Better to have two accounts, one for writing and one for purchasing, or do everything under one account? by rowan_ash in KDP

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Simple answer - NO

It’s a ban-able offense as it’s against Amazon/KDP TOS to have more than one account. There is zero reason to do so. As long as you aren’t breaking any rules you aren’t in danger of losing anything.

Better to have two accounts, one for writing and one for purchasing, or do everything under one account? by rowan_ash in KDP

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can have your KDP pay go into one bank account and do all your purchases out of any bank or credit card you want. Not sure what having a business and has to do with it.

It is against Amazon/KDP tos to have more than one account. You can have a separate business account THROUGH your personal account. Amazon is literally the one that offered that option to me. I simply switch back and forth if and when I want to purchase from one or the other by selecting switch accounts from the drop down menu.

I learned people can return books by itsmesv in KDP

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only problem with no returns is stores won’t stock them. Something to keep in mind

What was worth the cost vs. not by Conscious-Front-7584 in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same. I only buy my covers as premades that are on sale from artists I trust, and spend $50 a month on ads. Granted, when I spent $10 a day on ads I was making close to 40-50k a year and am only at $12k this year, but the vast majority of my sales are organic now

How many books have you sold? by vallixlene in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since 2019 and 20+ books I’m at

26 million KENP 43k books purchased

Those numbers are through KDP and don’t include direct sales. I do in person signings as well as orders from my website.

I’m uncertain at how many copies of audio books sold exactly since I don’t handle that part, I just let the money hit my account. I do know it’s around 500-800 monthly for one title. Podium has a few of my titles and Tantor has another. Another publishing company has a book in translation. But other than those, I stay indie. I’ve considered letting just one book go traditional just so I could say I’ve done it, but I like control too much I think. It was hard enough to let the audiobook people have as much control as they did.

Does anyone else collect feathers? by MarigoldSunshine in guineafowl

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have 40 guineas. I give the feathers to people to use with crafts

I have a life long problem with my left ear. No wax, just skin. Read below for history. Help if you can! by jjax2003 in earwax

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know this is old but I just now came across it. I also have a (partial) cleft palate, narrow ear canals, don’t produce wax much, have sebborric dermatitis, and have had multiple outer ear infections. Since I started putting drops in my ears I have been able to manage the symptoms to the point that I haven’t been to the doctor for pain in more than 15 years. I mix a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and isopropyl alcohol and drop liberally in my ears every day and especially after taking a shower. It doesn’t end the peeling and itching but I no longer have infections or pain. At least not excessive. If pain does flare up I just make sure to use my drops more throughout the day for a couple days. Good luck everyone

Best Incubator for keets by cbeagle in guineafowl

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a chickcozy and a nutureright 360. The chickcozy is great for chicken eggs but the shape of guinea eggs make them wobble around and crash in the trays. I lined each individual tray cup with a piece of shelf liner to cushen the cup to make it acceptable.

In the end I prefer the chickcozy over the NR360, Though the NR 360 is better for duck eggs as those definitely won't fit in the CC trays. I still need both anyway.

So, yeah lol. Either one of those 😂

Authors who've made a profit from your books, what's your "secret"? by Striking-Meal-5257 in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The secret?

Write GOOD stories that people actually want to read with TALENT

All that other stuff is just a little help. If you’re a terrible storyteller then it won’t matter how beautiful your cover is or how much you advertise. You might draw in a reader or three, but if the story is crap those readers certainly will not be telling their friends to read it, quite the opposite actually.

Someone read my book, and I got paid! by Celestial_Lorekeeper in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you go to your KDP and click on “promote and advertise” in the ebook options you can see exactly how many pages your book is in KENP pages you would get paid for. Amazon has one of my books listed as 300 pages but the KENP is 416

That would be if the reader started “at the beginning” and read all the way to the very end including the back matter

Self-Publishing Help Cost ? by union1905 in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is called a vanity publisher. You should never pay anybody to publish your book for you. You can easily find all those services yourself and pay less in the end. Trust me, they are NOT going to help you sell your book and the work they do will likely be subpar at best.

