#amazon self publish

[xannador]

Thank you!

A big thank you to everyone who got a copy of Mostly (h)Armless! I think that for an obscure little fancomic it did really well! About 30 copies have gone where none can ever take them away again. I've also finally received my own version and I am happy about the quality.

I've now unpublished it but turns out you can never entirely take a book off the store once published. You can't edit it to be something else either. (which is what I had hoped to do, I have a bunch of unpublished original comics lying around). So it's just kinda going to sit there for all eternity, unavailable for sale. I sincerely hope it won't give me problems later on.

Anyway, if anyone is curious about one day printing their own comics, here are a few things I have noticed that I will definitely remember for my future printing endeavors:

Most glow and blending effects like Lighten, Color dodge, Hard Light, Linear dodge (add), etc don't look that nice in print despite looking awesome in digital.

Make your line art thick enough.

soft shading looks bad, cell shading looks good. (But it's better to fully fill shapes with a contrasting color rather than doing fancy lighting.)

Consider shading in black rather than color. (optional)

Details and soft lines are usually lost and a waste of time (Mostly in case of a colored book. Black and white may be different)

Keep panels spaced far enough apart.

Draw big panels. Small panels aren't as nice to look at and the eyes are naturally drawn to the larger panels.

Gradients don't look very nice either. Unless they have a light color.

Vintage comic textures and effects actually looks nicer in print than digital (which surprised me).

In dark scenes, rim lights are essential to make the character pop out. M(h)A would've looked like ass if I hadn't added those.

Stay away from the borders of your page, especially the left and right ones. Not just for the text but for the drawings too.

Keep track of which side of your page will be closest to the spine, keep a distance from that side especially. Because your book will be folded and part of the page will be hidden (the thicker your book, the more will be lost).

fancy panel compositions are cooler in digital...

contrast contrast contrast...

Don't be afraid to use pure black a lot.

Don't be afraid to use white a lot.

The 3D shake effect is also not that cool on print. But looks gorgeous on digital.

To myself… keep the font size consistent…

If text is outside a text bubble, it should have a high contrast stroke

Text should always be high contrast in general.

Motion blur is really cool in digital but not so much on print.

Keep black silhouettes black, avoid adding any kind of subtle glow or texture.

Text bubbles can have color but they should be light (again high contrast) watch out for saturated green or blue or red. Test in greyscale. Contrast should be more than 70%.

Line art should not be colored. Keep it black for print.

Hard borders are better than soft borders. On everything.

white panel borders are better than black panel borders.

But white borders with a black stroke are probably the best (cause more contrast).

Again light colors are better than dark colors. To do dark scenes it might be better to just use black and contrast with a lighter color.

Line art perfection is not that interesting, especially in regards to hard surface shapes like robots. (Might be personal taste though. I enjoyed looking at robots with messier line art more than those where I did perfect brush strokes.)

Beware dark blue and purple...

Compositions and colors of both the left and right page should always fit together. I think I did that pretty well here at least.

If possible make your total amount of comic pages devisable by 4. (so 24 pages total, or 28, or 96, you get the idea) not including the cover and back. Or else add a little extra drawing to fill the remaining pages.

I think that's about everything I can see based on my own print. I'm sure that a fair few of the things that I found looking worse in print than digital could be resolved by just being... better at converting your files. There's the whole CMYK color mode thing but in my personal experience that has been such a pain to work with, and each time my prints looked worse attempting to convert the file rather than had I just left it in RBG and let the printer do the guessing work for me.

So if you're like me and you're hopeless at this technical mumbo jumbo printing stuff, I think just avoiding the things I mentioned while drawing should get you well under way to having a nice print. The most important thing to remember is that digital and physical media are two entirely different beasts and if you are interested in getting your comics printed it's easier to adapt your workflow to that from the start rather than going back and altering. A lot of the mistakes I made here are rookie ones and I should have known better. But it's very easy to get lost in the process once you've started. I hope to improve my next print significantly. Once I can make RBG look good, I might try CMYK again.... Maybe. Potentially. No.

