$1000/month from Kindle books - Non fiction & Erotica

Hi there,

I'm back on this forum. Life has dealt me a lot of hits over the past few years, both financially and emotionally.

I'm a mature adult in her late 20s now, and I'm ready to succeed.

I am going to start with kindle books. I released some books back in 2014 and made a couple hundred dollars over the years, but nothing concrete.

I didn't stick with it though. I'm goimg to now. My life depends on it, so the stakes are higher this time around.

So I'm going to start with non diction first. Release mini books of around 5000 words and see how it goes.

I write fast and I'll be publishing in and topic I'm familiar with, so I should be able to release books faster.

Once I've published a dozen or so non fiction books, I'll add erotica to the mix. I released 2 erotica of around 5000 words each this year.

I didn't make much money, but I did get page reads worth a couple dollars. Ill try to build up on that.

But to start with, I'll be concentrating on non fiction.

Wish me luck guys!

Following

Update: I was doing an inventory of the material I have so far.

I have around 5 mini books and 1 decent sized book in my niche.

The bigger book can be released as it is. The smaller ones need some padding. They are about 3000-5000 words per book right now.

I'm going to clean them up (including padding them), and release them in the next few weeks and see how it does.

So, this is what I'm going to start with.

I'm also learn how to design Kindle covers and create blurbs. I used to outsource that (including book creation) before, but I can't think time around. There's no harm in learning something new though.

Good luck OP!

I've also started with KDP, doing low content physical books, where great cover design is a must. After only a few weeks I've had several sales, which is very good with such a small time frame.

Keep us informed of your progress.

Good luck ! wish u all the best

Godspeed sister! this is an interesting journey, maybe will look into ebooks later too.

Good luck OP! keep going till you reach your goal. And when you did! Go to a bigger one.

Good luck op.

following

Hi guys, I'm still here. I went into a research frenzy the past few weeks.

I wanted to know why the 2 Erotica titles, 1 children's book title and 8 non-fiction titles in another niche of mine (not the one I talked about in the OP) barely sold anything.

I've only made around $400 since 2014, which is why I gave up on kindle for so long.

I think I've figured out the mistakes I made, especially niche, keyword and category research wise. I'm going to correct them and try again with new title.

Since I realized that I made a mistake with other non-fiction books, I realize I might not do so well publishing the 6 mini titles I already have in my current niche. So, I'm going to start researching the sales potential on those topics, and see if I can change the topics slightly to make them more sale-able.

I'm not sure if I can save the 11 titles I already have on Kindle though, but I can try. I have been changing the keywords a bit. Did that for the 2 Erotica and one of the non fiction books over the weekend. I did see a KU read on the Erotica, but nothing on the non fiction yet.

I realize that I might have priced the non fiction book too high. I'll reduce the price and try again. I think I need to include proper phrases in keywords too? Because i just stuffed all the relevant words of my topic in the 7 fields, assuming my book will show up in enough long tail searches if I did that. Was that a mistake? Can someone with experience guide me here?

Is there a way to save a book in a dud niche/topic at all? Can I revamp it in any way?

I've also done a ton of research on Erotica, its sub niches and keywords. I wrote some plots down. I'm going to release my first Erotica book (in this journey) today.

Fingers crossed!

ewritezone said:

Hi guys, I'm still here. I went into a research frenzy the past few weeks.

I wanted to know why the 2 Erotica titles, 1 children's book title and 8 non-fiction titles in another niche of mine (not the one I talked about in the OP) barely sold anything.

I've only made around $400 since 2014, which is why I gave up on kindle for so long.

I think I've figured out the mistakes I made, especially niche, keyword and category research wise. I'm going to correct them and try again with new title.

Since I realized that I made a mistake with other non-fiction books, I realize I might not do so well publishing the 6 mini titles I already have in my current niche. So, I'm going to start researching the sales potential on those topics, and see if I can change the topics slightly to make them more sale-able.

I'm not sure if I can save the 11 titles I already have on Kindle though, but I can try. I have been changing the keywords a bit. Did that for the 2 Erotica and one of the non fiction books over the weekend. I did see a KU read on the Erotica, but nothing on the non fiction yet.

I realize that I might have priced the non fiction book too high. I'll reduce the price and try again. I think I need to include proper phrases in keywords too? Because i just stuffed all the relevant words of my topic in the 7 fields, assuming my book will show up in enough long tail searches if I did that. Was that a mistake? Can someone with experience guide me here?

Is there a way to save a book in a dud niche/topic at all? Can I revamp it in any way?

I've also done a ton of research on Erotica, its sub niches and keywords. I wrote some plots down. I'm going to release my first Erotica book (in this journey) today.

Fingers crossed!

Click to expand...

