Pros and Cons of Publishing on All Platforms | SELF-PUBLISHING

Today I discuss some of the pros and cons of having your books published on all platforms. There are many other pros and cons. Remember, you have to do what's best for you and your books! Make sure to check out the two part videos I did on being in the Kindle Select/Kindle Unlimited Program.
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If you have any questions, please feel free to post them below!
Looking forward to chatting with you in the comments section.
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//A B O U T M E//
Pen names: Lyra Parish & Kennedy Fox (we're an author duo!)
I've been in the indie scene since 2011. I published my first romance novel in 2014 (Weak for Him). Under Kennedy Fox, we've made USA Today 4 times since 2017. With Lyra Parish, I've made top 100 several times on Amazon.
I'm currently a co-host for the monthly youtube show Publishable (Self-publishing versus Traditional Publishing) You can watch our videos on this playlist:
• Playlist
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Want to learn more about my books?
Lyra Parish - amzn.to/2rOHn9D
Kennedy Fox - amzn.to/2BEbpfG
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//2019 R E L E A S E S C H E D U L E//
My Week with the Cowboy - Jan 2019 - RELEASED
Baby Mine - April 2019 - RELEASED
Baby Yours - May 2019 - RELEASED
Roping the Cowboy - June 2019 - RELEASED
Truly Mine - August 2019
Truly Yours - September 2019
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//2 0 1 9 U P C O M I N G S I G N I N G S & T R A V E L//
Romance Author Mastermind - Houston, Texas - November
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//S O C I A L M E D I A//
→ instagram:
lyraparish
kennedyfoxbooks
→facebook:
/ lyraparishauthor
→ twitter:
lyraparish
kennedyfoxbooks
→ email: [e-mail]
→ newsletter: www.subscribep...
#authortube #writingtips #selfpublishing

[@NicoleCreates]

Lady, that was outstanding. So helpful, and actually gives me some more hope for what I can accomplish. I also really needed that reminder that this is a long-term game. It can be so easy to get discouraged when you are in the building stage.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Nicole McKeon Writes absolutely agree! I think we’re all instinctively impatient and it really is discouraging when you work so hard on a book for it to not be immediately successful. ❤️ So glad I could help!

[@bytheBrooke]

Loving these self-publishing tip videos!! I so need to do my research on this stuff, but this is a great leap into all these platforms :)

[@TheCourtneyProject]

bytheBrooke oh yay! That makes me happy! I’ve got a mountain of info so if you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out! ❤️

[@joannaholden943]

Thanks for this video! All these videos are like a gold mine for this indie newbie!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Joanna Holden aww yay!!! So glad I can help! ❤️❤️

[@ilenek.5428]

I found this so encouraging. I have not yet self-published my book. I still have a lot to learn.

[@SAVYWRITESBOOKS]

WOAH. you are seriously a wealth of knowledge!! i was taking notes as i listened to this, and i just blocked out a chunk of time to figure out the next steps for getting sculpt yourself (and future novels) onto additional platforms. thank you for this!!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

This makes me so happy! I’m really glad I could help. ❤️

[@ThatWitchyLady]

Loved this series! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. 💚💙💜

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Melissa aww yay! Thank you! ❤️

[@mickeymiles9394]

Loved this series so much. I have been thinking a-lot about draft 2 digital it seems like it will take ALOT of the stress away. I am not writing to make money, just tell or rather show stories! 😊😊😊 thanks so much!! Love ur videos!!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Mickey Miles thanks so much! Honestly D2D is painless! It’s sooooo easy to use them and we honestly didn’t notice the percentage they took. You will lose some promo opportunities but you can always email support and ask if there are any available at the moment. ❤️ It’s a good option!

[@j1jh002]

Very helpful, thank you so much! You speak very clearly and you make it very easy for people to understand because of the way you explain things. So glad I subscribed, thank you so much!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Thank you so much! Glad you’re here! ❤️

[@georgiacoffman7342]

Another great video!! I think that’s a really great point about being wide - that it’ll take time to build an audience. I still have to keep reminding myself of that!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Georgia Coffman yes ma’am!! Patience is key! ❤️

[@mlp4apc]

Very informative and I liked the part of "seriously," if we didn't get that you supported multiple platforms. I have been writing for many years and through trial and error still have not achieved financial success, but I am open to change and learn. Thanks for your excellent video.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Thank for you for being here!

[@dawn-coramead9536]

Fantastic video! The main reason I’m opting to go wide when I publish in October is because I’m a wide reader. I started on Nook and then switched to Apple. If a book I really really want is on Amazon, I’ll get it there but prefer otherwise. I’m still playing with the different platforms to learn (can you do a preorder on Kobo without uploading the manuscript?) where everything is. It’s definitely a process, but I’m glad to learn it early on.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Dawn-Cora Mead ahh yes! Nook and Apple are amazing. Honestly I love their apps better than the kindle one. You’ll need a dummy file for those but I literally just upload our blurb, put it into vellum, and export an ePub. :)

[@lawofvisualization]

THIS IS SO HELPFUL!!!! Thanks Courtney!

[@vahidfrzh9379]

very heart to heart and informative, thank you.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Thanks for watching!!

