess what? I have some bad reviews (which were not related to the actual quality of the books) and I will consider myself lucky if I can make 1\4 of that in subsequent months. But I am not giving up, I will keep expanding. In my view, 2 successful books might be enough to get you there. The focus must always be on quality.

Thanks for your submission. The essence of this thread is for us to learn while doing and then encourage others. Earning $800 from one book is such a great success. You must have paid great prices and learned a lot before now. Please share more of your story and lessons with us. I believe I have a lot to learn from you. Pls. Pls. Pls.

And yes, thanks for the clarification on the $50 advertising bonus.

Blessings

Joseid:
Bro, I'm here already. Lol.
I would like to know how to design a cover for createspace.

Bro. play on your strengths. There is no time. If you don't know how to design a cover,then get someone else to do it for you. There is even one guy here that does it for N1,000. I cant remember his username and details. If you read backwards you'll see it.

Blessings

Joseid:
Bros1234, you advised I should increase the pages of the books. I just doubled one of the pages of the books. It was kinda strenuous though.
May I ask how many pages you devote to a book on an average basis?

Lol at the bolded. All ways to success is strenuous bro.

To the question, my smallest book is 41 pages and is sold at the hated $0.99 . Others are from 60-200 pages (priced at $2.99). Then from 200-500 pages (priced at $4.99).

I have books in those number of pages. You may price your books any amount inspite the number of pages, but I seem to think that it's like Oyibo think about the number of pages when trying to part with their money. I have read about it in some reviews of actual buyers on Amazon

AncientTimes:
I won't ask you to screen-shot your account because you have been very sincere. However, I will say that those figures are scary lol. They look as though they are merely imaginary. You have said it. Stick to what you know and what to write . I perceived strongly in my Spirit that God is blessings the works of your hands this is really exciting and I am happy for you. Please keep posting these things to encourage some of us who have just 2 books in the system. The more you make sales, please let us know about it as this will keep us on our toes. Thank you for not hiding your account from us. God bless you sir. Any idea on how to improve sales? It will be welcome.

Lol bro @ the scary aspect of it. I guess it's because you converted the figures to Naira. In reality $1000 is meager compared to the potential that I see with online publishing. My goal is to earn $3-$4k dollars monthly. I know it's a tough call but it's a dream I have to achieve in 2 years time.

And yes, God is blessing the works of my hands, just like He blesses all hardwork. The Bible says that in all labor there is profit, but the talk of the lips leads to poverty. Just keep on producing books, you will get better with time and eventually find your area of strenght.

Like I keep saying here, some of your books will not sell. Just keep writing. I have books that do not sell at all. In fact, of all my 25 books, only 2 make the most sales. For instance, one of the books has sold over $400 income this month. Imagine that I stopped writing after my first 5 books because they werent selling. Just think about that.

So bro, keep writing. Keep publishing. Dont stop writing. You'll make mistakes. But try to publish at least every week or every two weeks.

Here's the screenshot you asked for. Add that with $290 in createspace and expected income from KENP reads which is around 25,000 reads.

Blessings

Aida13:
Happy Holidays to you and everyone

Good news...

I just withdrew my first 10k from "O k a d a b o o k s...." it feels great lol. Before I earned 5k from Amazon I see weeehnnn. Published on Saturday 17 Nov. and by Nov. 27 and made good sales even after they took the 3o per cent per copy.

I would love to rave more on this but last time I did I got "b a n n e d" for 72 hours lol...not nice.

Wow sis. I love good news like this. Indeed, I was wrong about Okada. Thanks for proving me wrong. It's good for one to stick to his/her convictions and test them out before making conclusions. When I went into Kindle and Createspace publishing some old timers told me my books would not sell until I remove my name from them and use a pen name and also write on hot selling niches. I believe they are right but I just had to get started and test things myself.

I got confused trying to find a niche to write on. But something...that inner voice ...kept telling me to start with what I know. So I started writing on Prayer and using my real names. I'm glad it has paid off. November alone I made over $1000 and this December I have crossed $1,300 in sales alone. In fact, two of my books have been classified by amazon as Bestsellers. While the cash is small, its not bad for me as a Nigerian just getting started and less than 6 months old.

