Is Amazon KDP Profitable? The Realities of Self-Publishing Earnings (2024)

With dozens of side hustles popping up every week, let's cut to the chase. You want something that's going to be worth your time and energy. And not just that, but also brings in a decent income. So, here's the big question: Is Amazon KDP profitable?

The short answer is yes! With KDP, you are completely in control of your time, energy, AND income month-to-month. Of course, not everyone is going to be successful, but that's true of any business or side hustle out there. Keep reading to see what it takes!

Jumpstart your passive income journey: Check out our free webinar and discover how to find a profitable niche and turn it into thousands or even tens of thousands deposited straight to your bank account every month with just an Amazon KDP account.

Can You Actually Make Money with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing?

You can definitely make real money with the eBook market via Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). In fact, thousands of self-published authors and entrepreneurs have used KDP to distribute various types of written content, including both fiction and non-fiction books, along with low and no-content books like journals and planners. But there are some caveats...

When it comes to evaluating the profit potential of Amazon KDP, there are several factors that can influence your earnings. Let's break them down:

Factors Influencing Earnings

Your Book's Price: Pricing your book as high as possible won't guarantee more book sales (and might scare potential readers away). Dynamic pricing for Kindle books takes more work but reaps greater rewards!
Your Marketing Strategy: Marketing includes everything from Amazon Kindle advertising to building a social media following and reaching out to book bloggers and reviewers. (Some of these strategies are much more effective than others. Hint: Running Amazon Kindle ads is worth it and will bring you quicker results than the others)
Your Book's Genre: Certain genres tend to sell better than others on Amazon KDP. Non-fiction tends to make more money than fiction, but that shouldn't stop you from trying to publish eBooks in other genres, like science fiction, if it’s something you really want to do!

Ultimately, there's a big difference between being a published author and a business owner. Neither path is better than the other, but if you really want to test the limits of how much Amazon KDP pays, you'll need to put on your CEO hat and take ownership of your publishing business.

The Self-Publishing Process on Amazon KDP

Traditional publishing is out; self-publishing on Amazon is in! With KDP, you have complete control over your book's creation, pricing, and distribution.

Here's a quick overview of the process to get your books published on Amazon:

Book Creation and Setup

To get started with KDP, you'll need to create an account and upload your book in a digital format, such as a Word document or PDF. KDP offers a variety of formatting tools and templates to help you create a professional-looking eBook or print book. You'll also need to provide a book cover, which can be created using KDP's cover creator tool or by hiring a professional designer.

After your book is uploaded and formatted, you'll need to fill out the book details, including the title, author name, book description, and keywords. You'll also need to choose the book's categories and age range and decide whether to enroll in the KDP Select program, which offers additional promotional tools and distribution options.

Marketing and Promotion

After your book is published on KDP, it's up to you to market and promote it. KDP offers aspiring authors and publishers a variety of promotional tools, such as Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions, which can help boost your book's visibility and sales. You can also use social media, email marketing, and book review sites to attract readers.

To target readers worldwide, you need to know what they're searching for when they're on the KDP platform. Keyword research is going to be one of your superpowers when it comes to crafting effective Kindle marketing strategies and promotional strategies. You'll use these keywords in your book title, book description, and paid advertising.

How Much Profit Does Amazon KDP Take?

When you publish a Kindle eBook, you have two book royalty options: 35% and 70%. Your choice between these rates affects the profit you can earn on each book sold.

35% Royalty Option

Available globally for books with a minimum list price of $0.99.
No delivery fee is charged, meaning your royalty is 35% of the book's list price.

70% Royalty Option

Available in select countries.
Has a minimum list price of $2.99 and a maximum of $9.99.
Delivery fees apply, which are deducted from the list price before calculating your royalty.

The delivery fees for Kindle eBooks are based on file size. To calculate how much you can earn from your print books, visit our handy new KDP calculator here!

How Often Does KDP Pay?

Although Amazon pays royalties every single month, the Amazon KDP Pay schedule runs for 60 days. This means you won't see January's profits until March. The good news is that with direct deposit, your royalties will automatically be deposited into your bank account without any additional effort required on your part. If payments are late, you can read our guide on Amazon not paying royalties.

Pro Tip: Waiting those first 60 days can be frustrating, but if you're publishing books consistently or marketing your existing titles consistently, this isn't something you'll have to worry about for very long.

How Much Can You Make from Amazon KDP in a Month?

