Kindle Publishing Isn't As Tough As You Think

Kindle Publishing: Writing Isn't Beef Jerky, It's Not That Tough

So you have a story or idea to shake the very foundations of the fiction world. 

You can write it and self-publish it through Amazon's Kindle Publishing.

It's not as difficult as you may think.

Perhaps you have a tip to share that will make people healthier and happier.  

Or, maybe, you have a productivity hack that will make people more efficient at their jobs, and wealthier as a by-product.

And you want to share those ideas with the world.

You just know they would make a great story or ebook.

But how do you get started? 

The task can seem like a mountain instead of a molehill, especially if you've never written more than anything other than your name before.

Don't Fear The Page

It's easy to stare at a screen or sheet of paper and not know how, and where, to begin.  

It's normal.

But it's only normal because you give it the power over you.

The page is blank, empty, clean.

And it's waiting. 

It's waiting for you to write, to put your ideas onto it, and massage them to make something great spring from the page.

Think about writing as a conversation.  

Unless you suffer from an extreme case of Glossophobia (Wikipedia definition here), speaking with a friend, your family or even yourself, isn't a daunting challenge.

So why do you give writing more power over you than it deserves? 

Simply write in a plain, simple language.  

Talk to yourself and your family on the page and you'll find writing less stressful than you already make it.

Have Conversations With Your Audience: Chatting As Writing

Now that you realize that writing isn't something mysterious, you need to identify your ideal reader.

Who is the person you write for? 

 Is it someone you already know? 

Are they someone that you imagine would enjoy your thoughts? 

If so, then start writing to them.

Stephen King claims he always wrote to his wife.

Kurt Vonnegut claimed he wrote to his sister.

Whoever you choose to write to, once you can imagine how they will respond it becomes immensely easier.

Imagine what that ideal person just had for lunch, or dinner, or breakfast.  

The best idea to strengthen your writing is to write to a person you trust, know, and care about.  If you're uncomfortable writing to a real person, you can create an imaginary person.  

Think about what they look like, where they lived and grew up, what type of job and family they have, where they go for vacations.  

Anything you can think about to make them appear real to you and help you write to them in a friendly conversational tone.

If you imagine what your ideal reader likes, what they eat, what they dislike, and write to them like their sitting right next to you, you'll make your writing flow, get to your writing goal quicker, and be able to share your story and ideas with the world.  

If you're trying to get your stories out to the world, Kindle Publishing is a great way to go about it.  

But before you can publish, you need to know how to write more, and more effectively. 

Bite Sized Is The Right Size

Think about your writing like eating Thanksgiving dinner.

You sit down and on the table there's turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing. You pile it all on your plate in smaller portions.

And you grab a fork and knife.  You can't just shovel all that food into your mouth at once.

You cut the turkey, take a bite and chew. Absolutely delicious (unless you don't like Turkey, and then you can substitute your favorite food here).

What you've done is taken a huge feast, made it more manageable by plating it, and then cutting it into smaller and smaller bite-sized portions.

Writing should be thought about the same way.  Only think about writing in productivity terms.

Create a realistic target, maybe a word-count or a certain amount of time.

I've discussed the technique of using a timer as a tool in my post Get Off Your Ass And Write, and recommend the Pomodoro Technique.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

 

It's a productivity tactic of setting a timer for 20-25 minutes and working intensely for that duration. It's a great technique to that helps you improve productivity in short, intense bursts of activity. 

How it works:

Set a timer for a duration of time, but a short, manageable amount of time - 20 minutes is a great starting point. 

Once the timer hits, you take a 5 minute break from whatever tasks you're performing.  

Get up, walk away, do something to distract you from what you were just working on and come back once the break is over.

How To Improve Productivity By Using A Word Count

A technique that I like is setting a word count.

One easy word count to aspire is 500 words a day.  

500 words is about 2 pages of text with space left over. 

It'd take a reader about 5 minutes to read it. 

It's not that difficult. 

Think about it in a different way. 

Say you have an ebook idea that is targeting 15,000 words.  Daunting idea to write, edit and publish if you focus on the outcome. 

Instead, focus on 500 words at a sitting.  If you can do that, 500 words a day, it will only take 1 month to finish the first draft of your ebook idea. 

