As self-publishing continues to grow, so do the number of people looking to take advantage of new authors. If you're just getting started with Amazon KDP, here are a few common scams and red flags to watch out for: ❌ "We Guarantee Bestseller Status" No one can guarantee you'll become an Amazon bestseller. Many companies charge thousands of dollars claiming they can make your book a bestseller. Often, they are placing books into obscure categories, running short-term promotional tactics, or using methods that don't lead to long-term sales. A bestseller badge is nice, but consistent royalties are better. ❌ Fake Publishing Companies Some companies advertise themselves as "traditional publishers" but are actually charging authors thousands of dollars for services that may be low quality or overpriced. Before paying anyone: ✅ Research reviews ✅ Ask for client examples ✅ Get everything in writing ✅ Compare costs with hiring freelancers directly ❌ Expensive Marketing Packages Be cautious of companies offering $5,000–$20,000 marketing packages with promises of massive book sales. Ask questions like: - How will my book be marketed? - What specific services am I receiving? - Can you show real client results? - What happens if I don't make my money back? If the answers are vague, walk away. ❌ "Done For You" Publishing Agencies Some agencies promise completely passive publishing businesses where they create books, publish them under your account, and split profits. Many of these businesses rely on low-quality content, outsourced work, or questionable practices that can put your KDP account at risk. Remember: Amazon holds the account owner responsible. ❌ People Selling Copyrighted Content Be careful when purchasing PLR, AI-generated content, coloring books, journals, or manuscript packages from random sellers. Just because someone sells it doesn't mean they legally own the rights. If you publish copyrighted material, your KDP account could face penalties—even if you didn't know.

I'm excited to announce that our May Leaderboard Winner is @Lara Knutzen 🏆 Not only has Lara been consistently showing up, but she has also been adding tremendous value to this community. In fact, Lara isn't just the winner for May—she currently holds the title of the most active member in the history of this community! 👏 To recognize her contributions, I've decided to create a special reward this month. Lara will receive a one-week pinned post where she can showcase and promote her audiobook-focused community. 👉 🎧 FRIENDS OF AUDIOBOOKS I love supporting members who are actively building something and giving back to others. 👉 I also want to give a special shoutout to all of our Level 6 members. Reaching Level 6 takes dedication, consistency, and a willingness to engage with and support others. Your contributions help make this community what it is. ❤️ Because of that, I'm excited to announce a new Level 6 unlock! ⭐ Level 6 Reward: A FREE 24-hour pinned post in the community. OTHER LEVEL 6 MEMBERS - @Gemma Coles - Gemma launched her book AI for Busy Professionals on Amazon not too long ago, I highly recommend you go and check it out and also jump in and join her skool community Smart Skills Academy @Sybil Hall - Sybil is also a best selling author but also sells products on Amazon FBA if you want to seek her excellent knowledge make sure you find her at Income without Burnout @Jeff Baer - Jeff is not an author but has a really great software solution to build out bio pages for your social media and create custom QR codes to have readers go from your book to your community or somewhere else. Check it out at Bio Builders

I like to be transparent about my earnings because I want you to see that creating an additional income stream is possible—even if you have a busy life. I still work a full-time job. I'm also a mom to a young child, and like many of you, I have a lot competing for my time. That's why I love self-publishing. Once a book is created, it can continue working for you long after you've finished writing it. 📚 Paperback & Ebook Results - Lifetime Royalties: $68,057.75 🎧 Audiobook Results - Audible doesn't make it easy to calculate lifetime earnings because I'd have to download and total every royalty statement individually. However, based on my historical average royalty earnings per sale under the previous royalty model, I've had nearly 17,000 audiobook sales/downloads, which puts my estimated audiobook royalties at roughly $60,000+. 💵 Combined Estimated Lifetime Earnings - Books (Paperback + Ebook): $68,057 - Audiobooks (Estimated): $60,000+ - Total: Over $128,000 in approximately 3 years Is that enough to replace my day job today? No. But has it helped create more financial freedom, additional income, and opportunities that wouldn't have existed otherwise? Absolutely. The biggest mistake I see people make is waiting for the "perfect" time to start. Every month you delay publishing is another month your future books aren't out there working for you. Imagine where you could be 1 year from now if you started today. What Book Earnings Milestone (PER MONTH) Do You Want to Hit?

One of the biggest mindset shifts in self-publishing is realizing that income is rarely the same every day. Some days you log in and see $100+ in royalties and feel like you're on top of the world. Other days you check your dashboard and see $15 and start wondering if your books have disappeared from Amazon. The reality? Both days are completely normal. Looking at my own dashboard, there are days where royalties spike over $100 and other days where they're significantly lower. That's why I try not to get too emotionally attached to any single day. What matters most is the overall trend and your monthly earnings. Think of self-publishing like investing. If you checked your portfolio every hour, you'd probably drive yourself crazy. The same thing happens when you obsess over daily book sales. A Few Ways to Improve Consistency: ✅ Publish More Books - The more quality books you have in the marketplace, the more opportunities you create for sales. One book can be unpredictable. Ten books can start creating stability. ✅ Build Multiple Formats - Don't rely on just ebooks. Add paperbacks, hardcovers, and audiobooks when possible. Different readers prefer different formats. ✅ Drive External Traffic - Amazon rewards authors who bring in their own readers. Social media, email lists, YouTube, blogs, and communities can all help create more consistent sales. ✅ Optimize Your Listings - Review your keywords, categories, cover design, title, subtitle, and book description regularly. Small improvements can make a big difference over time. 👉 Remember This: A slow day doesn't mean you're failing. A great day doesn't mean you've figured everything out. Success in self-publishing comes from staying in the game long enough for your catalog to grow and compound. Keep publishing. Keep improving. Keep learning. 📈 What was your biggest royalty day this month, and what was your lowest? Let's talk about the reality of the ups and downs of self-publishing.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the new audiobook royalty changes. Technically, I don't have to enroll my titles right now. I could wait until the end of the year and make a decision later. On the other hand, if you choose to opt out completely, it appears that you'd need to remove your audiobooks from Audible altogether. Rather than making a decision based on emotion or speculation, I've decided to run a test. I enrolled five of my lower-performing audiobooks into the new program. These are titles that haven't generated a significant number of sales or listens, so I feel comfortable using them as a test group while protecting the books that are already performing well. My thinking is simple: if these audiobooks become available through the all-you-can-listen membership, they may get exposure from listeners who otherwise never would have discovered them. More listeners could potentially mean more engagement, more reviews, and hopefully more revenue. Over the next few months, I'll be tracking downloads, listens, and earnings to see what actually happens. If the results are positive, I may consider enrolling additional titles. If not, I'll be glad I tested with my underperformers first instead of risking books that are already selling. For now, I'm taking a "measure first, decide later" approach. 👉 Are any of you planning to enroll your audiobooks, opt out, or wait and see what happens?