Hope these tips can be of service to somebody. They'll be a useful archive for myself in any case. If anyone wants me to elaborate more on a specific point, I'm happy to explain.

[parisoonic]

[subjective-raven]

Hey everybody! I wrote a book! It comes out on September 17th 2024.

It’s a magical realism thriller anthology of four short stories and five poems! Each stand alone short story is set in a different season. Each story says something different about the human condition.

In “Dottie’s Final Day,” a reaper comes to Dottie Lyre in her garden. What does an elderly mother choose to do on her last day alive?

“The Door,” appears suddenly and disappears just as fast. What’s on the other side? Why won’t the door sit still? Jane’s going to find out.

Please share this with anyone you think might be interested! You can preorder the e-book on Amazon now for .99c and the paperback will be available SEPTEMBER 17th for $10.99! The price will go up a few dollars September 28th but I’ll also be getting a larger percentage of the sale.

I’ve been writing my entire life and this is my first published book so pleaseeee if you are reading this, this book is for anyone middle school to grave. It’s only like 142 pages and the cover is really pretty if you would rather just have a pretty trophy and leave me a review on Amazon like you read it and it was awesome then I also love you.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

hey there! fellow naturalist (albeit less experienced!) here! in regards to the AI-generated ID guides, do you have any advice for helping the general public learn to recognize them? are there any giveaways other than incorrect information a layperson might not pick up on that we can tell people to watch out for?

Hi, @fischotterkunst! It's a messy topic, to be sure, but here's what I've been seeing of these AI-generated texts, at least on Amazon:

--If you sort your search for "foraging book" or "mushroom hunting" or whatever search string you use by "Newest Arrivals", you'll notice that there is a glut of books that have come out in the past few weeks. Yes, there are always new books, but this is at a higher than normal rate, which suggests AI is behind at least some of them. There ARE occasionally real authors' books that just happened to come out recently, so don't dismiss every single book that is a fresh release. Use the other criteria below.

--They will invariably be self-published or from some publisher with zero online presence. Not a problem by itself; my own chapbooks are self-published on Amazon KDP. But they come out every three months, not every three days, because I am researching, writing, and editing them all myself, rather than churning out content with AI.

--The titles and subtitles are often very long and stuffed with keywords. They are obviously optimized for search engines rather than being descriptive of the book and they have a rather clunky fashion.

--Look for obvious typos and other errors; for example, in the image above we have "WILD MUSHROOM COOKBOOK FOR BEGINNER: The complete guide on mushroom foraging and cooking with delicious recipes to enjoy your favorite". It should be "for beginners", and the subtitle just...ends prematurely. Favorite what? Favorite mushrooms? Favorite cartoon characters? Favorite color? Also, while there are lot of variations on name spellings, "Magaret" instead of "Margaret" stands out as a possible fake in combination with other clues. (All her other books also have this spelling, though.)

--This is a BIG one: Who's the author? Check their bio. In the above image you'll see that "Jason Cones", the author of "The Wild Edible Plants Forager's Handbook: A Beginner's Guide to Safe Foraging, Including How to Identify Edible Plants, Learn About Their Medicinal Properties, and Prepare Them for Cooking", has a very generic picture and bio that has pretty obviously been generated by AI. If you search for him online, the only page for an author named Jason Cones is the Amazon author page--no website, no social media, no interviews, nada. Even a brand new author will at least have something other than their Amazon page, and they'll mention experience, credentials, other biographical info.

--Look at the author's other books. Magaret seems to focus on cookbooks of very specific sorts, but again they've all come out in a very short time. They also tend to often be on really super-specific niche subjects--this, again, is not a red flag in and of itself, but it's a common pattern with AI "authors". Jason Cones, on the other hand, has written over two dozen books not just about foraging but anger management techniques, acupressure, and weed gummies, and all of his titles have come out since last December.

