Publishing on Amazon: Is self-publishing a book worth it?
Are you like me and have always dreamed about having your name on the cover of a book?
Ever since I was little I remember filling notebooks and eventually my family’s PC with stories (oops!) Becoming an author has always been the *dream*. I chose and continue to choose self-publishing because that’s something I wanted to make happen for myself. I didn’t want to wait to be picked or told my story was good enough by a traditional publisher.
One of the most common questions I get asked by those with a similar dream is if self-publishing is actually profitable and worth the time and money investment.
To be frank, nothing in life is free. Both forms of publishing require a time and money investment. Self-publishing means that it requires an upfront investment by the author.
So, with these expenses in mind - is self-publishing actually worth it?
In my opinion, YES! If having your name on a published book and creating a passive income stream is important to you then I think it’s 100% worth it. Here’s why:
1. It’s easy to make your initial investment back
As a self-published author, you are responsible for getting your final assets online. That means a final edited manuscript and design assets (including your cover and interior design of the manuscript). If you have some design or editing skills (or the time to learn how to DIY!) you can probably do some of the work yourself to reduce your upfront costs.
My first journal cost me about $800 to make, and I made that back on my initial launch! From there your work becomes an evergreen revenue source, meaning you continue to make money off of it without having to do any more work. I’m still making income from my very first publication!
2. There are other benefits besides monetary
If you’ve seen some of my other content (like this TikTok) I’ve discussed in length all of the benefits I’ve received from self-publishing. These include
Credibility in your industry by having a published title in your niche
Global exposure on a huge platform
A new network of potential customers
Increased searchability for your business
3. It’s great experience and a foot in the door for future publishing opportunities
Starting with something smaller such as a journal, workbook or shorter book means a smaller investment upfront along with the experience you need & opportunity to create more content in the future with an audience you’ve already built trust with.
Plus, a low purchase price but high value is a great way to help move people to your higher-priced services.
4. It gives you a tangible tool to use to help build your business/exposure
Having access to Amazon’s wholesale & print on-demand services means that you can easily gift clients, provide copies for prizes or provide copies to VIPs in your network at little cost to you without having to pay for shipping or storing a bunch of copies.
You can include this tangible tool as additional or supplementary material in events, courses or services you provide at your discretion! This is a very cool unique perk to self-publishing that in my opinion, almost alone makes it worth it! E-books are great but there’s nothing like a beautifully printed book to help you grow your business.
Of course, these perspectives are offered by someone who has exclusively self-published. But these experiences are not uniquely mine! I’ve helped dozens of women self-publish complementary tools and beautiful books and become best-selling authors.
If you’re interested in learning more about self-publishing I highly recommend watching this video about self-publishing or booking a VIP intensive session. I’m here to help answer all your manuscript and self-publishing questions!
