Don't Rely on Amazon! A New Publishing Model All Authors Will Need

[@itcanbedonedollars3693]

A lot of Authors/Publishers are writing in shared worlds & building their own connected universes with multiple series that funnel into each other. Add subscription & Merch to connect with Superfans & it's an incredible pathway & approach to a long term fiction career. Readers love connected worlds. Plus you can have two pen names, publish wide & collaborate between them both to get different entry points & test them out too 😊

[@TomNEuB]

I agree 100% with this video. KU enslaves indie writers to Amazon, which is the whole concept along with commandeering the market. These two factors create a deadlock where making actual sales is very very hard, especially for newer writers and even some established independent writers. KDP is a nightmare with no oversight. If you have an issue, it's like pulling your own teeth to get any kind of decent response. I sometimes think AI is running the whole show, but then I tell myself probably not 'because AI would surely do a better job'!

[@harrygoldhagen2732]

Thanks for sharing your plans. When I moved into self publishing I found that printing and shipping costs ate up all the profits. I hope you address this in future videos.

[@Seriously_Unserious]

I started out in digital marketing before starting on my debut novel and I can recognize what this guy's doing as exactly the sort of strategies I've been recommending to my clients for nearly 10 years now. Definitely legit and it works wonders when done well.

[@eduardorado]

Most of that - if not all, actually - is being done and taught since KDP picked up back in 2016.

[@jamesgrimm9121]

I like it but wondering if the subscription work will overwhelm you, IRT writing more material. I plan on doing something like this but I will use Amazon and other retailers to sell books as well and then aim back to my website for upsell of other things. I plan on doing a lot of background type stories to the novels and some will be free and others paid for only sold on my website (unless crazy popular and then I might put out). Some will be written with AI assistance and others I will write myself. I wish you luck on this. Actually, a second thought. If you build a really in-depth bible of your universe(s), and invite writers into it where they can sell books in your universe with a small split to you, you might get more leads into your site as fans of those books want to learn more about the universe. Not just ones you co-author or hire ghostwriters for.

[@Nic_SaturdaySaturday]

Hey, Man. First off, thank you so much. I've written a book and on my second one. I've hit a wall in terms of sales and for a long time felt that my material wasn't any good. I've realized from you that I need to be aggressive to get my business/writing to prosper. So, thank you for that. Secondly, you're giving me so many ideas and given me a understanding of what the industry is like. I came upon you when I saw your video about audiobooks and 11labs. It really started to stoke fire under my feet. Thank you.

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

You got this dude. Persistence is the most important key. Set a goal to just keep at it until you’ve been doing this for ten years or have 20 books. By then, you’ll be good. And your sales will probably reflect this.

[@awitchandherdog]

My day job is self-publishing. On an average month my KENP numbers are usually 25-30% of my royalties. As nice as it would be to be less dependent on Amazon, it’s extremely difficult to justify publishing wide when you lose out on Kindle Unlimited readers. That piece of the pie is just too large.

[@claraborgesbr]

Some genres are even more reliant. Romance is entirely on KU. I'm in favor of creating more works, like in a different pen name, that could be published wide, though. Being reliant on Amz is a nightmare.

[@GurtGobain]

Can I ask how you actually get sales? Especially if you write fiction. I've ran Amazon ads and it gets a couple of sales, but stops as soon as my ads stop. And I only get a few clicks per day from ads anyway. My titles, descriptions, etc are all SEO optimized but I still can't get anyone to buy my books.

[@RiccardoHoe]

​@@claraborgesbr also litrpgs and prog fantasies are entirely on KU

[@Hazevamp27]

Right, Amazon makes up the bulk of my income. I'm working on a patreon and I have members on my KZbin channel, and I would love to offer content only for Patreon and KZbin to make it more exclusive. But right now, Amazon is all I really have to make a living.

[@RiccardoHoe]

Also litrpgs and prog fantasies are entirely on KU

[@cts2922]

Dude, the quality of your videos has grown by leaps and bounds! Killer stuff!

[@AlfieCarver]

Maybe I missed it - what service or tool would you use for selling your upsells?