[@Eduardo_Music8560]

Hello everybody, good afternoon! Great video, I liked it much! Sorry for founding it three years later and post it. Happy Sunday ☀️

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Better late than never!! Haha!

[@Eduardo_Music8560]

@@TheCourtneyProject Yes, you are right. 👍! I hope to find more videos interesting like this one. ☺️. Have a great afternoon.

[@aidanlucid9619]

Thanks for the great video. Much appreciated.

[@virginiamezzatesta4802]

Thank you for this series! I wanted to go wide, but I kept hearing KU was the way which was a turn off for me. I’ve been searching for information and this was the best. Now I’m positive my way is to go wide and I’m back to feeling excited about it. As an accountant, I don’t put my money into one stock. 😁

[@TheCourtneyProject]

So glad you found it helpful! Diversifying is less risky! ❤️❤️❤️

[@jujubees711]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and information!

[@soaringheart2203]

The convo about the I-9’s made me sweat 😬 I hate filing my taxes as it is - the IRS terrifies me 😂

[@sveinnbenonysson8068]

Great video! I have used Lulu as a platform since 2014! Not saying that they are the best or that they are perfect, but I've seen my book everywhere! And I mean everywhere! Even on ebay!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

I haven’t looked into Lulu but I know a lot of people use them. Ahh, yes, the good ole eBay books. 😂😂

[@robertcampos2294]

Great info thank you so much!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome!

[@lawofvisualization]

So much to learn as a new author 🥺

[@TerraBaltosiewichCafeTerraBlog]

I finally made the plunge and went back to being wide. I noticed in the last year KU was not working for me. Thank you for all the amazing help in the video series. I'm curious if you could share the link for the Book Tracker site you were talking about? Thank you!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Oh awesome! The website is booktrakr.com and it’s $59 a year I believe!

[@kandralackey4685]

Thank you, this was so inspiring!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome!! ❤️❤️

[@briannaremusbooks]

This was super helpful as a newbie! Thanks girl!

[@kiterafrey]

It is really hard to return something on apple. If you open it, unless there is a serious error in usage, you’re not getting a refund. This goes for more than books. It is really nice for the artists. They support those who give them things to make money on.

[@WriterMarkusRegius]

Wait, Amazon allows returns for digital products? I already had a very low opinion of Amazon as a whole, and that did not help. Thank you for an informative video! And I don't only mean the weird return policies of Amazon X)

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Writer Markus Regius yep! They sure do!! It’s soooo disheartening.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Writer Markus Regius and you’re welcome!!

[@stevenbaxter1138]

am finding it difficult to respect Amazon, hell you can be the world's richest man but when you die all you'll leave behind is your reputation ……….. what sort of a game is this?

[@mayracalvani7583]

Thank you for all the great information! Does D2D distribute to Google Play? Also, may I ask your opinion on price point for a 25K word novella (2.99?), a 55K novel (3.99?), and a 90k novel (4.99?). Thank you!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Mayra Calvani no, you have to go direct with Google Play now. They used to be able to distribute there, but recently sent an email stating GP wanted everyone to be direct. It’s really easy to put your books up there though and is worth it in my opinion. Series starters, I always price lower to entice people to give it a chance. Those are good prices but it may be hard selling a novella for $2.99 before building your platform. Honestly, I’d write longer books and charge min $2.99+.

[@mayracalvani7583]

The Courtney Project thank you!

[@talinaadamo]

Great info, thank you, thank you, thank you

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome! ❤️❤️

[@paulcristo]

Thanks for the insight.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome!

[@No3go]

I know this is a 3y old vídeo and sorry if this question bothers you. But I wanted to publish everywhere as you suggest. Can I publish the book on each platform with he free ISBN each platform provides for free or the book needs only 1 ISBN to be used on any platform? Thank you.

[@sheralynberta7327]

So, does that mean i can publish my book on 2 different platforms? Because i published my first book on kdp and i was wondering if i could publish that same book on lulu also. Can i?

[@ahmadaljazeeri9287]

Thank you, Courtney! That was amazing. Speaking about time, can you estimate how many hours would be the difference between uploading your ebooks to D2D and uploading them to individual platforms one by one?

[@TheCourtneyProject]

I think it’s about 5-8 minutes per additional platform, but it’s worth keeping the extra 15% IMO, because once they’re uploaded, you don’t have to go through that process again. It’s a one time thing to make more money.

[@MsVee888]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome!! ❤️❤️

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome!! ❤️❤️

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome!! ❤️❤️

[@Kelly-Martin]

Courtney, do you think different genres do better in different platforms (wide vs KU)?

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Kelly Martin Books hmm, I do think some genres take off in KU quicker than being wide, but I also think if you’re packaging is fantastic (cover, blurb, book) those readers can be found on all platforms. If they’re on amazon, they are everywhere. ❤️ But with that being said, I write romance. LOL. It’s kinda one of those genres that everyone loves.

