Future of Self Publishing Books on Amazon & Beyond

[@renel7303]

Dale, thank you for the replay. I caught about 15 minutes of this live and was blown away. I'm such a newb that I hadn't even heard of a couple of these platforms. Heck, about half of them. The chat was interesting. I now need to find out what a "sprayed edge" is.😅 I think I know....I used to do some hand bookbinding and worked with gold leaf. 😊 It's fun being a dinosaur in the modern publishing industry. I'll finish watching later. Thanks again. You make so much valuable information available to us. It's really appreciated. 😊

[@DaleLRoberts]

Thanks for watching the replay. Yes, you’ve got sprayed edges right. It’s where the edges of the pages line up and have art on them. Makes me think of the old church hymnals with the red or gold sprayed edges. But BookVault will do full pictures. It’s pretty wild!

[@renel7303]

@@DaleLRoberts I've been trolling websites and etsy looking at various sprayed edges and painted edges for the last 20 minutes. I'm thinking it's time to take some defenseless book in my collection and give it a new binding. 🤔 Meanwhile the weekend will be spent giving several different AI the same prompts for book outlines and likely 2 or 3 books. I want to see how similar and different they are. Have a great weekend.

[@DaleLRoberts]

Nice! Good luck with the sprayed edges and the AI.

[@prepthenoodles]

🎯 Key points for quick navigation: 00:00 *👥 Introduction of panelists from major self-publishing platforms* - Representatives from Smashwords, BookVault, PublishDrive, Kobo, Ingram Spark, Draft2Digital, Lulu, and StreetLib - Panel assembled for 2024 AuthorTube Writing Conference 02:02 *🔮 Future of self-publishing in the next five years* - Diversification of platforms and business models - Lower barriers to entry and more affordable tools - Increased focus on global markets and multiple income streams 07:53 *📈 Key trends shaping the self-publishing industry today* - Debate between exclusivity and wide distribution - Popularity of series and serialized content - Rise of community-driven approaches and direct sales 17:59 *🤖 Role of artificial intelligence in the future of self-publishing* - AI as a tool for audiobook creation, translations, and marketing - Importance of transparency in AI usage - Concerns about maintaining intellectual property integrity 22:07 *🤖 Continued discussion on AI in self-publishing* - AI as a tool for tasks like writing descriptions, social media posts, and finding comp titles - Concerns about AI training using authors' work without consent - AI's potential to enhance and enable authors' work, not replace human creativity 28:51 *🚀 Advice for authors considering self-publishing platforms* - Importance of determining personal goals and target audience - Consideration of platform features, control, and support for authors - Value of researching different platforms and learning from the indie community 40:42 *📈 Strategies to maximize visibility and sales on platforms* - Importance of investing time in metadata and keeping it updated - Using tools like Google Trends to align marketing with search behavior - Exploring direct selling options and special editions to increase profits 44:05 *🛍️ Strategies for direct sales and bundling* - Adding exclusive content or special editions for direct sales - Using bundling to increase average sale value - Importance of giving readers a reason to buy directly from the author 45:56 *📊 Leveraging platform-specific promotional tools* - Taking advantage of platform relationships with merchandisers - Using promotional tools like Kobo Plus and Smashwords coupons - Importance of reaching out to platform teams for support and opportunities 47:32 *🌐 Shifting focus to author-owned platforms* - Encouraging authors to drive traffic to their own websites - Importance of collecting customer data and building direct relationships - Using tools like Lulu Direct for integration with e-commerce platforms 50:30 *🔍 Best practices for maximizing visibility and sales* - Focusing on free marketing strategies before paid advertising - Importance of wide distribution across multiple retailers and platforms - Using time-saving tools and universal book links for promotion 52:49 *📈 Ongoing optimization and engagement with platforms* - Regular updating of metadata to improve discoverability - Taking advantage of sales promotions and opportunities offered by platforms - Importance of authors actively managing their accounts and seeking opportunities Made with HARPA AI

[@DaleLRoberts]

Thanks!

[@SportsSheWrote]

Thank you, Dale. It was great to hear from such a lineup of experts representing a variety of platforms. Your work is appreciated.

[@DaleLRoberts]

Much appreciated! This was my favorite video to produce so far. And that’s out of 1,500 videos between two channels. Producing was a lot of work, but the interview was the easiest part. I just had to direct traffic a little.

[@EmonHassan]

Dale, I watched this the day it was released and returned for a second round. Happy to see such generosity and positivity from every single one of your guests. Thank you for organizing this!!

[@DaleLRoberts]

Wow, thank you! I’m already thinking about what I’ll do next year. Something different but equally as valuable. Maybe I can talk KDP into it next time.

[@EmonHassan]

@@DaleLRoberts Yes, especially if you can get KDP to talk about what they're seeing in terms of publishing/consumption trends in the 15 (I think it's 15) markets they operate. I'm sure that would be quite eye opening.