[@latricewillins-butler5403]

So far, I've published 26 e books on Amazon. They're all script novels. My first book is called P.U.S.H N PLAY FOR LIFE, which is now a 14-book series. I only write and publish just for fun because I enjoy and love writing for my own entertainment purposes. I'm just blessed to be able to do so, and with that, I say... Thank you, Lord. I love you💚💙❤️😇🌈

[@AvisPope]

Congratulations 🎉✍️📚

[@latricewillins-butler5403]

@AvisPope Thank you. Congrats to you as well 😇🎊🥳📚

[@AvisPope]

I subscribed to learn more 😇 I published 2 books and 6 journals on Amazon and writing more books 💯✍️📚

[@carolyngreene6142]

Thank you for sharing this info. In future, could you use softer, less distracting music?

[@angrycrypto465]

When you do education content, less sounds and less distracting sounds help bring in money. This isn't my main KZbin account, but from telegram, Facebook and YT, I bring between 30k and 80k per month selling education. I dropped temporarily to stop the 5k to 15k per year group to focus on $30 per month to up it to focus on bringing in 250k per month, and will be willing to take a hit on my money for it. The biggest sellers in education do it with information. Starting with the point helps, too. This content get views but doesn't bring in much business. Might be different from you, but highly would doubt it

[@mrpoolplayer6379]

Proof Positive about something...?

[@MoniqueJoinerSiedlak_Author]

Exactly what I'm working on! I have over 100 published books with my publishing company. Having the time to write the 80 or so outlines and 8 series just sitting on my computer is impossible, especially when new ones pop up. A ghostwriter or two could really give these ideas life.

[@AvisPope]

Congrats on your success 👑✍️📚

[@holdthetruthhostage]

Been watching your channel since 1k subs or less, I think the Publisher approach is smart but there are a few major issues. Here is one i think you should offer Samples to multiple books instead of one whole book as you can promote more than one book instead of one book, as well as worrying about always writing an entire new book fir the giveaway. I keep telling you we gotta stream one if these days, as always respect

[@InkedFrog916]

As always, this was an OUTSTANDING video! Very well done. I completely agree with you about Amazon being a very poor choice for indie authors. There are so many better options than Kindle Unlimited.

[@hannibalhills]

Exciting plan! Thank you for sharing! It's wonderful to watch you plan, grow, and move up the success ladder!

[@JJHartly]

I've been considering a 'Shared Universe' too for my Akasha Realm Universe, Science Fantasy.

[@snowyowl3141]

What format of books will you be publishing to give as the opt-in and for people to purchase? Will it be ebooks and audiobooks since you mentioned that you are not going to rely on Amazon? Thanks, and great videos!

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

EPUBs and Audiobooks.

[@silentthriller]

There's a trend of people grabbing books on Amazon and reselling them as their own. Nasty work.

[@stargoddess2344]

Thanks so much for the great advice, your channel is a fantastic help.

[@candid0111]

I only have 3 novels so far, wondering how this could work.

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

It’s definitely something better for those with a backlog.

[@hocake8242]

Ok so where would one publish if they didn’t want to be dependent on Amazon kdp?

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

On your own website. It’s a process though. And you definitely still want to publish on Amazon. Just not exclusively.

[@ashlynnantrobus5029]

1:30 You don't pay Amazon. They pay you. You don't sell books on Amazon. Amazon sell books on Amazon and then pays you as a vendor from which they are buying copies on a just-in-time model. And I dont understand where you came up with the idea that publishing is one of the only industries where Small businesses are reliant on other companies to sell our wares for us. I'm willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of items visible in this frame, in your home, from clothing to electronica to furniture, were purchased through some sort of retailer, either online or a brick and mortar store, instead of directly from the manufacturer. For businesses that produce things, convincing businesses that sell things to sell your things for you has been the predominant business model For most of the past century. And while I'm not defending them by any means, exclusivity deals aren't even that uncommon

[@AthrunWilshire]

If you're going to Glastonbury , I read somewhere in the past that the Chalice Well is actually not the real deal and it's a small wall inlet along the main road. They make a big thing about it being the other place so that the Druids can take water from the actual well without tourists being there. Can't remember exactly where it is but you drive past it easily enough coming from Pilton (where Glastonbury festival is held)

[@wingedwandererdonkey]

A question if i write a history fantasy fiction with Ai can i sell legal in Amazon. this is totally no copywrite because he lived in 1600 so. Can someone advise me please

[@BrujoChico]

Thanx for sharing this info

[@pdworld3421]

Interesting. I think your best bet like most indy writers that are making money, is to sell books on writing.

