KDP Self-publishing Mistakes
Today, my book Perseverance of the Human Spirit is available. This is my third poetry book and I have learned so much along my self publishing journey. I wanted to share a bit of the common errors that can occur during formatting with Amazon’s KDP Publishing. Goodness knows… I have had my fair share. I wanna also give a shootout to all the creatives and future creatives. The dream isn’t easy, but somehow we make it happen.
So I’m just gonna be frank… Sometimes self-publishing is a mind numbing process. I mean like I’m tired just thinking about it. But there is no greater joy then holding your book and knowing that your reaching peoples hearts and minds. I published an eBook with an accompanying print version and I have encountered various issues that halted production. So I’m gonna be a open book and share all of them with you.
- Be firm with your Title. You can not change it in the slightest once it is printed. If you choose to buy an ISBN instead of using Amazon’s free option, it can get tricky. Anytime you use an ISBN from Bowker, the registered title has to match exactly. So if you change the capitalization even slightly by accident when filling in the print or eBook information for KDP then the ISBN will be rejected. Visit bookwire.com to look up the registration information. Same thing with the imprint if it is slightly off then the information entered on the book’s content page can’t be saved and you receive and error message. Publishing the book becomes nearly impossible. It’s easier if you use the free ISBN but it’s harder to transfer the book to non-accessible amazon platforms later on -just food for thought.
- Spelling Counts. Typically, the first book isn’t a best seller but you should still give it your all because good work matters more than sales. So hiring an editor can save a lot of grammatical heartbreak. I speak from experience when I say, readers are turned off by misspelled words. You don’t want to look back over your book and have regrets over it’s quality. But many indie authors and especially poets don’t have 300.00 dollars for an editor and that’s on the low end… So hard decisions about budgeting may require you to edit your own book. If this is the case, find family or friends that are willing to read and support your artistic journey. Their assistance can help you proof read, this will help you catch mistakes you may causally miss.
- The Book’s Trim Size Matters. I can’t express this enough. You can’t alter the trim size once the print book has been published via Amazon. So make sure the size you selected is what you want. Use a ruler to envision the measurements.
- Margins Are Important. This affects the whole structure of the book so it’s critical that you get an idea of what the inside margin (gutter) and the outside margins look like. KDP bases the margin size on the page count so it varies.
- Order An Author Copy or Two. Once you get to see the physical embodiment of your work you will have a better understanding of how the book looks. It will inform you on what does and what doesn’t work with regards to formatting and look. Feel free to write in it, make corrections and keep detailed notes to alter book structure if necessary.
- Cover Image Resolution. The KDP website says that you need at least a 300 DPI for resolution and any thing under that won’t be accepted. Resolution is the degree to which an image or device can record or reproduce detail. This is commonly stated as dots per inch , dpi, or, more correctly, pixels per inch, ppi (Mendelson, 2012).
- Have Fun. The biggest mistake I made while editing is forgetting to enjoy myself. It’s easy to make progress when your positive. Making mistakes are part of the learning curve and we must grow with it. Sometimes the obstacles we view as hurdles are only there to teach us how to jump higher.
Checkout my new poetry book Perseverance of the Human Spirit available via Amazon:
I hope this post is helpful. Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments. Happy Publishing!
Thank you for reading!
Love always, Esha ❤
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