Some view self-publishing as a failure, chosen only when there are no other options. But the simple truth is that traditional curators (literary agents and publishers) are not free to value each story. Hundreds of thousands of books are self-published every year and it is impossible to keep up with all of them. Unless you already have an established audience or prior editing experience, it can be difficult to present your work to policymakers.

Self-publishing allows you to present your ideas to the readers who actually make the decisions. Whether you’ve decided to use your book as the best marketing and branding opportunity, or you just want to tell a story, self-publishing will make your book accessible to the masses.

While we do not provide any confirmation of which method or company you should use to publish your book yourself, Amazon is arguably the most famous and most used market. This article will walk you through some important questions and answers about self-publishing to Amazon to help you decide if this is the right place for your book.

Does self publishing to Amazon mean I can only make digital copies?

The Kindle may be the first thought that comes to your mind when you think about amazon publishing services. E-books can be great tools: they are cheap to produce, and according to the Amazon website, you can publish your book digitally to the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform in as little as five minutes.

However, a physical copy can also be useful. When you give a speech or introduce your ideas to someone for the first time, it’s easier to give them a hard copy of your work than to share a link and hope they click.

This is before considering the emotional and illogical feeling that comes from seeing his work framed and printed. I’ve always preferred handwriting to feel and experience my progress.

Fortunately, Amazon gives you the ability to create multiple versions of your book. These formats are:

Post to Kindle. You should be able to start from there.

Publish for print. Amazon’s KDP platform is where they publish their new paperback books, not Createspace (the company that merged with KDP in 2021).

Post to audio. Amazon offers this link to authors who wish to create audiobook.

If I publish my book on Amazon first, can I sell it elsewhere?

It depends on the format you choose. By using ACX, Amazon’s recommended audiobook production site, you cannot sell or create other versions of the book elsewhere. The company’s website states, “You may not produce or authorize the production of an audio recording of a book in a non-ACX language for regional distribution until you remove the book from ACX so that the book is no longer listed.” in ACX as the title profile and can no longer be produced in ACX.

The ACX rules say “Next”, “If you contract an ACX audiobook production contract with a producer [the company allows authors to work with producers who compile the actual audio file of the book], you will not produce a finished audiobook that” adheres to ACX terms “will allow the production of an audio book of the book for distribution outside of ACX for a period of up to 7 years from the date of delivery to Audible as an Agreement for the production of an audio book, The Agreement for the production of an ACX audio book in an audiobook was made for a reason other than a breach of obligations under the Agreement, unless the audiobook was manufactured within 4 months from the date. “