How I Made Over $42,000 Selling My Kindle eBooks

In March 2012 one Canadian author boldly went where few have gone before—into the land of making real money with Amazon's KDP Select program, where she has now earned over $210,000 in 11 months.

This is her story…

My name is Cheryl Kaye Tardif and I am an international bestselling suspense author who earned over $42,000 dollars in March 2012 selling ebooks via Amazon's KDP Select program, captured the interest of a major literary agency, and went on to sign with a foreign rights agent. And I'm about to tell you HOW I did all that.

I don't normally tell people how much money I make, but I believe writers need to know it IS possible to earn a real income from your books. Seriously, if I can do it, anyone can—if you have the right combination of criteria and techniques.

In this book, I'll share with you what I believe are four key elements you must have in place to see high sales. And I'll reveal the strategic techniques I used during my KDP Select promotions that resulted in earning over $42,000—with $32,000 of that from ONE title alone.

Not only did I earn over $42,000 in ebook sales, I was contacted by one of the leading literary agencies in New York. The chairman noticed my success when my one title made #4 in the Top 100 Bestselling Kindle ebooks, right under The Hunger Games trilogy. Since then, I've signed with an agent at Trident Media Group, and a senior editor at Penguin, who also contacted me after my Amazon success, is awaiting my next novel.

So, if you're ready to earn some real money with Select, let's begin…

Available at Amazon (Kindle) for only $2.99.

Should writers pursue print publication or publish their own ebooks?

The above question came up in a forum recently, and while everyone has to determine what's right for them as it is a very personal decision, I gave them my thoughts on the topic.

I say go for both--print and ebooks. If you have a traditional publisher for your print, all the better. But don't let that stop you from publishing your own ebooks, especially the ones your agent and publisher aren't interested in. You definitely don't want to overlook the ebook market. That's where the money is right now for authors, if you publish the ebooks yourself.

As a self-published and traditionally published print author, I've seen the pros and cons to both sides.

If you have a backlist of titles that your publisher is finished with, get them up on Amazon Kindle, KoboBooks and Smashwords right away. Sales of ebooks are on the rise, and they won't be stopping or slowing any time too soon.

Other ideas for ebooks: publish a collection of short stories or an anthology with other authors, publish a novella or novelette, publish a how-to book or a book of poetry.

I have 4 ebooks coming out between April 1, 2010 and Sept 27, 2010. :-) There's only one thing better than promoting your books, and that's writing them!

My agent is holding 2 thrillers. I'm considering taking one back and publishing it as an ebook next spring.

The key is this: you want to build momentum, then try to keep that momentum going. And the only way to do this is to keep releasing books under some semblance of regularity.

With Amazon's recent royalty raise to 70% for qualifying ebooks, it's possible for authors to now make more money selling less expensive ebooks than selling traditionally published print books. But in the end, it depends on the personal goals of each writer.

How do I have a successful book signing?

So you’ve written a book, had it published and you are now facing the dreaded book signing or book launch. Your palms sweat at the thought of facing droves of people and actually having to talk to them. You are a writer, not a salesperson, right? Wrong! If you do not have the guts and determination to sell your own work, then why should anyone else do it for you?

Book signings are your lifeline―your best friends.

Before you step out into virgin territory and cross that boundary that is called a book signing, endless questions will bombard your brain.

How many books should I expect to sell?


What if I don’t sell any books?

And what if someone should ask you that one little question that makes you shake in your shoes: “What’s your book about?”

Hire me as your personal Book Marketing Coach and learn how to promote you and your books at any book signing event.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author

Will a publisher do the book marketing for me?

I often receive emails from aspiring authors who want to know if they can find a publisher who will do all their marketing (or most of it) for them. Sometimes the author isn't confident they can promote their book; sometimes it's a matter of the author having no money to invest in their marketing endeavors. Getting a book published is only half the battle, and authors need to recognize that and prepare for the other half--marketing their books.

In my experience, and from everything I've read and heard from publishers, agents and other authors, there is no such 'free' ride. Authors must be willing to promote their books if they want them to sell. Publishers nowadays only want to take a risk on new authors who are enthused about marketing their books. In fact, they often ask you upfront, before they sign you, what your marketing plans are. And you have to have some. It's that simple.

Most publishers do little marketing beyond their initial catalogues, industry notices, ads in magazines or newspapers--unless you're a big-name author. It's really up to authors to get the word out. Your publisher might print some promotional material for you--posters, bookmarks or business cards. Most authors pay for their own expenses during book tours, including travel, lodging and meals. The distributors have sales teams who go into bookstores to try to sell books to the store owner/manager. Sales teams often don't do much for authors who don't promote their books. Why should they when they have other authors out there busting their butts to sell books? :-)

An author in today's world--who wants to be successful and actually make some money back to pay for their marketing endeavors--must be proactive.

The five musts that every author should have:

1. a professional author's site with domain name and no free hosting
2. a blog that's updated at least once a week
3. Facebook account and knowledge in how to use it properly
4. MySpace account and knowledge in how to use it properly
5. Twitter account and knowledge in how to use it properly

Those are the basics in today's marketing. Nothing is free. It takes hard, dedicated persistence to make a book successful. The meaning of success can vary from person to person. I look at success in two levels--basic level: lots of readers who love the book and enough sales to pay for the $5000+ it costs to market a book efficiently; and advanced level of success: major traditional publishing contracts, great distribution, and major bestselling status, which all equals money I could live on.