So you see, its good for one to stick with what the inner voice tells him/her despite what other well-meaning folks advice.

Now that I have gained considerable experience I can now branch out to other niches, which is what 2017 will be for me.

Thanks once again for this life lesson you have reminded me again. Maybe sometime later I will also try Okada. Afterall I take okada almost everyday in Nigeria (lol)

Blessings

AncientTimes:
Thank you so much, you are a motivation to us. I imagine one day getting to your level and raising above that.


Just one quick word, I need explanation on Key. Can I combine two keys in some single space. Like if I have Visions of Glory and Heaven Joy as keys that I want to use. Then I combined then in a single keyword space as Visions of Glory Heaven Joy. Will. It work?. Thanks for the

answer.

Pls where are you putting these keywords? Thats what determines. If it is to be the title or sub title of your book, then only use keywords that eventually makes meaning and readable. But if it is on the keyword supply area that amazon requires while trying to publish your books, then it doesnt matter what you type there.

Thanks to you all, Joseid, AncientTimes, AgreatMan, gentlesilver,slimjoe007, GoldPencil, Aida13 and every one

Thank you all for keeping this thread alive. Sorry for my absence for the last few weeks. I was carried away with the festive season and prayer-planning for the new year.

I am glad we are learning on the job. Thats the purpose of this thread. To learn while doing. I have learned a lot by all of your contributions. I really like the CANi key up there.

Once again. lets keep the fire burning. I wish us a great seaon and prosperous 2017

emmalexdboy:
Thanks for sharing this. I'll love to chat with you on whatsapp, I have a book I want you to look at. Here's my num: 08039185233

Pls whatsapp me. My number is at the first page of this thread

I hope everyone is doing okay. Pls do not be discouraged. Write more and more and more. You will surely get the one that is selling.

We've just crossed $500 in sales for Dec. Thats slow, and not as much as some of you but then we are learning.

UPDATE: Amazon is giving you free $50 to advertise your books on amazon. Pls take advantage of it.

Aida13:
I will use KDP Select for books focused on the international markets but for my Naija-centric stories I need to reach my home-based readers basically...

Though I see other authors doing ok without KDP Select.. Abi this Amazon are trying to be mean or what? Lol

Try KDP select for 6 months. I don't see you making 10,000 from okadabooks in 3 months. But then I could be wrong.

Aida13:
Hi everyone. Good to see the thread is still kicking.

I must say I learned much since I dipped my toes in publishing on Amazon three months ago. The stories were my "beginner" material while I work on the major stories but guess what? Most of my target audience for now is Nigerian and of course majority of those based in Nigeria can not actually buy my books lol

Thankfully I found a solution in okadabooks. Once my stories "escape" from Kindle Select I am uploading them for sale on okadabooks. You guys should check it out!

Okada? Hmmm. There's no harm in trying, especially since you're into romance fiction. For me, it's a no no. Pls make sure you carry us along and share your lessons as you progress.

AncientTimes:
How do you get materials for the books that you seen good niches to write on? I mean the materials on what to write. It is only from Google?

Sure. Google is enough. Just use different methods to search.

Actually, many people dont know how to use Google. It's a world that will give u anything, I mean, everything.

Joseid:
Happy Sunday everyone.
Erm, OP, can we relate on a more personal platform like whatsapp?
cc. bros1235

Sure. U Can whatsapp me.

Joseid:
I just published my books and they are live.
I have a target for this month, and I think I am not over-ambitious.
Anyone with idea on how to search for top niches?

Looking for niches can be quite confusing. What I do is simple. I look for books that are selling on any area, and write something similar. You get my drift.

AncientTimes:
Amen. Published my book on diet, but not making any sale on it. A bit discouraging. What is the problem with my book

Nothing. I keep saying it. Some of your books will not sell. Others will sell. Just keep writing and publishing.

How are we doing with our sales this month guys?

So far here...

CreateSpace - $75
Kindle US - $215
Kindle UK - #36 (Pounds)

LORD, Please increase everyone in this thread, Amen

Cheers guys

einsteine:
You already stated your way around it earlier in the thread. In any case, good luck.

Bro. I hope u are not an amazon agent. You sound like you want us to leave 30% of our money to Oyibo after collecting 60/70% from book sales. I hope its not what I'm thinking.