[@DaleLRoberts]

Thirteen markets for ebooks, twelve for paperback, and nine for hardcover. Random facts that float around my head for no apparent reason. But, heaven forbid I walk into another room to get something and lose track of what it was I needed. hahaha 🤭

[@EmonHassan]

@@DaleLRoberts 🙌🏽

[@hajiimpressions8113]

Dale, how can I thank you enough for your diligent work putting this together ❤️? I am so amazed, and when I finish watching this the first time I'm going to replay this and take notes. This masterpiece has both confirmed what I was thinking about the future as well as broken through my fear to put myself out there. Thank you, Dale. I have followed you for years and will continue to do so.

[@DaleLRoberts]

You are so welcome!

[@mdylanblair]

This is so amazing, Dale. Writers may not realize just how important the people in this room are. They are paid to know the ins and outs of our industry. Writers who heed their advice will likely go far.

[@DaleLRoberts]

Thanks so much! It's a huge reason I put this all together - to get the unique insights and experiences.

[@TheLeagueOfSteve]

@@DaleLRoberts Outstanding information for anyone getting into this. Hoping to write some Kinky Friedman style crime detective fiction so this is soooo helpful.

[@thejudybugs]

Thanks so much for your time and the opportunity to know more about your companies, what you have to offer and how best to use the resources you provide! Kudos!! Thanks, Mark, for putting this video together!! Very informative~ :)

[@DaleLRoberts]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kwakumiller7323]

Thanks you for this playback Dale…I really appreciate the time and effort you put in to provide us with all these invaluable information. This actually raises my belief in the publishing industry seeing all these incredible executives and their varying thoughts

[@DaleLRoberts]

It was a diverse panel. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of something truly special. Next year, I’m going to try to top this year.

[@kwakumiller7323]

I can’t wait

[@a.l.mengel3808]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing.

[@DaleLRoberts]

You got it!

[@kwakumiller7323]

I really enjoyed this. Thank you to all the executives as well

[@DaleLRoberts]

Glad you enjoyed it! I’m sure they’ll be looking through the comments.

[@kwakumiller7323]

This is awesome and being able to bring all these people together is monumental. The only thing we missed was a representative from AMAZON KDP. We would really appreciate it if you could get together with a representative from Amazon so we can also pick their brains…Plus, I would also like to find out why there’s been a flood of book blocking on their platform without apparent explanation most of the times. And I think they also have a relatively bad customer service with regards to independent publishers. Thank you!

[@DaleLRoberts]

I invited KDP but they declined. However, they said to keep them in the loop for future events. 🤞

[@kwakumiller7323]

That’s good to know and thank you for all the work you’ve been putting in for us behind the scenes

[@DaleLRoberts]

It’s all my pleasure. I put this together because it’s something I wanted to see.

[@Charlie-de8tv]

This was so helpful! Thanks so much putting this together!

[@DaleLRoberts]

You are so welcome!

[@MerickNHUlrik]

Great insights!

[@DaleLRoberts]

Thanks!

[@staci-layne-wilson]

Thanks for this, Dale. I have tried wide off and on over the years but it's been a major disappointment; most of my income is via KU.

[@DaleLRoberts]

Stick to what works, so long as you have a safety net like an email list and even a membership with ALLi or IBPA.

[@alexal001]

Can use one publishing company for my paperback books and choose one other for ebook version?

[@DaleLRoberts]

Sure!

[@alexal001]

@@DaleLRoberts thank you so much Dale, and no need isbn for ebook, also no need to configure the table of contents with chapter interaction for ebooks ? or these parameter configurations are necessary for reader navigation. Merci Voila !

[@DaleLRoberts]

I’d recommend setting up your Table of Contents. And no, you won’t need an ISBN, but it’s nice to have.

[@alexal001]

@@DaleLRoberts thank you

[@soussoumechri8841]

I want to create a self publishing company online , but I am in Tunisia and I haven't a Stripe and PayPal accounts I can obtain these accounts when I create an LLC or a company online..

[@DaleLRoberts]

Are you asking a question? I’m not sure. If so, could you rephrase the question?

[@danielbackstrom4643]

Hi Dale. I got publisher rocket a few days ago and i'm trying to find keywords that are appropriate for my books. I'm supposed to stay away from words that has too much competition, but then there are those that are not being searched for often enough. What are some useful techniques you can teach me for my books to be more noticeable?

[@DaleLRoberts]

You’ve got a great tool for getting keywords, it’s my favorite. Don’t get yourself too caught up finding the perfect keyword with the right balance of low supply, high demand. If the keyword fits, use it. Load your keyword up in your seven backend keyword slots. Then reaffirm that use by organically weaving it into your description. Next, get your product page loaded with A+ Content with a mix of image- and text-based modules, with an emphasis on text because that indexes in search engines. Last, get your keywords slapped into the editorial review section where you can post relevant editorial reviews and also update your author bio for that book. Craft a bio specifically for that book with keywords woven into it. And the most vital element for increasing discoverability: drive traffic and sell more books. The more books you sell, the more discoverable they become for a given keyword. Good luck! By the way, I wrote a whole book about it: Amazon Keywords for Books.