If you're writing in multiple bursts of 500 words in a day, you can dramatically reduce the length of time it will take you to complete it. 

But you need to sit down and get it done. 

And once you meet your daily word count or timeline, that's it. 

Don't keep going any longer. 

Earnest Hemmingway claimed that you should finish writing for the day when you still know what you're going to say next. 

This tip is great because it'll help you stay fresh and be able to have a good platform to begin writing with the next day.

You can see some other great Hemmingway tips on writing HERE.

Write In Doses, It'll Come Up Roses

By writing in short productive bursts and limiting your word count, you'll meet your daily limit easily.  Once you master 500 words or 25 minutes a day easily, you can add another element to your routine.  But only as long as you're able to make your initial word count and the new element without issue. 

You have an amazing story, an outstanding tip, or incredible hack to improve productivity and efficiency; you need to share it!

In summary:

•  Write to a person.  Make it someone you know well.

•  Write in a conversational tone.  We all communicate every day without hesitation.  Writing is no different.

•  Short, intense durations on a daily basis will beat one inspired, manic day.  Don't wait for inspiration, just sit down and write daily. 

And don't be afraid.  Let me say it again, just sit down and write daily. 

By writing in a conversational tone and in small manageable doses to a person you "know," you'll be able to write easier, quicker and get your story told in no-time. 

But you have to sit down and start.  

And once you finish, you can then go out and share your story with the world through Kindle Publishing.  

It's easier than you think.  

Kindle Publishing: How You Can Get Started

Kindle Publishing For Self-Starters

In this post, I'm going to discuss some of the process that you need to getting your own stuff out into the world with Kindle Publishing.

There's a NY Times article I read recently quotes a small Michigan Publisher that claims over 81% of Americans say they have a book in them.  

Most of us will never write one, much less publish it.

But don't let the doubts or "experts" get you down.

Do You Have A Book In You?  

You probably do.

If you've ever thought to yourself, "If only so and so knew this, it'd be..." or maybe you have a special knowledge and experience in something unique, or perhaps you have tips on how to improve something, than you DO have a book in you.

Even if you've just daydreamed what it'd be like to be a princess or king in some faraway fantasy (except, of course, if you really are a king or princess) than yes you do have a book to write.

With Kindle Publishing, fulfilling your dream of writing a book and seeing it published is a lot easier than you think.

You just need to get started.

With ebooks, getting your stuff out into the world is no longer isolated to just a chosen few.

But there are a few things you need to know before you try use Amazon's Kindle Publishing to self-publish.

Do You Leap, Or Do You Look Before You Leap?

Are you someone who is the first to try something?  The first one to try out a new restaurant?

Perhaps you wake up every day, energetic and need to burn off some energy.

Or are you someone who likes to plan out every activity, every task in meticulous detail.  Perhaps you like to watch others, make mental notes about what works and what doesn't for them.

Well, I'm a little of both.  I like to take risks, but I also like to learn something in great detail before I jump.  I wouldn't go skydiving without first learning how to pack my parachute, and then personally pack it.

Actually, I probably wouldn't go skydiving.  Anyone that knows me also knows how much I "like" flying.

Whether you're someone who likes the challenge of learning on the go, or someone interested in all the details and enjoys watching sausage be made, then let me share with you some of the finer points of my process with writing and publishing my short stories through Amazon's KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).

5 Basic Strategies For Getting Your Words Published Through Amazon's KDP Program

Straight from the horse's mouth of Amazon themselves, here some basic tips for kindle publishing that I'll be following (and wanted to share with you here):

1. Create Compelling Content:  Obviously writing something that readers would be interested in is a priority.  For non-fiction do some research (more on that type of research later) and find a problem that hasn't been addressed yet.  Or if it's something really competitive, find a way to spin information in your own way and make it interesting.  Tell a story that offers the problem for the audience and show them some tools to help solve that hurdle. 
2. Editing Means Reducing - Wash, Rinse and Repeat: Stephen King wrote in his book "On Writing" that the edit process should reduce the overall length of your writing by 10%.  So cut out an unnecessary section or passive terms. 
3. Create An Awesome Cover: Don't settle for trying to create a book cover for yourself.  People DO judge a book by its cover, so make it sleek, professional and polished. 
4. Tease Your Potential Reader And Describe Your Book To Improve Its Desirability: Book details offer an insight, a "sneak-peek" into your book, helps the reader get an idea of what its all about, and why they may want it. Do this well and advertising becomes much, much easier.
5. Promote Your Book:  Use ads, promote on social media including Facebook and Twitter to get the message out about your book launch. 