Are you promoting your books in anyway other than publishing the book into amazon and playing with the keywords?
Asking this, as I'm about to start a similar journey, but I have been planning it the other way around, from the marketing of the book (I.E. sending web traffic to books I wrote), graphics and lastly to the book itself.
The more I read about journeys like ours, I understand (it sure is a sad fact) that the content is less important than the automation of a book creation and the design of an appealing book cover.

I'm following you.

DebGeb said:

Are you promoting your books in anyway other than publishing the book into amazon and playing with the keywords?
Asking this, as I'm about to start a similar journey, but I have been planning it the other way around, from the marketing of the book (I.E. sending web traffic to books I wrote), graphics and lastly to the book itself.
The more I read about journeys like ours, I understand (it sure is a sad fact) that the content is less important than the automation of a book creation and the design of an appealing book cover.

I'm following you.

Click to expand...

From what I understand, promotion is useless for erotica. Readers rarely leave reviews, so they don't look beyond the book cover and blurb before they decide to buy a book. They probably won't even look at that if the new release is from an author they like. It's also about building a fan following there.

So, I won't be promoting my erotica book.

I might rotate kdp 5 days for each of my books (once I publish around 20 of them), but I'm not sure if it's a wise move. I'm been hearing about paid ranking drops after kdp free promotion. Can someone with experience help me out with this please?

As for the 8 non fiction books, oh I did promote them. I think I would have made squat if I hadn't promoted those books in any way. Back in 2014, I hired a VA who would submit my book to kindle promotion websites during a kdp free promotion. She also sourced reviews for me. It worked a bit, but as I said, the topics weren't (and still aren't) hot, and the books are too small for that niche, so I only made $400 so far from that.

I barely made a few dollars from my 2 erotica books though, but I'm told that it takes a lot more than 2 books before I can make decent money with erotica.

I won't be sending external traffic to my non fiction books to start with. I want to build a catalog and some sales on kindle first. Then, once I can slow down my book creation process, I can spend a few hours on building external traffic. Again, do you guys think this is a good idea, or should I start external promotion now?

ewritezone said:

Hi there,

I'm back on this forum. Life has dealt me a lot of hits over the past few years, both financially and emotionally.

I'm a mature adult in her late 20s now, and I'm ready to succeed.

I am going to start with kindle books. I released some books back in 2014 and made a couple hundred dollars over the years, but nothing concrete.

I didn't stick with it though. I'm goimg to now. My life depends on it, so the stakes are higher this time around.

So I'm going to start with non diction first. Release mini books of around 5000 words and see how it goes.

I write fast and I'll be publishing in and topic I'm familiar with, so I should be able to release books faster.

Once I've published a dozen or so non fiction books, I'll add erotica to the mix. I released 2 erotica of around 5000 words each this year.

I didn't make much money, but I did get page reads worth a couple dollars. Ill try to build up on that.

But to start with, I'll be concentrating on non fiction.

Wish me luck guys!

Click to expand...

You should test out the waters with short Romance books. Of course you have to price them way lower than you can with Erotica books.

ewritezone said:

They probably won't even look at that if the new release is from an author they like. It's also about building a fan following there.

Click to expand...

That's the big problem with fiction books. The books are exchangeable. Even if you have success with a fiction book, hundreds of books will follow quickly and there's no reason for customers to buy yours instead of the competitors books. For long term success you've to build an audience around your pen name by publishing short stories and using social media. With every new story you've to try to attract more readers who will buy your next book. If you've your readership someday it makes sense to publish a large book which has the potential to become a bestseller. Then your sales should be more stable.

I've published 100+ romances. Each book has 10-15k words. I've done 3-part series + collections all the time. Problem is/was that I hated the "external promotion" by interacting with readers via social media etc. So I had no success with fiction books long term. I also

5% of my income is based on my fiction ebooks. 95% comes from non fiction paperbacks. If you're publishing non fiction, go for paperbacks! They should have 80 pages minimum otherwise they don't feel like books and customers will be disappointed. Care about the formatting, don't publish generic shit (generic titles, generic cover designs etc.) but give your content a personal / unique note.

following

Pinger030 said:

That's the big problem with fiction books. The books are exchangeable. Even if you have success with a fiction book, hundreds of books will follow quickly and there's no reason for customers to buy yours instead of the competitors books. For long term success you've to build an audience around your pen name by publishing short stories and using social media. With every new story you've to try to attract more readers who will buy your next book. If you've your readership someday it makes sense to publish a large book which has the potential to become a bestseller. Then your sales should be more stable.

I've published 100+ romances. Each book has 10-15k words. I've done 3-part series + collections all the time. Problem is/was that I hated the "external promotion" by interacting with readers via social media etc. So I had no success with fiction books long term. I also

5% of my income is based on my fiction ebooks. 95% comes from non fiction paperbacks. If you're publishing non fiction, go for paperbacks! They should have 80 pages minimum otherwise they don't feel like books and customers will be disappointed. Care about the formatting, don't publish generic shit (generic titles, generic cover designs etc.) but give your content a personal / unique note.