[@britton_waif]

Have watched the series. It was indeed so much knowledge. Thanks a million. As I'm a newbie, I'm really confused of various platforms. It was KDP in my mind earlier, but now, umm... For me, I take it as an experiment before I publish lengthier stuff. This time it is a poem collection, a small collection. Would you please suggest me an apt platform? Yes, you've mentioned, it's up to each writer according to their individual freedom. Still, could do...?

[@markfcoble]

Thanks, very good information. I'll sub.

[@stephenosheaauthor7211]

great info thanks for posting

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Thank you!

[@authork.shafer1444]

This was SUCH a great video. What do you think about doing KU for a short period of time after debut release to put your book in front of readers? Say, the first 3 months after release or something? I can't remember if you covered this or not. Thank you for being my auto-click authortuber!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Wow, I’m honored! I think KU is great to learn the ropes honestly. You’ll get a feel of what it’s like to publish without all the overwhelm then you can always move wide later once you fully understand what’s going on. :) Either way, nothing is forever and you can change your mind at any point of where you want to be.

[@JoeyPaulOnline]

This was really helpful! I need to download the Google play sheet all the time and it always annoys me! LOL! 💜💜💜

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Booktracker is a life saver! It pulls each day and worth the $59 a year!

[@celisewillis]

@@TheCourtneyProject Booktrackr should sponsor you with all this free publicity you're giving them!

[@bigphilly7345]

Definitely going wide with my new crime and mystery pen name, especially with yet another KDP romance author banning.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Philip oh, who is it this time? LOL, I’m nosy and have been behind. Deadlines are real.

[@bigphilly7345]

@@TheCourtneyProject brace yourself, it's Alexa Riley. The writing duo that dominated the Top 100. Also Madison Faye and RR Banks. There was a crackdown. I dont think it was book stuffing this time but likely the pseudo incest and other edgy themes. Who knows. Point is, if Amazon bans Alexa Riley, they'll ban anyone.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Ahh, I thought it was someone other than them. Yes, I did hear about that group. I met AR at a conference last year and we’ve actually worked with on a project for their podcast. I’m shocked by it honestly. Completely. With that being said, I don’t think this is the last of Amazon’s sweeps. I just wish we all knew what happened, but we will never get that transparency from Amazon. I’m not sure they even know the real reason for the ban either.

[@AHealthyDoseofFran]

As this video is a year old I’d love to know your current process and thoughts on expanded publishing and who you are currently publishing with, both for digital and hard copies. It’d be interesting to learn the then and now

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Nothing has changed. We go direct on all platforms. Use KDP for print on Amazon and Ingram for expanded distribution. We did add hardcovers but we’re using Ingram.

[@AHealthyDoseofFran]

@@TheCourtneyProject Oh wicked! Glad to hear it has been successful in following that method. Wishing you further successes for 2021.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Thank you so much! And you too! All platforms all the way! 🙌

[@tmac8892]

Prose & cons.

[@caracarnes5319]

Hey Courtney, fabulous video as always. Thanks so much! Can you provide a link for the sales tracker you use? I tried to Google and failed :( You're awesome!

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Cara Carnes ahh yes! It’s called Booktrakr.com :)

[@caracarnes5319]

The Courtney Project thank you 😍😍😍

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You’re welcome! I believe it cost $59 a year, but it’s totally worth the reporting if you’re on all platforms.

[@caracarnes5319]

The Courtney Project that’s the plan. Going direct to B&N, Kobo and Apple Books instead of D2D. ☺️ Thanks again

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Yay!!!! If you have any questions, let me know! ❤️

[@ThatGirlChelee]

Just looked up Book Tracker but I can’t find the app. Is that the name?

[@TheCourtneyProject]

It’s booktrakr.com I believe!

[@AndyMatrixTV]

You go girl

[@seriseri523]

Thankyou sis ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Welcome!

[@seriseri523]

Can I publish the same book on Kindle n Google play???

[@TheCourtneyProject]

As long as your books are not enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program. When you’re enrolled in KU you are promising Amazon exclusivity.

[@hg2.]

Thank you - I thought All Roads Led To Amazon.

[@melvinhathorn4988]

It would be nice to have captions for those who are hearing impaired

[@TheCourtneyProject]

I’m actually in the process of converting all of my videos to have them proper [CC].

[@danepowell7860]

ah yeah choice mcs and chuck d.

[@kandralackey4685]

How are you able to put your book on Amazon without being exclusively with KDP?

[@TheCourtneyProject]

You don’t click the Enroll in Kindle Select Option. Without that, you’re not giving them exclusivity. KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. Kindle Select is you enrolling into the Kindle Unlimited program. Hopefully that helps!

[@kandralackey4685]

Yes! Thank you so much 💖

[@XtianApi]

I wonder if part of the Amazon return issue is based on the fact that you can download a Kindle book, crack the drm, keep the cracked copy and return the official ebook. They are easy to crack

[@TheCourtneyProject]

I think a lot of people are fast readers and can devour a book in a day or two. But I wouldn’t be surprised if this is some of it too. Amazon shouldn’t allow digital products to be returned. It’s ridiculous.

[@stevenbaxter1138]

Shit, why aren't I in the New York Times list?

[@esoteric_teachings]

I hate amazon, will never put any of my art on amazon, ever.