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How to Publish a Book on Amazon KDP

So, you’re ready to publish your first book?

First of all, congratulations! Writing a book is the hardest part. In fact, the percentage of authors who actually complete their first manuscript is estimated to be as low as 3%.

But books are made to be read, so if you’re ready to publish your manuscript, keep on reading. Below is a step-by-step guide to publishing your book TODAY!

What is Amazon KDP?

KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. It is a self-publishing platform that is owned by Amazon, which helps your book to reach the audiences that order books and ebooks through Amazon and Kindle.

There is no need for paying for printing because KDP is print-on-demand, so the cost is immediately covered by their share, and you receive the money left over after production.

The percentage of royalties made by the author (you) depends on the format your book is in:

If you publish a paperback, you will receive 60% of the list price leftover after printing cost. That is WAY more than the average royalty for traditionally published paperbacks which usually hovers around 10-15%.

If you publish an ebook, KDP gives you two different distribution options which come with different royalty percentages. The first one is called KDP Select, and it comes with a whopping 70% author royalty. For a book to qualify for Kindle Unlimited it needs to be sold exclusively on Amazon and needs to be prices between $2.99 and $9.99. KDP Select also comes with perks like enrolling your book into Kindle Unlimited and having access to different types of book promotions. All other ebooks will receive a 35% author royalty, which is still considered a great cut for authors.

How to Publish Your Book on KDP

Before you start publishing, make sure you format your book. This should include mirrored margins with a .5 on three sides and a .75 on the internal side. Choose the right font and type size for your book to be easy to read and make sure you have any copyright pages, a table of contents, and any other book format requirements your book needs to be complete.

Once you are ready to publish go to KDP and create an account. When you get to your dashboard you will see options to create your book in either paperback, ebook, or audiobook. (This is a new feature they are still perfecting, and it can only be done with current ebooks for now.)

Here is a list of all of the things you need have ready to input when you publish your book:

Title and subtitle or series name
Names of authors, illustrators, editors, or others that worked on the book
Description of your book (this should be at least 1-2 paragraphs)
ISBN (This is basically the product number. You can buy your own at Bowker or you can let Amazon assign one to you. Note: If you use Amazon, this will automatically identify your book as being self-published to sellers.)
Book cover. I recommend Self Pub Book Covers if you don’t want to make your own. If you are creative, Canva has great options for designing book covers.
Book genre and key words
Book blurb for the back of the book
Price you want your book to be listed for
Manuscript of you book (you should have both a Word document or Google doc and a PDF)

Hopefully, this guide can help you get started publishing today.

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April Author Newsletter

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Hey, readers!

Here are a few exciting updates to look out for this month:

There are already 4 audiobook chapters of Caravan available for FREE on Youtube. And more will come out this month.

Chapter 10 of A Haunted Heart just came out on Wattpad today!
I have been working towards a more consistent writing schedule. So be on the lookout for more blog posts, writing tips, flash fiction, and more!
I have been reading so many books but I still need to review them! Look out for book reviews including literary romance, thrillers, and more!

Happy Reading 🙂

–Elizabeth Penn

Finding Your Voice as a Romance Writer

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If you had asked me a decade ago if I would be a romance writer, I would have said, “Hell no! That’s cheesy stuff. I want to be a serious writer.”

And yet, here I am. Not only am I a romance writer, but I’m proud to be one. The truth is that romance writing is just as powerful and important as other forms of writing. Romance stories have healed my life, and I hope my stories help others find healing, too.

But like many readers and writers, I fell for the misconceptions about the genre, believing it was just a bunch of nonsense written to entertain the masses with no depth or development. Now, some specific niches in the romance genre might be made simply for entertainment, and that’s perfectly fine, too.

But that’s just it: there are different niches for different people. And that’s great! But how do you find YOUR niche?

Finding your niche might feel a bit crazy because your writing style might differ from your reading style. Or, even crazier, it might be completely different from your lifestyle. (Quick examples include Dr. Seuss never having children and the great romance writer Jane Austen never marrying. And don’t get me started on Stephen King…)

So, to help you on your journey, here are 3 steps you can take today to start you on your romance writing path:

What are your fantasies? Yikes, sorry to get so personal right off the bat here. But your personal, romantic fantasies can help guide your writing. Writing fiction is a lot of daydreaming and writing down your thoughts, so it can be easiest to start with things you already fantasize about. This can be as simple as fantasizing about a relationship built on mutual experiences, something cute like a Hallmark Christmas movie. And it can be as wild as whatever your deep, dark, secret “kinks” are. Whatever you like to think about, try writing it down.
What do you like to read? Writers are also avid readers. So, when it comes to romance (even if it was just a subplot), what types of relationships do you usually enjoy reading about? Are they enemies to lovers? Love triangles? Maybe you like paranormal romance and want to get down on some werewolf action. Whatever niche you enjoy as a reader could also help guide you as a writer.
Ask yourself what is missing from the romance market. My sister always told me if I didn’t find the kind of painting I wanted at the store, I should just paint it myself. This is true of writing, too. If there is a type of romance story you have always wanted to read but have struggled to find it anywhere, that’s a great place to start for writing a book! Chances are, someone else is looking for it, too.