What I've described above is the real world of publishing. It's a tough industry to break into because the competition is HUGE! You're competing against billions of authors. If you want your book to sell and be successful, you have to be part of the marketing--a huge part.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author & book marketing coach
http://www.shamelessbookpromoter.com
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Reversion of rights: do I need a signed letter from publisher giving me back my rights?

This question came up on one of my Yahoogroups: do you have to get a letter of reversion of rights from the publisher? The quick answer is YES. If your book has gone out of print or if you want to end your relationship with your publisher, or vice versa, then you'll need that letter of reversion.

A reversion of rights simply means that any rights you initially signed over to the publisher will be signed back to you. You'll own them again. However, if the publisher has sold your rights to third parties, your reversion of rights won't include those.

Someone suggested that an author could assume their book is out of print and that the rights have been reverted to author if the title isn't in the publisher's current catalog. I would warn authors never to assume they have their rights back. It's too difficult to determine if a book is actually no longer in print. My novel Whale Song has been out of print since February, yet Amazon has it listed as "out of stock"--or at least it did last time I checked, which wasn't long ago.

ALWAYS get a letter of reversion of rights from your publisher. With their signature. As an author, you can't afford to make assumptions that could end up costing you a lot of money, or worse--a new book deal. Most publishers won't even look at that book if you don't have the reversion letter. And that was something a publisher told me.

So, unless you're going to self-publish that book afterward and don't care that you could be taken to court if the previous publisher wants to claim they still own rights, get the letter.

In the event of a publisher that is so unethical that they refuse or don't answer your emails, you can then claim your rights back by sending a registered letter to the publisher (one he has to sign for so there's proof) demanding your rights are returned and giving him 30 days to dispute your letter. That will work in most cases, provided the publisher isn't completely unethical and provided that the publisher actually accepts and signs for your letter.

I'm not a lawyer, but I've been through this and dozens of my friends are going through this right now. My advice to anyone in this position is: get the letter of reversion from the publisher or send the publisher a 30-day notice. If possible, talk to an entertainment lawyer who knows book contracts.

My agent said it was vital to get the letter of reversion if I wanted another publisher to look at Whale Song. Now Whale Song is in negotiations for a major motion picture and a 3rd print edition. So believe me when I say, having your book's rights revert back to you isn't all bad. In my case, it was the best thing in the world. :-)

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Authors: If you're looking for an Edmonton company to print your books, check out Scan Copy Print!

If you're a self-published author who is searching for an Edmonton printing company to print and bind your books, I highly recommend Scan Copy Print, located at 5529 Gateway Blvd, Edmonton, AB.

For two of my novels--The River and Divine Intervention--I've had this local company print and bind my books for a fraction of the cost the publisher charges. This allows the publisher to focus on online sales and long distance orders, while I can sell my locally printed books in my area at book signings. Not many subsidy publishers allow you to do this, but I'm fortunate to have a publisher who doesn't mind.

Below is my testimonial/recommendation for Scan Copy Print:

As a Canadian author, I have used the services of Scan Copy Print for a few years now, and I find the quality and service to be excellent. Whether I've ordered print runs of my novels with color covers, bookmarks, business cards or signs, Ashraf, Crystal and everyone else at Scan Copy Print always provide me with very fast service, quality graphics and design, and superb customer service. They have often gone above and beyond to ensure I have the best products. Scan Copy Print is more than a print shop; they take great pride in every product they produce, and I would and do recommend them to everyone. --Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author

I've tried a couple of other Edmonton printers, but to date this one has been my favorite, and the most reliable and helpful. Check them out! :-)

Scan Copy Print
5529 Gateway Blvd,
Edmonton, AB

Phone: 780-434-0744
scancopy@ocii.com

Looking for writer's resources?

If you're an aspiring or published author looking for some great resources, I highly recommend the following books. Some will be genre specific as this comprises a large part of my own library.

General writing resources:

• Writer's Market (the holy grail for writers)
• The Canadian Writer's Market (ditto for Canadian writers)
• The Canadian Writer's Guide
• The Writer's Digest Guide to Manuscript Formats
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
• The Writer's Guide to Character Traits (excellent for building your characters)
• Characters and Viewpoint (great for improving POV) - published by Writer's Digest
• Writing Dialogue - published by Writer's Digest
• Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things
• How to Write a Children's Book and Get Published
• Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel
• Forensics for Dummies (no dead bodies included)

Book marketing books:

• What Writers Need to Know About Publishing (by Jerry D. Simmons, a great friend of mine)
• The Book Publisher's Handbook (Eric Kampmann)
• How to Sell What You Write
• Beyond the Bookstore (Brian Jud)
• Plug Your Book (Steve Weber, another friend)
• 1001 Ways to Market Your Books (John Kremer, another author friend)
• Web Site WOW (Jeniffer Thompson)

Like any craft or skill, you have to learn it first, then take the time to hone and perfect it. These books will only help you become that much better and even more attractive to an agent or publisher.

I invite my fellow writers to add to this list and share their favorite writer's resources.

All the best in your writing endeavors. :)

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,

bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention