How much $$ can you actually make self-publishing a book?
Yes, but....
Hi Oddies,
Jen Glantz here.
My new nonfiction memoir just came out!
It’s about my journey trying to find love after walking down everyone else’s aisle as a hired bridesmaid for strangers.
Someone in your life will find this book a much-needed lol-worthy escape from reality. So I’m sharing the link to grab a copy of the book on Amazon (less than $10).
I have written two other books in the past. Both were backed by major publishers. My last book was published by Simon and Schuster and lined my bank account with a massive cash advance. It was helpful because I had just been laid-off from my full-time job and I used that money to pay my bills while I went off and wrote + marketed the book.
After the book came out, all the money that was made went to my publisher. Once the book earns enough to pay them back for the advance they gave me, I’ll finally earn royalties from the book. Almost 8-years later, and that has not happened.
But this new book is entirely self-published. Nobody paid me to write it. BUT! Any money I make from the book goes directly to me. Some of it goes to Amazon because they print and ship the book, but the rest of the is mine.
This route is very different, but it can be lucrative. Plus, publishing empowers anyone to write a book and put it out there in the world. I dig that for all of us.
Let me explain how you can make money from publishing a book on your own, plus how much it cost me to launch this book, and more.
Ready? Scroll!
Ps. Anyone who grabs the book on Amazon this week gets a free Newlywed Card Game mailed to them! The perfect gift for an engaged/married friend + or yourself! Hit reply with a screenshot of your order + address details and the card game is yours!
👏 Let’s Work Together
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How much $$ can you actually make self-publishing a book?
Self-publishing a book is easy. Plus, it allows you to stay in control of every detail of the book, from the cover to the launch date to even how much you want to charge for it.
There are a lot of perks to going this route. I even think you can make decent money from self-publishing too. So let’s break it all down.
How Much it Cost Me to Self-Publish:
In full transparency, here's exactly how I self-published the book for $1,360 (using money I earned from my other books' sales).
P.S. You can do it for less money, but I wanted the book to look and feel top-notch and professional.
Here's the breakdown:
👉 Reedsy: Used this platform to write the book. It generates PDFs of the book so you can get a feel of how it will look. Cost: $0
👉Fiverr: I hired a book cover designer who did the cover art, the spine, and the back of the book. He also gave me a lot of images to use for promotion. Cost: $200
👉 Callie Walker (Editor/Proofreader): Worth every penny to have another set of eyes on the book. Hard to calculate cost because she proofread my chapters as I wrote them over the years. Cost: ~$400
👉Ines Monnet (Book formatter): Made the book look legit and beautiful inside. Cost: ~ $465
👉Bowker: Got my ISBN numbers here. This helps with distribution. Cost: $295, for 10 ISBN numbers -- so will have these for future books too. You can get free ISBN numbers via Amazon KDP publishing but the book has limited distribution if you go that route.
👉: Amazon KDP Publishing : I used this service to publish and print the book. So easy to use. Cost: $0 -- but they take a % of every book sold.
Want to see what the book looks like? Check it out here.
Now, let’s talk about how much money you can actually learn.
Understanding Direct Book Sales Revenue
The foundation of any self-publishing career starts with direct book sales. While many authors dream of bestseller status, understanding the actual economics of each sale helps set realistic expectations.
Through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), a paperback book priced at $14.99 typically yields $5.15 in royalties after deducting printing costs ($3.25) and distribution fees ($5.60).
This might seem modest compared to the list price, but it significantly outperforms traditional publishing royalties, which often range between 7-15%.
The digital marketplace offers more attractive margins through eBook sales.
Amazon KDP provides a 70% royalty rate for eBooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99, meaning a $9.99 eBook generates approximately $7 per sale.
Authors who develop their own websites can capture even higher margins, potentially keeping nearly 100% of the sale price, though this requires investing in marketing to drive website traffic. I also find that people trust Amazon more for purchases than your own website.
Successful authors typically implement multiple strategies to maximize direct sales. This includes strategic pricing based on genre standards, offering various formats (hardcover, paperback, eBook, and audiobook), and using promotional pricing to boost visibility.
