The Catholic Writers Guild

Imagine a future where kids don’t have to carry around a heavy backpack for all their books, merely a small thin bag to tote around. Imagine a future where ALL books cost under $10, with many being 2.99 or under and millions available for FREE. Imagine a future where an author can receive 70 percent of the royalties…

That future is NOW!

Making my books available on Amazon Kindle was the single best marketing tool I’ve ever used. Recently, both my new book, Come My Beloved, and my second novel, In Name Only, were in the top 100 in Amazon Kindle Books on the same day!

With tens of thousands of Kindle (and other) e-readers being sold daily, they are fast becoming the wave of the future! The Kindle reader is also available as a free application for PC, iPod, iPad and iPhone, so it’s not necessary to spend money to be able to read a Kindle book.

Amazon currently offers Kindle publishers 70 percent royalty (for most books) and there are virtually no up front costs. Of course, there are other advantages to having your self-published book available on the Amazon Kindle.

Advantage #1: Receive More Exposure
In this recession, many people have become careful with their money. They will not pay $15 for a print book, but they will likely pay 2.99 for a digital book.

The more books you sell on Kindle the more book lists it shows up in.

For example, my Kindle books have been purchased by thousands of people in the last several months. Each individual person has purchased other books. These books have Amazon pages and my books show up on those book pages.

Advantage #2: Receive More Money With No Financial Output
The beauty of e-books is that there are no printing costs. Currently, Amazon US and Amazon Great Britain offer 70 percent royalty option. You just need to make sure you click that option when you register your book for publication. (This is one of the advantages unique to self-published authors. Publishers generally jack up the price for Kindle books. Self-published authors can offer their books for much less and still receive a decent royalty per book.)

Advantage #3: Gain More Fans
I am regularly selling hundreds of Kindle books per month and these figures are increasing by the week. That may not be a big deal for famous authors, but for little ole’ me, it is incredible!

Advantage #4: Sell More Print books by Selling More E-books
Because your book is listed on many more Amazon sites, this gives your print book more exposure as well.

Whether you’re a first-time author or an established writer, there are many advantages of putting your book on Kindle: you can receive more exposure, make more money, sell more books (without the financial costs of printing) and gain more fans. E-books are the future of self-publishing.

Next month: E-Books: The Future of Self-Publishing Part II…Some Practical Considerations

Ellen Gable Hrkach is the vice president of the Catholic Writers Guild. She is the award-winning author of “In Name Only,” a Catholic romance. Her new book is called “Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship.” Her website is www.ellengable.com She and her husband and five sons live in Pakenham, ON Canada.

Ellen Gable Hrkach

Ellen Gable Hrkach is an award-winning, Amazon bestselling author. Her five books have been downloaded over 620,000 times on Kindle. Currently, she works as the Marketing Director for Live the Fast, a non-profit Roman Catholic apostolate based in Boston. She does freelance writing and editing for a variety of other websites, she blogs at "Plot Line & Sinker" http://ellengable.wordpress.com and is also self-publishing book consultant and a publisher. She and her husband are the parents of five sons ages 16 to 28 and live in Pakenham, Ontario. In her spare time, Ellen enjoys playing board games with her family, watching classic movies on TCM and reading on her Kindle.