[@francoisneko]

The only things Authors would not need to do in the future is writing 🎉

[@mwright80]

That would be amazing! But how would authors earn a living?

[@francoisneko]

@@mwright80 prompting an AI, and becoming an writefluencer-motivational-life-coach

[@Kale-w5t]

A curious question: Are there people over eighty years of age who are very elderly people who own modern smart phones???...

[@TheDigitalGrowthHacksClub]

Good Stuff Brother

[@pdworld3421]

curious how this is going

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

Slowly. I’m building up a backlist with a mixture of my own writing and some ghostwriters.

[@kimsutherlandbooks]

Great video!!!

[@kwizzil07]

Always excellent content

[@kwizzil07]

Sign me up for tier 3, I want the mythos uploaded to my neurolink

[@twolaneasphalt4459]

Legitimate mainstream publishing houses pay an advance, then royalties after the advance is recouped. These authors don't vanity publish! They also have agents!

[@RobertHyde-nz3nh]

Sorry Jason, I'm barely halfway into this and I'm about to switch off because of that annoying droning background 'music'. It detracts from your words - which have been excellent from day one - so why add it? The constant pop-up mini graphics and pinging sound effects don't help either - distracting and annoying. A shame as this used to be my favourite channel.

[@IronBear47]

Unfortunately these tactics are all taught to creators as “best practices” to keep peoples attention…. Haha mainly to keep someone’s attention with ADHD. So to the normal joe, they are obnoxious… congrats on being a normal joe haha

[@GurtGobain]

You'll notice the camera is also constantly zooming/panning or jumping back and forth every 5 seconds as well. Very jarring. I really hope this trend in youtube videos goes away soon. I get that it's for audience retention, but I also hope authors would have better attention spans than the typical tiktok crowd

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

Thanks for letting me know. I’ve been running some experiments to see what the data says. I will probably be pulling back on it considerably in the near future.

[@johnnyretro909]

​@@IronBear47I did not notice the sound effects or music until the comment section pointed that out. That means I have ADHD?

[@IronBear47]

@@johnnyretro909 haha no… heck i dont know. I am not saying you do or dont. I was joking bud. What I do know is that all of these things are all very intentional to keep your attention for longer video retention which = more money in the form of watch hours. One of these things happening every 3 to 8 seconds is intentional… Sound effects Camera Panning Visual Effects Gif Injection Dubbing Selective Subtitles Change of scene/ camera/ shot

[@jamescave8]

Any plans to come to Scotland too?

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

I love Scotland! Won’t be there this year but definitely want to come later.

[@diedrepratt3268]

Did I miss whether you are still going to use Amazon in addition to this plan? I don’t see how that would work, especially with KDP. I do like your plan and do plan to incorporate parts of it. Thank you!!

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

Yeah I would still have my books on all the retailers. Just not exclusively.

[@unm00red]

What if you just let your organic traffic pick which first book they'd like for free?

[@cerebrumexcrement]

i know a couple authors who make their money primarily from crowdfunding.

[@Kale-w5t]

A curious question: Are there people over eighty years of age who are very elderly people who own modern smart phones???.

[@mariobudal8850]

Definitely not common. Why do you ask, though?

[@TaysaysDaisuki]

My 89 year old grandma has a fairly new model of iPhone and he’s it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@ThisisJo]

My only comment would be about it being FB ads. I wonder if it limits you - I think it’s a dying platform. I’m barely there anymore - and nor are most people I know these days. I wonder if there is a better place to advertise.

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

Currently not. Pretty much every marketer I’ve talked to say it’s still the superior platform for ads. And by a lot.

[@ThisisJo]

@@TheNerdyNovelist interesting! My FB ads account was hacked and taken over, It was a nightmare to sort out so I’ve been wary ever since!!

