Can You Make Money Self-Publishing on Kindle?

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Yes, you can make money self-publishing on Kindle, but the typical author earns very little. What separates the few who earn well is that they keep costs low, pick a market with real buyers, make covers and descriptions that match the best sellers, and sell the book in other formats too. Here is what I learned from my first book and the 230 I have published since.

How much does the typical author earn?

The Alliance of Independent Authors survey had 2,261 qualifying indie author respondents. For authors whose main income is writing and publishing, the median gross income for 2022 was $12,749, and almost a quarter of authors had not yet started to earn, bringing in $0 to $1,000 (ALLi Author Income Survey, 17-Apr-23). That covers all of an author’s books and formats, and Kindle is only part of it. Many authors who write part-time earn far less.

My own start was slow. My first Kindle book sold a copy here and there, and I was delighted, but you can’t live on $1 or $2 a sale. Get the first book out, do not worry about the quality, and optimize it over time. If you try to do everything at once you get stressed.

How much does Kindle pay per sale?

On Amazon.com the 70% royalty option applies to ebooks priced from $2.99 to $12.99, and the 35% option applies to prices outside that band (KDP pricing, effective 7-Jul-26). The 70% option subtracts delivery costs, which KDP says average $0.06 a unit (KDP royalty options). So a $2.99 book pays a little over $2. How many sales does it take to get your money back? That is why the cost of the cover, formatting and editing matters.

1. How much should I spend on each book?

Spend $300 to $600 per book, not $5,000 to $10,000. If you spend $5,000 to get each book out, you will take a loss for decades. Many authors go negative because they pay too much for the cover, formatting and editing. I want my money back in 2 to 3 months.

2. How do I pick a market where books sell?

Publish in a hungry market, where readers want what you write and are willing to pay. I use KDSpy to see exactly how many sales a keyword has. Here is my method, which I call the golden ratio:

1. Search a keyword, such as “puppy training”.
2. Look at the top 20 books and count how many sit in the top 100,000 sales rank for Kindle.
3. Divide the total number of books on that keyword by the number in the top 100,000.
4. A result under 30 is fantastic: there are buyers and not many books.

Then copy what works. Ask your cover designer for something similar to the best sellers, with your title and name. Use similar keywords in the title and a similar description, and a book of about the same length. Use the contents page to show readers what to expect. Do not reinvent the wheel. Authors who write 10 books and earn little usually have a weak description, weak keywords, a bad market and an overpriced cover. I go through the numbers for a single title in how much a self-published book makes.

3. Why is Kindle only the start?

I make the vast majority of my money from paperbacks, hardcovers and audiobooks. In my case maybe 75% of sales, but Kindle lures readers in. A reader who sees a $2.99 ebook next to a $20 paperback can be tempted by either, and some people only buy their favorite format. I run ads against both, and sometimes a reader clicks the Kindle book, sees the paperback and buys that.

You can also put your audiobook on ACX for Audible, so check ACX’s current eligibility for your country. See how to self-publish short stories on Amazon if you are starting small.

I have 230 books out, and each sells a little here and there every day. Over the years they build a long tail. Control your prices to maximize total sales and get your money back quickly.

Why do many books take so long to pay back?

At the start I paid too much for the cover, too much for editing and for almost every step, and too much for an email service. I did not research which books to publish. I wrote about what I knew, made a few sales, and it would have taken months, even a couple of years, to earn the money back. Two things changed that: advertising and choosing the right market. Once I started optimizing, a book would earn back its cost within a few months. Some paid back in a month, others took 6 months to a year, and you can’t know in advance which.

The Authors Guild’s survey of 2022 income found a median book income of $2,000 for all authors and $12,800 for full-time self-published authors (Authors Guild, 27-Sep-23). Those are medians, so half of authors earned less. The $2,000 includes part-time writers, which pulls it down.

What does a profitable Kindle book need?

1. A niche with hungry readers and few books. If there are too many books in a market you are lost in the noise. If nobody buys books in it, you won’t make money whatever the content and marketing. Don’t try to find a niche nobody has found. Find existing markets that are hungry for books and write for them.
2. A good cover, editing, description, keywords and formatting. Does the preview look good when it opens? Each mistake costs sales.
3. Marketing. Ads and content marketing: blogs, YouTube, podcasts. I have had more success with podcasts than with anything else.

Print pays 60% of list price at $9.99 and above and 50% below, minus printing cost (paperback royalty), so a paperback can pay much more than a $2.99 Kindle book. For what to do once the money comes in, see what to do with your self-publishing royalties and the most important factors for ebook publishing.

If you are setting up your first books, the free 12-step checklist takes you through each step in order, from picking the market to publishing. Can you make money self-publishing on Kindle? Tell me what you have found in the comments.

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