These are some of the finer points that will be the editing and marketing side of the process.  

These other suggestions I'll be exploring soon, and share how I develop my strategy as I get closer to launch.

If you ever have had a dream of writing your own book and worried that getting it published was one thing holding you back, it's much easier to launch your book than you think.  Especially with how popular the format of ebooks has become, it's simple.  

The traditional barriers that would have kept you from getting your thoughts, your words, your ideas out to the world are no longer that powerful of blocks.

There's a lot more that goes into the process and I'll be writing on that shortly, but don't let that discourage you.

You DO have a book in you and self-publishing through Kindle Publishing makes getting your words out into the world. 

You just need to get started writing.

Kindle Publishing Journey - Are You A Chicken Or A Pig? How To Increase Productivity By Making Bacon

Kindle Publishing Tips: Increase Productivity By Making Yourself Accountable 

This week, the process of my Kindle Publishing journey is about finishing.

Everyone has ideas, some are great, others aren't so much. 

The difference between what separates writers from authors is finishing and the difference between great and not so great can only be achieved after you finish. 

And the best way to finish something?  You have to start. 

You have to stay disciplined.  

Have a schedule of your time and stay dedicated to certain tasks during those times of the day and week.  

You can read about how to compartmentalize your writing and improve your productivity in this post (Get Off Your Ass And Write).

Part of the trick to staying on task is telling others what you plan to do.  Commit to the idea, take the necessary steps and follow through.  Then let your group challenge you some more.  

That step-by-step process is one great way to define productivity and improve your output. 

Everyone Needs A Tribe

Athletes train with a team.  It's how they push and challenge themselves to get better.

Especially in those moments when they want to stop, quit and walk away.  

But they make an agreement with each other.  If they need support, they have each other.

When they need a challenge, they're going through the struggle of training together.

It's what gets them out of bed in the early morning when they're sore, tired and unmotivated.

It's what gets them to run that extra sprint or lift that extra rep. 

That's one of the reasons why Boot Camps, as a form of after hours training, are so popular right now. 

People come together, agree to meet at the same time every day, and support and challenge each other. 

This commitment is one that is NOT to be broken.

That's what accountability is about, not letting those who count and depend upon you, down.

Currently there are two short stories in the pipe-line with a non-fiction concept in development.  The goal is to finish the stories this week and begin the writing phase of the non-fiction ebook.  

The ebook is dedicated to the step-by-step process I'll take to Kindle Direct Publishing of the stories I've written.

This is me, telling you, what my goals are for the week.

In order to accomplish them I needed to shout it loud here.  

My hope is that by telling you my goals, I'll have to put up or shut up.

Credibility is a hard thing to gain, and very easy to lose.  It's a form of trust between us. 

So that makes you, my imaginary audience, my group for the week.  I have to maintain the trust you've shown by reading this blog to stay on task.  

Are You A Chicken Or A Pig? 

In Johnny B. Truant's post at Sterling and Stone - What Defines You, he writes about the idea that as story tellers we need to be engaged with our own stories.

Even though it takes discipline to finish, and the topic of this post is all about finishing, the BEST way to finish something is to become committed and engaged with it. 

Writing should not be like sitting in a dentist chair, numb from novocaine and getting drilled.

You may be engaged, but you're not committed to the process.  

I've heard it said a different way - a coach asked his team about their commitment to the team with the following metaphor about the animals involved in their breakfasts:

If you had eggs and bacon for breakfast, what separates the chicken from the pig?

The chicken is dedicated, the pig is invested. 

So, you're my tribe.

And I'm a pig. 

Join me in the process and become bacon as well. 

Why Writers Should Think More Like Athletes To Meet Your Kindle Publishing Goal

Life Won't Help You With Your Kindle Publishing Goals

So Stop Waiting For It To Help

The greatest challenge to this adventure as a writer is just sitting down and producing.

I'm sure you understand.

Life has a way of throwing obstacles, hurdles and challenges at us.  This is a test for each of us.

One we MUST overcome.

It's true that the greater the challenge, the greater the importance to finish.

And that's true whether your challenge is to write kindle books, traditional books or other forms of self-publishing.

Why Writers Should Play Like A Champion

Think like an athlete.

They train hours upon hours.

They break down every muscle group, they grind to the point of fatigue and beyond.

They work to reach a level of failure.

They regroup, and strive for failure again.

But they know, that no matter how much they fail, they'll get back up and try again.

Why?

They have a passion to improve.

They understand that while failure can break them down, muscle tissue needs to tear in order to strengthen itself.

So they run an extra mile.  Or swim another set.  They lift another repetition at the end of a set.

With the knowledge that the process is bringing them one step closer to mastery.

The Challenge Is In Ourselves

We all have the same number of days in a week, and the same number of hours in a day.

The challange then is how we use our resources, our strengths, in those hours.

Are you willing to set aside the time necessary for what you want?  Or are you looking for reasons, for excuses, as to why you haven't done what you wanted to achieve?

Like an athlete, who schedules a time everyday to train, you must be disciplined at setting aside a block of time for what you want to achieve.

Writers Are Poor With Time Management Skills

Time management is a skill.

Like shooting a basketball or hitting a golf ball.  It must be honed daily, or the skills weaken.

So the challenge is setting aside some time everyday and working on your craft.  It doesn't have to be a big block of time.

If your goal is to write kindle books or some other type of book, time management skills are critical.

Stephen King has talked about how as an unknown writer, he would use his lunch break to work on his novel.

That novel became "Carrie".

Time Management And The Pomodoro Technique

Start small and build your creative stamina up over time.

Short, focused bursts of creativity with a managed time break is a good tip to help you achieve your goals.

This time management technique is known as the Pomodoro Technique.

Detailed in the early 90's the Pomodoro Technique is a strategy of beaking down a set of tasks into intervals of 20-25 minutes with a 5+ minute break from that activity.

You can apply this tactic in the early morning, late afternoon, or at night.  You can work in smaller increments, if necessary.

The task of writing can be difficult.

The challenge then is sitting down and writing.

Edit later.  But sit down and write.

If your goal of writing kindle books or other traditional publishing mediums is really important to you, you need to just write.

If time management is an issue, ask your self what 20 minutes you have free.

What can you, like Stephen King, do while on your lunch hour? How about before going to bed at night?

What time do you have to allow you to move one step closer than you started.

Marathon runners know not to look at how far they have to run, they focus their energy on putting one foot in front of the other.

Before long, they can't see the starting line but know they're that much closer to finish.

Just Write Then Publish With Kindle Publishing

Just Get Started With Amazon Kindle Publishing

Nike had it right.  In the late - 80's and through the 90's they had an iconic advertising slogan, which was "Just Do It".

And how does that apply to writing?

Too often we like to think about writing.  Without actually writing.

We daydream about the story lines, characters, the action.

We imagine the way it will be received, and let's be honest, sell.

But we don't write a word.

Some of the reasons we think about what holds us back are things like "if only I had more time". Or "once I get X, then I'll be able to write."

The truth is, there are plenty of hours in the day.

Stephen King spoke about how he'd find time in his day, before heading to work, during his lunch hour, and after his work day, to write, edit and eventually publish.

The novel he was working on?

Carrie.

If you were to follow the logical conclusion of their ad slogan, you'd be writing in ebook formats and using Amazon Kindle Publishing every day.

We're All Busy, Find A Way To Do What Matters 

Look, real life will intrude as it wants.  Doesn't matter who you are, or where you are in your life.

If that's what is getting in your way, they are, in the end, simple excuses for not writing.

It's the fear.  Fear of failing, of the anonymity that the process of writing requires.

The solitude of sitting behind a monitor, or a tablet.

They are, again, just excuses.

You Know What Your Passion Is, You Just Need To Believe In It

Currently I'm reading The Art Of Work by Jeff Goins.

It's an incredible resource about why, and how, we should try to live the life we are meant to as writers, creators, people.

If you'd like to get a copy, check out my affiliate link or go to Amazon directly.