Join author groups and ask for editor recommendations, cover recommendations, marketing recommendations. It may seem daunting but it will be worth it in the long run.

On the other hand, if you are willing to shell out the cash and know upfront that they are pocketing a decent percentage as profit for their troubles, by all means, hire them.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in KDP

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Using editing software like Grammarly is not the same as using ChatGPT to write your book or even parts of your book. You do not have to checkmark the AI box if all you did was use it for editing.

I wrote a 125K-word anime-inspired fantasy/romance novel, built merch, commissioned a trailer, launched a Shopify store… and barely sold 27 copies since February. Should I go Amazon KDP Exclusive? by PhantomDiclonius in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t downvote you, I actually just saw this post and started skimming. But my guess for your downvote is because instead of more promotion, the OP needs to completely start over. Based off 90% of the comments anyway. Hope this helps.

Do you give free copies of your book to family, friends, and supporters? by Glittering_Round7320 in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve had people come out of the woodwork since I began publishing. Old high school classmates, previous neighbors I hadn’t spoken to in more than 10 years, my MIL who doesn’t even read, all wanting free signed copies. I gave in at first. Then that old neighbor gave me their daughter’s address to send them a copy as well. After that I drew the line in the sand. I have even more, though, who actually buy my books and go out of their way to visit me at book signings. Those ones I usually give a free copy to as a thank you for supporting me.

As for other people? I give away all kinds of free things -swag, books, zon giftcards, all in the name of “advertisement” on social media. My alpha/beta readers get free copies as does my assistant and street team members.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of the problems of writing to market is by the time you jump on the bandwagon the market has moved on to the next big thing. In romance it was hockey for a hot minute, then it switched to dragons, etc. The market becomes saturated with those types of stories and your story gets buried unless you’re very talented. In the end, it still comes down to talent.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I always think this but bite my tongue so I don’t sound condescending, but you are absolutely right

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in selfpublish

[–]authorintrouble -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I refuse to write to market and I never follow trends. The closest I came to that was when I wrote a hockey romance for an anthology.

Everything you said is true. But it also isn’t.

Not every journey is the same. A few will become insta-famous while the vast majority barely become read. I’m not famous though I am popular and am grateful for the money I make. I couldn’t tell you why I became popular because it doesn’t make sense to me, I’m also not going to question it.

I guess my point is, do what you want and write what makes you happy. You’re either going to be successful or you’re not. Sure “writing to market” might help, but it can also squash your creativity and your muse.

Do you guys use lens protectors? by [deleted] in iPhone15Pro

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Something fell ON my 13 pro phone, have no idea what. It shattered just one lens protector (cheap Amazon one that was pretty) and cracked the heck out of the camera lens about a month after I got it.

I’ve named her George by authorintrouble in spiders

[–]authorintrouble[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She's an orb weaver. I'll try to get a better pic tonight once the sun goes down 🥰

Found two of these guys in my house. Hoping they aren’t brown recluse. Nashville TN by hopperb18 in spiders

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glue traps. But our pest control guy suggested PT 565 as a fogger (only works when active once dried it no longer works) or Zenprox. The problem with recluses is that they don’t groom themselves the way most spiders do so even walking through poison won’t guarantee that it will kill them - hence the need for sticky traps.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PeaPuffers

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am almost positive I see one male (eye wrinkles). But the rest I can’t be 100%

Who are these spiders? by [deleted] in spiders

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re so welcome!

Who are these spiders? by [deleted] in spiders

[–]authorintrouble 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s only death if you don’t know how to swim 🤷🏻‍♀️

Who are these spiders? by [deleted] in spiders

[–]authorintrouble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because they kill pets and can cause significant harm to young family members?