By creating an Amazon Seller account, authors can sell and fulfill book orders on their own without paying full commissions to Amazon. Your book will be listed on Amazon, but you will be responsible for fulfilling orders.
This may sound like WORK/TIME and not excite you, but read the pros and cons of my personal experience being an Amazon Seller, and you might think differently.
Over the past several years, I published several books and sold them directly through Amazon’s print on demand platform. I wasn’t involved. And frankly, it was convenient and easy because Amazon handled everything. I never knew I sold a book until funds were deposited in my account 60-90 days later. All I had to concern myself with was periodically checking my account for my monthly deposit. Nice!
Besides, I was busy. I had enough on my personal and professional plate. So having to fulfill book orders didn’t interest me. I was happy just knowing my books were getting fulfilled by someone else while I was doing other things—coaching a speaker or writer, sailing, speaking on a stage, sailing, having dinner, sleeping … sailing…. You get the point. Books were being sold and all I had to do was pay a few dollars in commission.
Well, perhaps not. It all depends on your goals.
When I first published PAID to $PEAK, my book for aspiring speakers, I was happy with Amazon fulfilling book orders for me. Neat and easy. I didn’t even know about creating an Amazon Sellers account.
But once I heard about it, I became intrigued. One of the downsides to selling through any retailer, Amazon included, is you never know who your buyers are. You can’t communicate with them to let them know you have another book coming out, or that you are launching a new online class, or speaking at a large conference, or are having a book sale, or have some good, free content to share with them that will make life better in some way.
But what if you could know who was buying your book? What if you could find out how they found out about your book, if they might they be interested in business services you offer, if they might like other books or products you have for sale or to give away? What if you have an opportunity to build a FAN! Plus, what if you could send a personal thank you for the order and later follow-up with a request for a book review. And you know how important those reviews are!
It was for these reasons I first decided to become an Amazon Seller specifically for my one book, PAID to $PEAK, because as an Amazon Seller, I could do all those things!
It’s been over a year now that I have been fulfilling this one book on my own. I still have my other books being fulfilled directly by Amazon’s print on demand service. I’ve learned a lot from both experiences, and I’m sharing with you the pros and cons of creating an Amazon Sellers Account.
As long as you have a small inventory of books and 5 minutes of time, selling books on your own through Amazon as an Amazon Seller might be a sensible approach for you.
I’m a #HUGE proponent of being an Amazon Seller now, and all my books are being sold directly by me. I earn much more royalty and have the satisfaction of knowing who is ordering!
If you have any questions about this process of becoming an Amazon Seller, or have questions about publishing your book through Write Way Publishing, simply reach out to us at Info@WriteWayPublishingCompany.com. You can also click on this link to learn more.
Cheers to your book writing and sales success!