Let's get the disclaimer out of the way. The income from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) varies greatly among indie authors and publishers, depending on marketing efforts, book quality, and audience reach. Realistic earnings expectations are hard to define due to these variables, but incomes range from a few dollars to over $10,000 per month for some top-performing authors and publishers.

Income from KDP is a result of royalties earned from each book sold or borrowed. Here's what you might expect:

Low-tier earnings: If you're brand new to KDP with no business plan and minimal marketing, it's not uncommon to make less than $300 a month. But it’s also not unheard of for self-publishers to “accidentally” make over $10k from one book. To hear these stories, check out our Student Success Hub!
Mid-tier earnings: With consistent marketing and a growing catalog, monthly earnings can range from $300 to $1,000+.
High-tier earnings: Successful KDP authors with multiple books and strong marketing strategies report earnings upwards of $10,000-$50,000 monthly range.

Obviously, there's a pretty big difference between each of these intervals, but the mid- and high-tier earnings aren't as impossible or uncommon as they might seem. We'll introduce you to three AIA students of ours who are living proof in the next section.

Is Amazon KDP Worth It? Passive Income Success Stories

We'd like to introduce you to four everyday people who never would have thought they'd enter the publishing industry, let alone make life-changing income from it. These people didn't know anything about writing, editing, designing, or implementing effective marketing strategies. And yet, they were all able to generate sales and start making passive income online with Kindle.

Stephanie overcame multiple setbacks in her own life and decided to turn that pain into power. Now, she inspires teens worldwide to work on their personal development and faith.

If you think you need to be an expert and get everything perfect to make this business model work for you, think again. Even without running any Amazon ads or any special promos, Sandy made $1k from a book that took her less than a week to put together.

Taig and Anthony are two buddies who decided to take advantage of Amazon's dominance in the publishing industry by teaming up together. It was the best decision they ever made, and it wasn't long before they hit their first $10k month together.

Maximizing Profitability and Amazon KDP Quick Tips

Amazon KDP is a goldmine (if you know how to tap into the best ideas).

Calculating Business Costs

Amazon doesn't charge you to upload your books to the Kindle Store or Kindle Marketplace, and there won't be any ridiculous shipping costs, unlike traditional publishers who might charge you for a print run of 1,000+ books.

That means you can get started for free! The "hidden costs" to publish a book on Amazon might include cover design, editing, and formatting, but these costs are also in your control. You'll need to deduct them from your royalties to determine your actual profit at the end of every month. Estimating these figures accurately upfront will help you price your book effectively and understand the volume of sales needed to achieve your financial goals.

Pro Tip: This will all get easier over time as you publish more books and gain more hands-on experience. You don't need a business degree to be successful!

Exploring Profitable Niches and Categories

You'll hear the word "niche" a lot in the publishing industry. It's really just a fancy word for "category" or "topic." Researching and understanding market demand is key to finding the most lucrative niches.

All the best niches are hiding in plain sight. Here's how to find them:

Use Amazon's Best Seller lists to identify popular genres.
Explore categories related to your interests and expertise or topics related to what's been trending in the world.
Analyze keywords for prospective niches to assess demand and competition using tools like KDPSpy.
Analyze the book reviews of your competitors.
Take note of what your competitors did and did NOT do well to make your book more valuable to your potential readers!

Diversifying Your KDP Portfolio

To maximize your earnings on Amazon KDP, diversifying your portfolio can help mitigate market fluctuations and tap into various reader interests. Including different types of books, like low-content books, full-text novels, audiobooks, and planning tools, broadens your reach and offers stability.

When you're building your own publishing business, you never have to do anything you don't want to do, so if this sounds like too much work and you want to focus on your full-length books instead, go for it! But if you're interested in selling lower-priced books to bulk out your library, read on!

Exploring Low-Content Books

Low-content books like notebooks and coloring books require minimal text but have a high potential for creativity and customization. These items probably won't make up the bulk of your book sales, but they're appealing because:

They often have shorter creation and production times.
You can cater to many niches by modifying cover designs and interior pages or layouts.
They can add a nice bonus to your monthly royalties.

Pro Tip: Focus on trends and seasons to keep your low-content offerings fresh and in demand. You can even use AI tools, like Dall-E and Midjourney, to streamline the process.

