Self Publishing Advice: Amazon KDP vs. Publishing Companies
For my debut novel The Manhattan Mishap, I published through a company. However, with my second and third books, Thirteen Emotions and Too Busy 4 Heartbreak, I decided to take things even more into my own hands. Why? More control. I wouldn’t say I’m a control freak, but I did want to be able to put my work out into the world exactly the way I wanted it to be. My self publishing advice? Trust your gut.
I know that “trust your gut” is super cliché but it’s true. When it comes to self publishing you have to be in tune with what you want. Otherwise, you’ll be lost. There are sooo many books out there. And authors trying to publish, market their books, become successful. After all, if it’s one of my goals to become a popular chick lit author then I’m sure other people out there are thinking the same.
Alright, so here’s a breakdown of what I loved, loathed, and learned using a publishing company versus Amazon to publish my books.
Self-Publishing Advice: Amazon KDP vs. Publishing Companies
What I loved . . .
Having an editor review my book with the publishing company was incredible. I got great feedback and truly felt like it helped make my book better. Much better. Of course, as the author, I’m always finding ways it could be even better. But I have to learn to let it go. Let it breathe and just be. An editor telling me my book was “hilarious” and a fun read start-to-finish was very flattering to hear.
Of course, it’s not all flattery. There were a lot of edits to be made. I think I ended up deleting over 14,000 words from the draft and rewriting entire chapters. But in the end it was all worth it.
The thing I loved most about using Amazon was control. Everything was up to me—from the publishing date to the cover design to the interior content. My books are thoroughly me. I could do everything just the way I wanted to. And if I wanted to change the publishing date, then I could. If I wanted to go back and make changes, I could do so as many times as I wanted until I felt like it was 100% ready to go.
What I loathed . . .
With the publishing company, I only had a certain number of revisions allowed for the interior content and the cover(s). It wasn’t enough. I could have gone 10 rounds but was limited to three. If I wanted more, it was going to cost me. Big bucks. More than I wanted/was able to pay. Not being able to meet in person—this was during the pandemic and I was in a different city than the “publishers”—was tough, too. I felt like I couldn’t properly convey the vibe I was going for. The aesthetic was all wrong.
On the other hand, with Amazon KDP, there’s no one to help you. You have to do everything yourself. Unless, of course, you hire people to edit and create the covers. But if you want to save some money, it’s all up to you. It can be overwhelming at times. I mean, the amount of work that goes into publishing a book is insane! And if you’re doing all the work yourself, then all mistakes are on you too. Hey Siri, play “Pressure” by Ari Lennox.
Something in particular I loathed when using Amazon KDP is the scheduling aspect. In some ways it’s helpful to be able to schedule your book for publishing. However, if you notice a mistake after the editing window has closed, you’ll have to wait to fix it until the book is already live. Talk about traumatic. I don’t want people seeing mistakes that I’ve caught and am able to fix!
What I learned . . .
Seeing the publication process from beginning to end with the publishing company was very insightful. It helped me learn the steps and what to do if and when I would decide to publish on my own. That definitely helped me feel more confident when publishing through Amazon KDP the second and third times. I learned that I like doing things my way. I like earning more royalties. And I also like being able to have the ability to take my book offline if I want or make edits down the line easier.
Ultimately, my self publishing advice for first-time authors would be to do your research. Perhaps you’ll try what I did and have a company hold your hand through the process initially before you feel ready to do it on your own. Or you might just go straight to self publishing by yourself. Just remember to trust your gut. (And drink more water while you’re at it.)
Which path will you be taking? Comment below and let me know.
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