Click to expand...

Do you purchase your own ISBN numbers for your print books?

Pinger030 said:

That's the big problem with fiction books. The books are exchangeable. Even if you have success with a fiction book, hundreds of books will follow quickly and there's no reason for customers to buy yours instead of the competitors books. For long term success you've to build an audience around your pen name by publishing short stories and using social media. With every new story you've to try to attract more readers who will buy your next book. If you've your readership someday it makes sense to publish a large book which has the potential to become a bestseller. Then your sales should be more stable.

I've published 100+ romances. Each book has 10-15k words. I've done 3-part series + collections all the time. Problem is/was that I hated the "external promotion" by interacting with readers via social media etc. So I had no success with fiction books long term. I also

5% of my income is based on my fiction ebooks. 95% comes from non fiction paperbacks. If you're publishing non fiction, go for paperbacks! They should have 80 pages minimum otherwise they don't feel like books and customers will be disappointed. Care about the formatting, don't publish generic shit (generic titles, generic cover designs etc.) but give your content a personal / unique note.

Click to expand...

I have a friend who runs a UK publishing company and he was worried a few years back the ebooks would kill off the printed book business - It hasn't.
His minimum run volume is 1000 books of a title, if memory serves.

@Shana Walters
Yes, for several reasons:

1. Many people are disappointed by self-published books. They avoid these books and look at the publisher. Even if it's not a big problem today, it can be a huge problem tomorrow.
2. Since I've started with this business in 2014, there were many competitors who've copied my cover designs, sales texts etc. They've no qualms because you're on their level. But it's unlikely that they'll mess with a publishing company because they don't know which power is behind.
3. Psychological effect: If you work with your own ISBNs, you are aware that you don't play on the level on which the people from the second phrase play. You feel more professional and this has an positive impact to the quality of your work. More value = more money.

@MisterF
Fiction books are entertainment like music, movies and games. More and more people are buying it digitally. Not even that, the future is streaming / borrowing. Upcoming generations will grow up with this and don't know it better. It's just a matter of time. Physical fiction books are dying especially for unknown authors. But non fiction books... I don't know... maybe they're also going down long term... maybe they'll always sell next to a digital alternative just on a lower level (but ebook reader are no real alternatives for non fiction books in my opinion). I don't know, they're still selling very good and if it stays that way for just a few years, you made enough money for retirement.

OP, maybe you should specialize in a genre and stick to it? Maybe by having a more specialized author brand, you can develop a following sooner?

Shana Walters said:

You should test out the waters with short Romance books. Of course you have to price them way lower than you can with Erotica books.

Click to expand...

HI Shana, thanks for the suggestion.

Do romance shorts sell? I heard novels are the only money makers in the romance genre, which is why I haven't tried it yet.

How long should a short be? Can you advice me on pricing them as well? Thanks again!

Pinger030 said:

That's the big problem with fiction books. The books are exchangeable. Even if you have success with a fiction book, hundreds of books will follow quickly and there's no reason for customers to buy yours instead of the competitors books. For long term success you've to build an audience around your pen name by publishing short stories and using social media. With every new story you've to try to attract more readers who will buy your next book. If you've your readership someday it makes sense to publish a large book which has the potential to become a bestseller. Then your sales should be more stable.

I've published 100+ romances. Each book has 10-15k words. I've done 3-part series + collections all the time. Problem is/was that I hated the "external promotion" by interacting with readers via social media etc. So I had no success with fiction books long term. I also

5% of my income is based on my fiction ebooks. 95% comes from non fiction paperbacks. If you're publishing non fiction, go for paperbacks! They should have 80 pages minimum otherwise they don't feel like books and customers will be disappointed. Care about the formatting, don't publish generic shit (generic titles, generic cover designs etc.) but give your content a personal / unique note.

Click to expand...

HI Pinger,

I've read a lot of your advice and it's always helped me. Thanks for visiting my thread!

You're right. Fiction seems to be a long term game. I've decided to make erotica one of the many niches I'm trying out on Kindle.

You're right about building a fan following, and I'm guessing it's take 100+ books know a single pen name and rigorous promotions (back matter, newsletter) to achieve that.

But most of my books are going to be non fiction. At least 70%.

I've been thinking about paperback as well. I was tinkering around with the kdp paperback feature yesterday. I think I've are most ignored it out.

Unfortunately, the books I've already publish date quote small (65-75 pages), so maybe I should create bundles out of them (they are in the same niche) before I create paperbacks?

Yesterday, I increased the process of my non fiction books to $2.99 from $0.99 be a useful the profits in the latter process point was an abysmal. Maybe I was wrong to have done that?

I figured my bundles would be more attractive if I did that.

I'm going to get on a consistent publishing schedule. I've been reading about the number 30. Just should probably get to 30 books per niche before I start getting recent revenues. What do you think? Am I being too optimistic?