Many authors find success building direct-to-reader sales channels through their websites and implementing email marketing campaigns to maintain consistent sales.
What’s worked for me so far:
Email campaigns (I have an email list of over 100,000 people).
Social media posts (I’ve been lazy about these but I notice when I post about the book, it drives a lot of traffic to the Amazon page).
How to Earn $100,000 Self-Publishing on Amazon: Breaking Down the Numbers
Let's break down exactly how many books you'd need to sell to reach $100,000 in revenue through Amazon KDP, using real numbers and different pricing strategies.
For paperback books on Amazon:
Average paperback price: $14.99
Printing cost: $3.25
Distribution fees: $5.60
Your royalty per book: $5.15
To reach $100,000 with paperback sales alone, you'd need to sell 19,418 copies ($100,000 ÷ $5.15).
For eBooks on Amazon:
eBook price: $9.99 (optimal for 70% royalty rate)
Your royalty per book: $6.99 (70% of $9.99)
To reach $100,000 with eBook sales alone, you'd need to sell 14,306 copies ($100,000 ÷ $6.99).
Most successful authors use a combined strategy:
10,000 paperback sales ($51,500)
7,000 eBook sales ($48,930) Total: $100,430 from 17,000 total books
To achieve these numbers, you typically need:
Strong platform (email list of 15,000+ subscribers)
Active social media presence
Regular marketing activities
Professional cover and editing
Multiple promotional campaigns
Consistent advertising budget ($1,000-2,000/month)
Strategic price promotions
Monthly sales targets:
834 paperback sales per month
584 eBook sales per month
Total: 1,418 books per month
A more realistic approach combines multiple revenue streams:
Direct book sales: $60,000 (11,650 books)
Speaking engagements: $20,000 (8 events at $2,500)
Online course: $15,000 (50 students at $297)
Consulting: $5,000 (10 clients at $500)
This strategy requires selling fewer books while maintaining higher overall income. Many six-figure authors focus on building these additional revenue streams rather than pursuing massive volume through Amazon alone.
Remember: Only about 1% of self-published authors reach six figures through book sales alone. Most successful authors combine multiple income streams to reach their revenue goals while selling fewer total books.
Maximizing eBook Revenue
Since eBook revenue has the most earning potential, it’s important to find ways to make your eBook stand out and look professional.
This is why I spent sooo much money on my book.
I hired a professional formatter and cover designer so my book looked legit.
Building Your Bulk Sales Strategy
This is a great strategy if you write a business book or get picked up by a book club / book of the month type club.
Bulk sales represent an often-overlooked goldmine in self-publishing. While individual book sales form the foundation, bulk sales can dramatically increase profitability through volume purchases.
When printing larger quantities (500+ copies), production costs typically drop to $3-4 per book, compared to $3.25 for print-on-demand. Even with a 50% discount off retail price, authors can earn $4-5 per book in bulk deals.
Success in bulk sales requires strategic positioning and relationship building. Authors need to identify organizations that could benefit from their books, such as corporations for employee training, educational institutions for curriculum enhancement, or non-profits for fundraising initiatives.
Creating supplementary materials, like implementation guides or training programs, adds value and justifies bulk purchases.
Building relationships with decision-makers becomes crucial. This involves attending industry events, networking through professional associations, and leveraging LinkedIn connections.
Extra Income Sources
Beyond traditional sales, authors generate substantial income through speaking engagements ($1,500-10,000 per event), consulting services ($200-500/hour), and online courses ($97-997). Many create membership communities ($27-97/month) or licensing programs for steady recurring revenue. The most successful authors typically build a comprehensive ecosystem around their book, including:
Professional speaking and training programs
Online courses and digital products
Consulting and coaching services
Bulk sales to organizations
Licensing and rights deals
Membership communities
Corporate training programs
Information product suites ($27-2,997+)
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How do you prevent/deal with pirating of your books on Amazon?
I published several books then resellers pirated them with no money going to me. The books had isbin #'s & were copyrighted.
Going after pirates is impossible as they all hide behind the internet. Amazon was no help. I finally pulled the books off Amazon.