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Welcome to the 39th edition of Royalties on Demand - your guide to generating consistent income online.

View this newsletter online: https://royaltiesondemand.beehiiv.com/ 

Welcome to this week’s newsletter, you will find:

• He Made $16,966 In One Month With KDP

• How To Run Automatic Ads For Amazon KDP

• How This Coloring Book Is Making $25,716 A Month With No Ads

He Made $16,966 In One Month With KDP

This week, we welcome Ben back to the Newsletter where today we're diving into our second interview with Ben, a successful Amazon KDP author who's made a remarkable journey in self-publishing.

Ben has not only achieved impressive earnings but has also balanced a full-time job while growing his online business. In this chat, Ben shares his goals for the year, challenges he has faced and strategies to grow your KDP business.

1. What are your primary goals for your Amazon KDP business this year, and how do they differ from your past objectives?

One of my goals for KDP this year is to continue to increase my average monthly royalties. Fortunately for me, this has happened every year over the last 4 years. This will depend on how much time I can dedicate to Amazon this year, however.

My other businesses are growing and so my time has to be shared. I still have a full-time job on the railway, which makes this even harder. One of my non KDP-related goals for this year is to quit my job, which will give me more freedom to dedicate to growing these businesses.

2. You have been publishing for a few years, how have you stayed motivated and consistent for so long?

I guess it’s like anything really, if you do something consistently for long enough, it becomes a habit. The hardest part for new self-publishers is finding that discipline. Most rely on motivation alone, which fades after a short while, especially when things get hard.

Discipline is showing up week in week out even when you have no sales, you’ve just got a 1 star review, etc. For me, setting goals was an important step in keeping me consistent initially.

When I first started, my partner had just fallen pregnant. My first Self-publishing goal was to try and replace some or all of her monthly wage, so that she could take a whole year off from work to bond with our baby and not have to rush back to work. This goal kept me accountable and after time I learned discipline.

3. Congrats on making $17,000 in December, reflecting on your journey so far, which books have sold best for you and what would you say have been your most valuable lessons learned?

Thank you, I have a variety of books that sell well regularly. They are a mixture of planners, log books, activity books, and coloring books. Depending on the season, other books come in and do well, such as valentines related activity books. Overall, I think the simpler a book is to make, the less chance you have of selling.

You can get lucky in getting sales, but typical lined journals, sketchbooks, graph paper books don’t sell that well. Because they are simple to make, there is more competition. The more unique a book is, the better it will sell in my opinion.

4. How do you identify profitable niches and trends for your books on Amazon KDP? Do you use specific tools or methods?

A lot of people overthink niche research. This is probably why most find it the least enjoyable bit about self-publishing, there are so many tools that give you different figures and it becomes quite confusing.

When I first started publishing, my process was to use a Best Seller Rank (BSR) Chrome extension such as DS Amazon quick view.

I would then type in Journals for “A” and let the Amazon suggestions show me the available books. I would then look through the first page and see what the BSRs were. If they were selling well, I would pop that niche into my spreadsheet.

I would then carry on searching for the next niche that was suggested. I did this for the whole alphabet. You can also change the phrase to give you even more niches. For example, coloring books for “A”, or “activity books for “B”. It really is as simple as that. Before you know it, you will have a spreadsheet full of potential niches.

At this level in my self-publishing career, fancy niche research tools are less important for me. If books are selling well in a certain niche, albeit a competitive one, I will create a book and use my various advertising strategies to give this new book a good chance of selling in a crowded niche.

5. How long does it take you to create a book? Do you outsource?

It depends on what the book is, if it is a logbook or something simple. It could take me between 1 and 3 days. If it was an activity book, it may take me a week or so. I have outsourced some of my activity book and coloring book interiors in the past, and I have had mixed results.

I tend to do it myself now. If you can find a reliable designer, they are worth their weight in gold, and you should keep them close.

6. Can you discuss your approach to cover design and how you ensure your book covers stand out in a crowded marketplace?

I think over time you develop your own style based on what sells for you and what doesn’t. In the beginning, I would look at all of the best-sellers in that specific niche.

I would compare the covers of the best sellers. Were they floral? What colors showed up most? What type of fonts were popular? How simple or busy was the cover?