--If all the books have the same cover but slight differences in title, it's also a big red flag. There are reputable publishers of regional foraging guides like Timber Press, but their books are written by multiple authors and have come out over a long stretch of years (plus they're a well-known publisher with a solid track record, online presence, etc.) Also notice the typos in the title and subtitle; everyone says "Mushroom Foraging", not "Mushrooms Foraging", and "Keep Track Your Mushroom Sightings" is missing "of".

--Compare the descriptions of multiples of these new books and you start seeing patterns. If you look at the images above, you'll notice that both Lorna K. Thompson's "Foraging Recipe Cookbook" and Kevin Page's "The Ultimate Foraging Guide for Seniors" have a very similar formulaic description. They start with a brief story about a person in a town or village who discovers some foraging secrets and then transforms his life, and then a list of things you're supposedly going to find in this seemingly miraculous book. This basically reads like "Hey, ChatGPT, tell me a story of a person who improved their life with foraging in two hundred words or less!" Also, the ends got cut off of my screen shot, but they both end with "GET YOUR COPY TODAY!"

I have not purchased any of these books to verify how awful the content is, but what little content I can see in the previews is uniformly formulaic and, again, reads like someone asked an AI to write content on a topic with some specific keywords thrown in. Needless to say, I do NOT recommend any of these books.

Also, I feel really bad for any actual authors who released their books in the past few months. They're likely getting drowned out by this AI junk, though hopefully they're getting enough attention for their work through their publishers, social media, etc. to get some sales. Support your real-life authors, and boycott AI!

Finally, PLEASE reblog this! It's really, really important that people know what to look for, and the more posts we have floating around with this info, the less likely it is someone's going to get poisoned by following what these books have to say.

[kenziewritesstuff]

Supernatural Horror Novel: The Exodus Killer

Religious Trauma + Autistic Fascination with Numbers and Death = A Book about a Serial Killer playing God.

Warning! Content Includes:

Mysterious dead mom who is totally dead

Depressed, ADHD-ish Main Character

Plague of Blood and Hail and Darkness...oh my!

Mom is still dead, right?

Angsty brotherly relationship

Add a tablespoon more blood

Pfft mom's not dead, she's right over there

*Gestures to nothing*

"I'm fine...what voices?"

Detectives!

Dead mom...probably...I think

Available on Amazon as Paperback or Ebook

[jay5464]

The Branded Hero Volume 1: Baxter the Branded is out on Paperback on Amazon! Please go support the official release

Thousands of years ago in the Realm of Ocaleveth, the Demon King Ira had waged war against all living beings. Chosen by the Council of Chronos, Philip: The Hero of Light used the power of the Holy Sword to seal away the monster and bring peace to the world. But the thousand-year-old seal was undone and the Demon King has returned to Ocaleveth. I bet you're probably wondering who is responsible. Well...that person was me...

[stephtuckerauthor]

I've just released my first novel and the first in a trilogy! The Bonds That Bind Us is a story of trauma, healing, found family, and growth. It is a literary fiction with a gay romance plot, and is currently FREE ON KINDLE FOR EVERYONE!

[nerdishfeels]

My Mum is A Self-Published Author!

Hey guys! So, my mum has always wanted to write a cookbook filled with our homemade recipes. It’s been in the works for a bit, but now, we’ve finally self-published her kindle book, Mumzilicious!

It would honestly mean the world to me if you could show some support for her book.

These recipes are perfect for you if you want:

Quick and easy recipes for delicious Pakistani cuisine.

Healthy dishes that are not too spicy or oily.

To learn how to cook and need somewhere to start.

To treat yourself to mouth-watering home-cooked meals.

You can get your copy below. If you have any questions, let me know!

Links:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CW19JX4M

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW19JX4M

Please signal boost this too, so everyone can get their copy! ❤️

[succulentsiren]

Interview with Succulent Siren♠️

Where did the idea for the book ‘Powerful Secrets of the Divine Feminine’ come from?

The idea for this book began with my journey of discovering and exploring my spirituality.

