📚 Did You Know We Have a Community Book Directory? One of the best ways to support fellow members is by checking out the books created by authors right here in our community. We've built a Book Directory filled with titles submitted by members, making it easy to discover new books, support other authors, and connect with fellow publishers. Take a few minutes to browse the directory and see if anything catches your eye. You might just find your next great read! 👉 Want your book featured? Drop a link to your book in the comments below and I'll add it to the directory for FREE. 👉 Please limit submissions to ONE book per author so the directory stays manageable and easy to maintain. PS - I do offer a featured book post for $10 for a 24 hour pinned post. OR for $50 a one week pinned post + email to the community. Let's support each other and help our community authors get more visibility! 🚀📖

Okay, I've been seeing more questions pop up about ISBNs. Many people think they must buy one before publishing a book, but that isn't always true. Here's a simple breakdown: 📚 You probably DON'T need to buy an ISBN if: ✅ You're publishing only on Amazon KDP ✅ You are okay with Amazon showing as the publisher ✅ You're testing a book idea before investing more money ✅ You're creating low-content books, journals, or books under a pen name where publisher branding isn't important Amazon will actually give you a FREE ISBN for paperbacks and hardcovers. Now here is when buying your own ISBN may make more sense: 💡 Consider buying your own ISBN if: ✅ You want to publish your book beyond Amazon (Barnes & Noble, bookstores, IngramSpark, libraries, etc.) ✅ You want YOUR name or publishing company listed as the publisher instead of Amazon ✅ You're building a long-term publishing brand ✅ You plan to expand into multiple distribution channels One thing many people don't realize: ❌ One ISBN does NOT cover everything. Each format typically needs its own ISBN: • Paperback = 1 ISBN • Hardcover = 1 ISBN • Ebook = usually not required on KDP For beginners, I usually suggest keeping costs low and using the free KDP ISBN while learning the process. You can always invest more as your publishing business grows. Question for you: Did you buy your own ISBN, or did you use the free KDP option?

I’ve been getting this question a lot lately, and recently posted by @Mk Duma and I think there’s a big misconception around it. Some people assume that physical books are fading out and everything is moving digital… but that’s not what I’m seeing at all. In my own numbers, I consistently get more paperback sales than ebooks—and that’s not by accident. It’s part of how I structure my strategy. The truth is, people still want physical books. There’s something about holding a book, flipping through pages, highlighting, or even just having it sit on your shelf that makes it feel more valuable. It’s also easier to gift, and for a lot of readers, it creates a better overall experience. And if you zoom out for a second, the market is showing us the same thing. Barnes & Noble is actively expanding again. They’re opening new stores, investing in high-traffic locations, and doubling down on the in-store experience—including a major new presence in downtown Chicago. Companies don’t invest millions into retail space unless there’s real demand. That alone should tell you that physical books are far from dead—they’re actually gaining momentum again. Now, let’s bring this back to KDP and how this affects your strategy. With ebooks, your royalty is capped. You only earn 70% if your book is priced between $2.99 and $9.99. If you go outside that range, it drops to 35%. So you’re already working within tighter margins. Paperbacks, on the other hand, give you more flexibility. You can price them higher, they feel more premium to the buyer, and you typically earn more per sale. This is why I don’t focus my ads on ebooks. A lot of people assume lower price = easier conversion, so they push traffic to the ebook. But even if it converts, you’re making less per sale. Instead, I run ads to my paperback. That way I’m optimizing for: - Higher perceived value - Better profit per conversion - Stronger overall momentum across formats The ebook is still there, but it’s not the main driver.