Hopefully, these helped you out. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog for more writing tips!

Happy writing 🙂

The Life Experiences That Inspired My Writing

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My stories are about healing.

Specifically, I am interested in how love can heal our deepest wounds and transform our lives. However, for my characters to need healing, they had to experience some form of trauma. And if you have read my work, you know that the trauma that my characters face is real and raw.

I’ll never forget reading a comment for Maple Creek from a reader who had left an abusive husband. She said, “We spent three months in a women’s shelter. I knew when I started reading this book, what it was about. Very good writing.”

Now if I’m being honest, overall, Maple Creek was in many ways a mistake and a stain on my career. I was inexperienced in publishing and I was in a very dark place in my life mentally and emotionally. I didn’t have an editor, and the moment I finished the book my cursor hovered over the button to delete the manuscript permanently.

In a moment of panic I published the book typos and all to save it from being wiped out of existence… by me. I told myself that if even one person liked it, I would continue my writing career. But there was no way anyone would like it, right? And needless to say, the book created some pretty reviews. most of the initial emotional reactions to the book were anger and disgust. Part of me felt validated in my low self-esteem.

But then, something remarkable happened:

The book received good reviews, too.

And not just good reviews, but some reviews that the book had been an emotional journey for the readers, that they related to it, loved it, and were sharing it with their friends.

How could a disaster of a manuscript like that receive any positive reviews?

The answer is this: because the story, in many ways, was true.

Obviously the characters and setting were fiction, but the deeper truth behind what the characters were expereincing was real.

I had been in and out of dangerous and abusive relationships, just like Sarah. And just like Sarah, I had a complicated relationship with my parents and the places from my past. And the inspiration behind Sarah and Emily’s love sprouted from the recent realizations that I, too, wasn’t straight. I’m an asexual panromantic. I’d had feelings for men and women, including trans women. And my relationship with sex had been complicated by my orientation coupled with the abuse and social pressures that I faced being raised as a girl in a hyper-sexual culture. And yes, many of my friends are queer and trans, and they have faced the same discrimination that the characters in the book did.

All of my stories, from books like Caravan or Miner of Mine to short stories like “Hope” are based on the personal traumas and healing experiences from my own life.

That’s why I went back and had editors fix them instead of deleting them. That’s why I continued to write and went on to find deeper healing, which I now continue to reflect in my stories and share with readers.

Because life isn’t perfect.

When we make mistakes, we need to heal them, not throw ourselves away. Because we need to know that we aren’t alone in the world. And most of all, because I want my stories to remind my readers that there is love in the world, and no matter what trauma we face, we can heal.

5 Easy Steps to Character Creation

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So, you have a character in mind but you can’t quite put them together? Or maybe you only have a story idea. Or, even more stressful…maybe your story is just to short or empty and you have to create more character to fill the space!

Have no fear! Here are 5 easy steps to create new characters:

1. Name

This, for me, is the hardest part. I am terrible at naming characters. But I’ve found some amazing resources that have helped me. The first is to find an app for your phone that generates names. It’s free and you can get a name in just one click. Second, you can try baby name books. These are great, and you can check off names you have already used so you never repeat names. And last, you can become a “name collector.” This means that when you meet new people in public, or online, if they have a name you like, you write it down. You create a notebook of names to come back to later.

2. The Good Stuff

Now it is time to list why your character is so great (or not great if they are the antagonist). What are they good at? Why do others like them? Are they strong? Good at knitting? Smile all the time? Treat this section like someone asked, “Hey, your friend seems nice. Tell me about them.”

3. The Bad Stuff

Well, we can’t be good at everything. And neither can our characters! A flawed character is necessary to not only move the story along, but also to make them relatable to the reader. So, what about them gets in the way? Are they lazy or easily confused? Or so they have a physical disability or perhaps emotional scars from the past?

4. Backstory

Unless your main character is a newborn baby, then they had stuff happen to them before the opening of the story. Even if you never talk about these things directly, it is important to know them. The character’s past will be the reason they act the way they do in relation to others. And, it is how they got to where they are now. Act like their therapist. Ask them what their childhood was like, and what were they like in school? Things like that. And write them down for later.

5. Goals

Now that they are here, where are they going? Even small side characters have goals. Your characters are like people. They have hopes and dreams. They are trying to accomplish something. What is it? A new job? A new relationship?

But wait…even more that the goal…is the WHY? Anew relationship because they got a divorce? A new job because they dream of being rich? Or are they moving somewhere?

Once you get all these down you should not only have more rounded characters, but it will be easier to write them in relation to one another. They will interact with other characters and their surroundings more naturally.