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Get Your Book Published for Free and Get Paid

by on February 10, 2011
in Computers and Software, Tips & How-Tos, Fab Websites :: 18 comments

Amazon's free self-publishing services, Kindle Direct Publishing and CreateSpace, let you unleash your manuscript on the market and get up to 70% royalties.

For eBooks, the Kindle Direct Publishing process is reasonably simple. You need a book manuscript in Microsoft Word format. and a cover design, saved as a JPEG or TIFF file. (I created one, with a $15 photo from istockphoto.com and Photoshop Elements, in about half an hour.) At that point you follow the steps provided by Amazon to convert and preview your book, then upload it.

You set the pricing, within minimal size and policy guidelines. If your price is between $2.99 and $9.99, you are probably eligible for a 70% royalty rate. For higher-priced books, you get 35%.

Within a few hours, your work will be available for sale in the most popular eBook format out there. And given the broad reach of Kindle apps, readers can enjoy the fruits of your labors on iPhone, iPod and iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, Windows PC and Mac.

If you still crave the feel of a real printed book in your hands. Amazon has a separate service to meet that need, called CreateSpace. This is a print-on-demand system, where books are printed and bound as they are ordered. Royalty rates are lower than with Kindle, and the setup process is more complicated (but still free).

The end result: your book is available via Amazon, right up there with the Tom Clancys and Stephen Kings of the world. Authors get substantial discounts for copies they buy themselves, a key consideration if you’re planning to use your book as a business-building tool. And you retain all rights to your work, so if your brilliant self-published novel develops a following, you’re entirely free to sign that big contract with Random House.

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Discussion loading

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XinXii.com as Kindle Direct Publishing alternative

From Matt D. on February 10, 2011 :: 10:47 am

I have found an international alternative to Kindle Direct Publishing: It’s called XinXii.com. The platform enables everybody to upload and sell his eBooks online and worldwide. It’s free of costs and you get paid per download (70% royalty rate). Great as additional sales channel!

http://www.xinxii.com

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Amazon register an account does not work.

From John Newell on February 10, 2011 :: 11:58 am

Seems like a great program for me but the site doesn’t allow me to register. Is this because the program is only available to Americans?

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Useful for business

From stephen on February 17, 2011 :: 4:56 pm

Really useful for business. However, there’s also the danger of authors posting crappy and re-hashed content just for the sake of putting a book out there and getting potential leads.

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I love CreateSpace!

From Melissa Bowersock on March 04, 2011 :: 9:52 am

I have published several books thru Create Space, both older books of mine that had gone out of print and new books that I recently finished. The quality is great and the sales channels are extensive. The marketing all falls to the writer, but since most publishers do minimal marketing except for blockbusters, there’s no difference here. Create Space is great—quick, easy and affordable. I love it.

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Thanks for the information. I

From Gayle on April 17, 2011 :: 5:22 pm

Thanks for the information. I have been thinking about e-book publishing on Amazon. Your post helps make it a little less intimidating.

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hello 2 u whatzit is to b known in my world?

From theresa lynn albarracin on January 17, 2012 :: 12:52 pm

yes im writing a book and i need a book publisher that will publish my book and i could get paid for it im trying to go back to school for fashion and other thing keep getting me down and im trying to find ways for money but im keep getting in the jam. have u got any idealsz for what im getting into besides going to school . im trying to c about getting my music on the line to no car i dont have many friends in arbuckle ca. 95912 how do i go about this lopve awaysz theresa lynn albarracin

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Awesome!

From Nickolas Stradley on June 20, 2012 :: 6:25 pm

Thank you for this! my wife has wanted to publish her work for years now! we just couldnt afford it… but finally a way thats free! thank you soooo much!!!

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I have a manuscript to be published

From PArlinsmith on August 09, 2012 :: 9:56 am

I want my works published, but i don’t have anough to pay for the publishers fee, will I be published and be allowed to pay from the sales latter?

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affordable self-publishing

From Melissa Bowersock on August 09, 2012 :: 10:21 am

For physical books, you can’t beat Create Space for self-publishing. You can literally publish for the cost of a proof book and shipping, maybe $10. There are other services you can buy as well—editing, cover design, expanded distribution—but you don’t have to. For all formats of e-readers, Smashwords is great. You format your book one time, upload it (for free) and they convert it to ALL forms of e-readers. With both of these places, you set the retail price and your royalties are paid according to that.

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my life as a school teacher

From steve russell on December 05, 2012 :: 11:21 pm

my 43 years in the school profession.real life stories of children and staff in a school.corruption that exist in our schools.

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Loved the article

From Ron on July 06, 2013 :: 12:38 pm

Stephen,
I am a poet. I would like to publish my poems. I found that Lithasa is also doing the poem publishing. I found about lithasa in an article and also seen a guy talking about lithasa in a big way. They are good. they have defined a new publishing format and the design is so good. But have guys know about it? let me know. I am thinking to publish my poems and atleast earn what I deserve rather giving them to some publisher who don’t even care about me.
This is their website. http://www.lithasa.com//

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Looking for the right media

From cheryl honeycutt on September 06, 2013 :: 10:49 pm

My “book” is more of a long story, 52 pages typed in Word, using a 12pt font.  It’s about 24,000 words, too long to be considered a true short-story.  Does anyone know the best place to market something like this?  Thanks for any help.

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great free publishing

From Karen Mcardle on December 16, 2013 :: 6:13 pm

I am so delighted i looked and found this site grin

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Book Publishing

From Dawn Whittington Carr on December 27, 2013 :: 1:23 pm

Looks like I might be closer to my dream than I thought.

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How to publish

From dandy ahuruonye on January 31, 2014 :: 11:11 am

Do I need to copyright or patent manuscripts before publishing? How do I go about this? Manuscript ready. I have a proofreader. Just need full info on copyright and or patent, and full details about print & publishing. I also have a few children’s stories for publishing.  Thanks

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Copyright yes, patent no.

From Josh Kirschner on January 31, 2014 :: 11:49 am

Copyrights protect creative works, whereas patents protect inventions and applications. So for your children’s stories, you would be interested in copyright.

You don’t actually have to do anything to copyright your works - they are automatically copyrighted. However, it probably is a wise idea to include a copyright notice (“Copyright 2012 - John Doe”) since it doesn’t take any extra effort and may help prevent “inadverent” infringement and weaken your advisary’s position should you need to go to court.

For additional protection, you can register your copyright with the Library of Congress. A copyright registration establishes a public record of the copyright and also makes you eligible for additional damages and attorney’s fees in court. For a site like Techlicious that publishes thousands of articles, registering each one isn’t practical. But if you’re just publishing a couple of books, it may be worth the small effort and cost. More info on registering your copyright: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/copyrightmystery/text/steps/

Disclosure: I am not an attorney. I don’t even play one on TV. So be sure to consult an attorney if you want actual, real legal advice for your situation.

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Hello, I have a

From tiyari on July 23, 2014 :: 6:47 am

Hello,  I have a book for publication when you publish it will I be paid?

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Need Help On Finish Writing

From Joanna on October 21, 2014 :: 6:48 pm

I’m on my book my third book but have writers block. I want to finish and publish book how long does it take ad where do we write information?

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