How to Publish your Book on Amazon for Free

If you answered "Yes!" to that question, I've got good news for you! The process is simple and your book could be uploaded to the Amazon marketplace and available for download in less than a day! This Hub will also be a good read if you've considered publishing your book as a digital ebook any time in the future, so stick around and see if publishing on the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing platform is right for you. If you have any specific questions or ideas, make sure to chime in below in the comments section!

For many authors who may not have the time or desire to navigate the traditional book publishing gauntlet, a new venue for seeing your words in print has become available. Digital publishing, while relatively new, has taken the world by storm. Originally confined to e-reader devices, true e-book publications have expanded to include the mobile platforms of tablets and smartphones as well as standard personal computer applications. We're also seeing a rapid evolution in today's e-readers, the latest of which is the new Amazon Kindle Fire, set to hit the market just in time for Christmas, 2011.

What this means is that the idea of the personal library has evolved. No longer do we need to justify shelf space for our favorite books. Literally thousands of our beloved texts are virtually weightless in the palm of our hands, or stored and backup up on our personal computing mediums. The modern concept of cloud computing allows us to store backups of our books online, ensuring easy access to those resources in the event of a personal disaster. As an added bonus, readers have access to many classic Amazon books for free! The idea of buying these classic works, which have fallen to public domain, seems completely absurd -- a realization that has become an empowerment brought about by the digital book industry. Many new authors also choose to offer some of their books for free as part of their initial marketing strategy, in the hope that free downloads will inspire readers to become avid fans; though significant success has been reached by setting and charging a modest price for new works as well.

The writer of today faces a very unique dilemma when it comes to publishing their own work. Do you attempt to secure a literary agent and then shop your book around through traditional publishers, a process which can take years before you actually see your book in print? Or does one opt to control all the rights to their work, and navigate the ePublishing industry on their own?

One argument is that the traditional publishing route helps to filter some of the lower quality books from the general market. I might agree with that point to a certain degree, but self publishing has always been an option for writers. Print-on-Demand or POD publishing has been around for quite some time, the main difference being that while authors can set their own pricing with ebooks, POD publication has always carried the stigma of inflated prices, usually resulting in all sales originating from the author's friends and relatives. The digital self publishing venue changes that and puts authors on the same level as many of those who settle for smaller publishing houses, the main difference being the amount of rights or revenue that is extracted from the author with each book sale. Can self publishing your book as an ebook result in the same outcome as those with touted best sellers from the traditional sources? Of course. The sky is the limit. However, it should be noted that in the case of self publishing, an author takes it upon themselves to market their work. This might not be so difficult if you already have a large blog, Twitter, Facebook, or HubPages following, but not every beginning writer has that kind of advanced social network at their disposal.

Does traditional book publishing guarantee that the books destined to hit the market will be of good quality? I suppose that might be more of a philosophical question. What is your definition of good quality? Is a book that makes you think, question your beliefs, and take a second look at the path your life is leading toward considered a good book? Would that same book see publication if it didn't meet certain other criteria established by traditional publishers? Other questions start popping up that perhaps shouldn't dictate a book's worthiness for publication... Is the book considered Chick-Lit? Does the book contain magic or relate in any way to a school for young wizards and witches?

When you start to look at how the professionals qualify books on the economic scale, you begin to realize that there is a certain measure of marketability and cost/profit ratio that could prevent your book from reaching publication. Does this mean that your book isn't worthy of being read? I suppose there's no telling if you never try.

If you've gone through all the measures to ensure your book is ready for self publication, you've proof-read for errors, and edited so the quality is beyond first-draft, what have you got to lose by giving it a shot? If you don't have the time, or confidence to pursue traditional publishing mechanisms, should that really stop you from seeing your work in print?

If you truly believe you're ready, I say go for it. Even if you're not quite there yet, You may find a lot of insight in reviewing the Amazon self publishing route now so you have time to weigh it over before you get to the big decision.

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