The ebook format allows a reader to find your book worldwide, avoiding delivery times and costs. Its price is also more affordable, which makes it easy to sell. However, reading on a tablet, computer, or mobile phone screen can be daunting for some.
Moreover, according to an article by "Le Figaro" on the habits of French readers in 2019, 91% preferred the paper format, despite its higher price. Indeed, it is ideal to settle anywhere, providing a certain reading comfort.
Only publishing your book on Amazon in paper format has a significant drawback. You have to have it printed before you can ship it. This involves advancing the funds, a costly price for the author, once passed by a traditional printing house. Indeed, this requires ordering a few copies in advance. Or, there is no guarantee to sell just one. Moreover, a small quantity order can easily cost €15 or €20 per copy, which is... the selling price of the paperback!
Therefore, this choice will not necessarily be informed for "small" authors. Fortunately, Amazon has solved this problem by offering a print-on-demand service. Each book is printed and shipped by Amazon only after a reader has purchased it. So there is no mess.
So how do you publish your book on Amazon? Choose both formats to attract the most significant number of readers. As for the audiobook, it is not yet available on Amazon for France.
Therefore, we will see how to publish your book on Amazon in ebook and Kindle format. Start by creating an Amazon Kindle account first.
How to fill out the form to publish your book on Amazon
Whether your book is an ebook or a paperback, you must gather a certain amount of information. Here are the main requests on the form to publish your book on Amazon:
A title, or even a subtitle.
The language in which it is written.
A pen name, if you have one (or your name). It is possible to add other contributors.
Minimum age or recommended age range.
A description will appear on your book's product page, where you can say a few words about the book to make people want to read it or about yourself (biography). This must contain a maximum of 4000 characters.
A summary on the back of your book is on the 4th cover (only for paperbacks).
In addition, you must select the two main categories in which your ebook or paperback will be classified to find it on Amazon. In addition, you have the possibility of specifying up to 7 keywords so that a reader comes across your book in his search. Choose these words or phrases wisely.
The content of the book will be created independently of its cover. The latter's layout will be different depending on the type of book.
How to prepare the content of the book?
The ebook and the paperback are not significantly different in their layout, except for a few details.
The information that can be found in the introduction of many books and not only to publish your book on Amazon:
Double-sided white first page (optional)
The second page faces right (odd) and contains the title at the top or center.
The second back page on the left (pair) may contain different information, depending on the book (a dedication, legal information on copyright and reproduction rights, a website, the name and address of the publishing house, the ISBN...)
The following pages start on the right and can be continued on both sides over several pages (summary, preface, etc.)
The last introductory page begins on the right and includes the title, author's name, and edition.
Then each chapter is shifted a few lines from the top of the sheet and starts on an odd page (right). Its number or title must be written in large and centered.
At least a 0.5cm line offsets each paragraph and dialogue. The dialogues are also marked with em-dashes -. It's the alt+0151 key on the numeric keypad.
At the end of your book, you can specify other legal information (on an even page), acknowledgments, publish a last blank page...
In short, you must, above all, consider an "even" and "odd" layout to get your content displayed on the correct page. Similarly, the page numbering should not start from the introduction but the first chapter.
In addition, the images in your file must all be at least 300 pixels per inch.