Based on these findings, you can begin to get a feel for covers that may sell well. Of course, you also have to find ways of improving upon the books that are selling well. Maybe their title is a bit small and hard to read, etc.

Now I have developed a design style for different niches. My cover designs are very different from one another based on if it was a children's activity book, a professional logbook, etc.

7. How do you structure your book launch strategy to maximize visibility and sales from day one?

I make sure I have my A-plus content ready to go for when the book becomes live. I upload the A-plus content immediately.

I also have various advertising strategies that I launch on the day the book goes live, maximizing the chance of the book selling and helping it rise through the Amazon rankings.

8. What recent challenges have you faced with Amazon KDP, and how did you overcome them?

I faced a lot of challenges during Q4! I received a lot of 1-star reviews due to Amazon printing errors. I received 3 1-star reviews in a week on my best-selling book during Q4. This had a huge impact on my sales and cost me a lot of money!

Amazon was no help when I asked them to remove these reviews as they clearly stated that the books arrived faulty and the ink was faded, etc. I also received 1-star reviews on newly made books, which basically ruins their future. I have learned that if something is out of your control, just move on.

There isn’t much point wasting time moaning about it for long. I carried on publishing like nothing happened. You can check out my YouTube video where I speak about the problems faced during Q4 here – Click here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbDnEYe_IpI&t=3s

9. What advice would you give to new self-publishers?

Your mindset will likely be why you fail or succeed in this business. It is the reason I have succeeded in this business and that is why I always talk about how important it is in my videos.

You must be willing to be consistent for at least a year. The more KDP YouTube videos you watch, the more you learn, the more chance you have ofincreasing your sales down the line.

This is not a get rich quick business, unfortunately some people think it is due to certain YouTubers or articles. You have to be willing to try strategies, like not just publishing lined journals.

Publish a few logbooks, coloring books, activity books, planners, etc. The longer you do something, the better you become. Every part of the publishing process will improve as you do it more and more. Such as cover designs, etc. This picture is very fitting for new self-publishers.

If I can compare this quote with my lifetime royalties, you can see how true it is.

Keep showing up and putting in the effort and in years from now, you will be glad that you stuck it out. Many give up too soon.

10. What future plans do you have for your self-publishing and online business, where do you see yourself in the next few years?

Great question! Due to the success of my ‘Amazon Advertising Blueprint’ course (https://getmoneyontheside.com/courses/ ) I will be creating a step-by-step A to Z self-publishing course for my audience, which will help a lot of self-publishers, especially beginners.

This course will share how I do every single step of the publishing process, from signing up to Amazon KDP, to finding niches, how I design my covers, how I design interiors, how to find keywords, and various other strategies that have helped me earn well over $200,000 in royalties, while working a full-time job.

I don’t have a date in mind just yet, but it will definitely be out this year. I do plan to quit my job at some point this year, I should have done it a long time ago, but I actually really enjoy it. But I need to let it go in order to dedicate more time to my online businesses that have more potential.

Once I quit my job, I would like to get more content out for people. Where do I see myself in the next few years? Hmm. Having much more time freedom. I want to decide what I do each day and I would like to spend more time with my family. More family vacations, more experiences, and less work.

Thank you for the interview, Danny. I have thoroughly enjoyed answering your well-thought-out questions. Hopefully, it will be of some help to your audience. I wish them all the best with their self-publishing journeys.

How To Run Automatic Ads For Amazon KDP

This video on my YouTube channel will walk you through the basics of running successful automatic ads with low ACOS.

How This Coloring Book Is Making $25,716 A Month With No Ads

Need Help?

At Royalties on Demand, I offer various services tailored to aspiring authors and self-publishers looking to make a mark in the industry.

• You can find free templates designed to simplify the design process and enhance your books' visual appeal.

• My one-to-one coaching sessions provide personalized guidance and mentorship, allowing you to face the challenges of publishing with ease.

• For those looking to delve deeper into the world of AI Coloring Books, my comprehensive eBook is packed with insider tips, strategies, and step-by-step instructions to guide you towards success.

Once again, thank you for joining me on this exciting journey. Have an awesome week ahead and I look forward to catching up with you next week.

Next week we will have a big interview to look forward to!

Enjoyed this newsletter? Share it with family, friends or colleagues who might also find it helpful.

Danny