So I'm writing a book, and I plan to publish it via the Amazon kindle e-books, since it's free to do it that way and you can earn up to 70% of the profits that your book makes! I'm writing it about my chronic illness and my experiences that have to do with me having a chronic illness, and it's only been about a week but I've got two chapters of the book already completed, plus a second book idea already in my head that I plan on starting to put together this summer (since it will involve the help of my fellow chronically ill people I participate in chats with on twitter and other social media websites). Basically I'm asking, do any of you guys have tips on writing a book, or publishing a book?
I would say when you are writing it, don't use any formatting or fancy fonts because you have to take them out when you format it for publishing. That means if you did any indents, you have to take them all out and watch your spacing as that comes out very strange on kindle too. Don't get it into your head the profits are huge, because they aren't unless you sell the book at a high price and then there are the different tax bands across the countries. I sell one book at $1.50 and I get about 50 cents and if it is a buyer from a Amazon European site I pay the VAT so I get about 40 pence. When you price it higher you get a higher percentage, but perhaps less buyers.
One of the things I would suggest when doing your book to go on Amazon is to use a formatting software. Some think that just formatting your book into a manuscript is enough. Its not, when formatting for an e-reader there is a certain look that is appealing to the reader in general. I have used a kindle formatting software that cost around thirty dollars, but the great thing about it is once its purchased it can be used over and over again. Also, don't expect the book to be an overnight success, that doesn't happen believe me. But if you believe strongly in what you wrote don't give up on it, and don't give up promoting it.
I can't really share anything valuable from my own personal experiences, but I do know this one book that you really should read. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. He is an author, screenwriter, etc, etc, and in this book he speaks about what he feels is the most important thing when it comes to writing. Read to find out. I really can't stress enough how powerful it is. Hope it helps, man. Good luck!
These are just basic tips but if you are new to the book-writing business, the following tips will help you a lot:Keep it simple. Write to express not to impress.Write with a purpose. Seek to get your message across.Imagine yourself in the shoes of your readers. Make it as authentic and easy to relate to.