Spirituality for me was like entering a wonderland where all the dogma no longer held value.

I was, and still am learning liberating and empowering knowledge about myself.

Once I began to apply this knowledge, I began to attract more money, I became more confident, I manifested a successful blog, I found my voice, I had more successful outcomes in my personal life and so much more.

What teachings advanced your life the most?

I gained the most treasures by learning to apply what I learned about Feminine Energy.

Many women are disconnected from their Feminine Energy but if they we’re connected, they’d be able to attract so much more abundance.

So I want to share this knowledge to enlighten other people, especially women and girls, of their true power.

What message do you have for girls and women?

Like the majority of girls, I was also taught to be a ‘nice girl’ but I learned as I got older, that the ‘nice girl’ path didn’t have my best interests at heart. It was a setup for me to get walked all over by others and I refuse to live a life of misery or submission.

So instead of teaching girls to shrink, I want to remind them of their power.

I had to learn how to release my mind from shame and take my power back and there’s no better feeling than owning who you are and living free.

I know i’m meant to get what I want and live my dream life and I know that there’s so much more abundance to come.

I am totally obsessed with bettering myself and living in my highest potential and I strive to influence others to do the same.

Grab A Copy of the Book Here

[ladzwriting]

this is actually wild to me; i'm in actual tears

[the960writers]

While not for everyone, selling direct does allow authors a certain degree of freedom, and a lot more information that allows authors to get closer to their readers and begin to build that fan base.

[yael-moxic]

So here it is boys and girls, my first book I wrote and let me tell you... As someone who has a broken heart herself right now... I literally kind of put a lot of my own pain in this. But instead of harsh reality, this should leave you with a big smile and a warm and fuzzy feeling in the end. You might also want to strangle or slap these two idiots occacionally, maybe you'll also have a chuckle and later on it might even get spicy 🤭 So definitely not safe for work peeps...

But in the end... well, you'll see. 🤗 So get yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea, snuggle in and get yourself a treat with my two idiots Jasper and Oliver. 😊

Have a look here~

Oh and for anyone who is interested, I also made the cover myself. What do you guys think? I might change it later on, as I can never settle for just one 🤭 lol... anyway. For now I very much like it. Have fun!

[obelisart]

Volume 4 of Meow Are You? is now out on Amazon :333

[ganymedian]

youre gonna post your yaoi boat story somehwre right... i would love to read it when its done

My plans are to post it on ao3, and posting a chapter weekly or something. After it's all finished and beta read. I don't have a timeline right now but as it stands its 37 pages, 13.5k words and I'm trying to aim for the 200s. It's been about 2 weeks since I started writing it.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Frustrations (Self-Publishing [lulu.com] / Selling [Amazon.com])

I joined Tumblr in 20`6 because I wanted to have some (however small) social media outlet to promote my poetry chapbook:

(FTR, over the last 7 and 3/4 years, 52 copies have been bought [through both Amazon and Lulu's own site], for a total of $6.69 in royalties. The most recent sale was February of this year, and the listing on Amazon now has 2 ratings. So that's nice.)

Anyway, about a week ago, I checked the for the book on Amazon, and I saw it was described as "For Ages 1 and up" (with a little baby face icon). I clicked their feedback form, and said: "It's for ages YA and up." As of today, the information has not changed.

So I logged onto Lulu's site to see if they included "reading age" in the information they provide to sellers, to see if I could change the settings, or what have you. They do not.

So I don't know how or why Amazon's algorithm decided to provide that [mis]information ... Maybe because it's a slim book, with pictures of animals on the cover?

*Shrug*

[bethanydelleman]

I know there are huge problems with Amazon, but I have to say, the democratization of publishing is something magical. No gatekeepers, no one tells you it isn't marketable or that it won't have a big enough audience, you just format and post a novel and they print it. And people are getting books that would never be published otherwise (like Mansfield Park variations).

Yes, you have to market it yourself, but I was convinced only a few years ago that no one would ever pay for what I wrote and Amazon direct publishing changed all of that.