Considering Other Book Types Like Novels and Audiobooks

Diversifying beyond low-content books means crafting novels or creating audiobooks. These are content-rich formats that involve:

A lengthier production process but can attract dedicated readers.
Possible collaboration with voice actors for audiobook editions to tap into an audience that prefers listening (which requires a small investment)

Our beginner-friendly AIA publishing course focuses exclusively on non-fiction because those are the eBooks, audiobooks, and print books that our process has been tested with thousands and thousands of times. But this is your journey!

Leveraging Ancillary Products like Journals and Planners

Journals and planners are products that offer practical value to customers and build on your existing content library. They stand out by being:

Customizable to various lifestyles, whether for travel planning, meal prepping, or daily organization.
Opportunity-rich for cross-promotion with your other book types, serving as a great way to retain customers within your portfolio.
Another way to establish your credibility and brand reputation as a publisher.

Pro Tip: Consider bundling similar themed journals and planners with your low-content or narrative books for promotions. Taig and Anthony (the duo you met earlier in this post) explained their process for creating backend products above!

Advanced KDP Strategies

Going one step further than the basic tips and tricks that all first-time publishers use is the difference between making a passive income for a month or for a lifetime.

Here's the breakdown:

Mastering Keyword Research for Greater Visibility

Selecting the best Kindle publishing keywords are the backbone of discoverability on Amazon. When selecting keywords for your book:

Aim for relevance: Your chosen keywords must align closely with your content to attract the right audience (and also comply with Amazon's content guidelines).
Use tools: Utilize keyword research tools to find terms and phrases that readers commonly use when searching for books in your genre.
Analyze competitors: Look at best sellers in your category for inspiration on keywords, but avoid keyword stuffing (unless you want to face Amazon’s wrath).

Developing a Long-Term Publishing Strategy

Lastly, think of your Amazon KDP venture as a marathon, not a sprint. Business owners play the long game because that’s where the sustainable and consistent earnings are.

Plan your series: If you're writing a series, plan the titles ahead and consider how they'll connect. A cohesive series can build an engaged readership.
Consistent branding: Your title, cover design, and marketing material should be consistent and professional, supporting a reliable brand that readers can trust.
Stay adaptable & don’t give up! The niches that are most popular today might not be popular a month from now, but the reverse is also true! There have been several students in our community who woke up to an extra $10k+ in their bank account from a surprise boost in sales and then went on to maintain those sales month after month.

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Common Challenges and Solutions

You’ve got the facts about the income, and you’ve seen what’s possible. Here are some of the most common publishing snags people run into:

Dealing with Competition

Self-publishing on Amazon KDP means you'll face a lot of competition. It just is what it is. But there are thousands of niches and just as many sub-niches waiting for you. Find a unique angle or perspective that sets your book apart from others in the same genre.

Overcoming Visibility Issues

Visibility is key to success on Amazon KDP. If readers can't find your book, they won't buy it. One solution is to optimize your book's metadata, including title, subtitle, description, and keywords. Make sure they accurately reflect your book's content and target audience. Another solution is to utilize Amazon's categories and subcategories. Choose the most relevant and specific categories for your book to increase its chances of appearing in search results.

Getting More Reviews

The review process on Amazon has changed a lot over the years, and it's likely to change more in the future. All you need to worry about is building a base of positive reviews to sell your book for you. Encourage readers to leave reviews by including a call-to-action in your book's back matter. Offer advanced reader copies to book bloggers and reviewers in exchange for an honest review.

Developing Essential Skills

You'll need to hone your skills not just in writing but also in copyediting, formatting, and marketing (or you can practice outsourcing, which is also a skill that takes practice). Sometimes, you’re not the right person for the job, and delegating is the best solution to do right by your readers.

Understanding KDP’s Algorithms:

Grasping how the Amazon algorithm affects book discoverability is key to boosting your sales. To stay up to date, you can join social media groups to network with other self-publishers on Facebook and LinkedIn, or you can read blogs like this one!

Maintaining Rights and Control:

Keep a close check on the rights you give away. With KDP, you retain the rights to your book, allowing you flexibility in how you sell and distribute. The same can’t always be said for working with a traditional publishing house or vanity press.

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You Can Self-Publish Too!

If you're ready for an even deeper dive into making money with Amazon KDP, head on over to our free webinar to claim your ultimate passive income freedom blueprint. You’ll be introduced to even more self-publishing success stories and leave with the exact steps you need to start making money online.

With self-publishing, anything is possible:

-Saying goodbye to the 9-5 life forever

-Leaving an industry you’re miserable in to pursue your passions

-Getting royalties while you sleep

-Finding the true meaning of a work/life/family balance

Don't put off your dreams another day!