[@zahreel3103]

Don't do this don't do that 🤣 Come one dude

[@sledgehammered1765]

Preach brotha

[@DArtagnanFurioso]

Writing is NOT a business per se, so you necessarily need to be reliant on an external business model , dah And if you want to create a business of your own, then publishing is certainly NOT a profitable sector for new entrants 😅

[@BruceWayne15325]

I admire your tenacity. As authors we have to wear so many hats don't we? Author, editor, artist, publisher... the list goes on and on. My personal opinion is that the KZbinrs (not you) that are trying to get views by encouraging people to "get rich quick" by pumping out a hundred 100% AI written books per month (haha like anyone wants to buy that garbage. A good book isn't made by writing, it's made by editing, but they aren't authors so they don't know that) are going to ruin the main marketplaces like Amazon, Google, etc. since those businesses are stupidly allowing authors to upload so many books per month. What's going to happen is that readers are going to get sick of crappy content, and it will sour them on discovering new authors, so they'll just stick with authors that they already know. The only way that new authors will have a chance at getting discovered in that new world is going to be having the credibility of one of the big 5 publishers. Something to make the reader relax and say, "okay, I know this isn't 100% AI written garbage, a professional created this, I can give it a shot." It's unfortunate, and easily preventable if Amazon and others would just do more due diligence to prevent these scammers from foisting hundreds of useless books onto the marketplace. Those KZbinr's also don't mention the legal issues they are encouraging. AI is well known for duplicating copyrighted material, and there are quite a few lawsuits out there about that right now. Each copyright violation is a felony with up to 5yrs in prison and $250k in fines. If you're pumping out 100 books per month and even only 10% of those violate copyright that's still 50yrs in prison and $2.5 million per month you're facing in punishment... not a good money making strategy. Even being a bank robber is a better path forward, at least that life of crime doesn't usually leave their name, address, and bank account at the scene of the crime.

[@gkeith64]

We ought talk. YaH shal'OM beloved meshpaca 💜🔯 On YaHs shABBAt we shal'OM 🐝 Qedem Yam 🌙 till ☀️ Dawn 🌅 Lam ❤Vam 🟠 Ram 🟡 Yam 🟢 Ham 🌀 Ohm 🔵 Aum 🟣 YaHs shABBAt is Covenant Hallelu YaH Hallelu YaHU'aH 🔯💜 Kum by YaH 🔯 kum by YaHU'aH 🔯💜 YaHU'aH Rules shal'OM 🐝 Hallelu YaHU'aH 🔯 💜 On YaHs shABBAt we shal'OM 🐝🎵

[@mariobudal8850]

מנישה אחי. הכול בסדר?

[@MegaBugslife]

I watch your stuff for the good content, but the recent trend (by everyone) to jump-cut editing dehumanizes the presentation. Can't imagine sitting across the room talking with you... and your sentences are jump-cut with no pauses... how exhausting and subliminally reduces the credibility.... over time. Notice the pause.

[@TheAlphaWavePodcast]

If he did what you are saying, eventhough you are subscribed to his videos and probably even setup the notifications, you still would not know when he uploads new videos because that mcu content is produced daily. He still must compete on the same level as other content creators.

[@colleencoppedge6769]

I feel like I missed information. You started off the video saying "Don't publish on Amazon, at least not exclusively..." but I didn't catch the alternatives to publishing your content. I thought your marketing idea was a good one but I missed the information on the tools you need to implement that email marketing plan. Is there a second video to fill in the blanks? I agree with the others, the background music is annoying and you don't need the pop ups to enhance the information your providing. Your passion and enthusiasm is enough!

[@TheNerdyNovelist]

I’ll be documenting my whole process in getting this set up.

[@colleencoppedge6769]

@@TheNerdyNovelist Is it going to cover who to publish with or in place of Amazon?

[@crippsverse]

I just wish all youtubers would stop adding hard coded subtitles and all the annoying effects. It's as if they don't think believe in themselves. Couldn't watch this!

[@Jordan-tl4yp]

Your video is unwatchable with this annoying music 🎼

[@StephenSinclair-d6n]

Hello!! "Tailes from the cryptkeeper" sent me here. I am aspiring writer I have a short playlist on his channel. Could I have your email please??...not very good with technology and stuff. Yours sincerely Stephen Sinclair. 😊