Selling Your Book on Amazon: Pros and Cons

If you’re writing a book – fiction or non-fiction – you’ve likely been faced with the question: How will I sell copies of this? For many first-time authors, Amazon has been the go-to self-publishing option – but is selling on Amazon the best option for you?

Selling Your Book on Amazon: The Pros

Obviously, Amazon is a juggernaut for self-published authors. When authors think about selling their books, Amazon is often the first thing that pops into their heads – and for good reason. Amazon has the most streamlined system for both authors and buyers. A more streamlined system equals ease of purchase. The easier it is for your customer to buy your product – the more books you’ll sell (in theory).

Also, Amazon has an impressive customer base. Customers who want to buy products online know and trust Amazon. As a result, it makes sense for authors to take advantage of this massive audience.

If there is an issue with Amazon, you do have a built-in tech support system. Amazon doesn’t make money until you do, so it behooves them to make sure that your author pages and products are set up properly. This can save you quite a bit of money when compared to selling from your own website.

Selling Your Book on Amazon: The Cons

While it’s true that Amazon has a substantial customer base, all of those customers aren’t really “yours”. They are Amazon customers. As a result, it may be more difficult for you to build a dedicated following for your brand using this platform. Amazon does not leave much room for you to market directly to that client unless you can convince them to follow you off of Amazon via email or social media.

The other side of Amazon being that self-publishing juggernaut is A LOT of competition. Substantial competition drives down prices. When you consider that you have to give Amazon a “cut” of what you sell – your profit margins can take a major hit. Before you jump on the Amazon bandwagon, make sure you’ve done your research and know how much it will actually cost you to sell your book.

One of the biggest cons associated with selling and distributing through Amazon is control. Is it important to you? If so, know that you will have to give up quite a bit to sell your book on Amazon. If this isn’t an issue for you – then a presence on the publishing giant may be worthwhile.

Selling Your Book on Amazon: The Verdict

We could go more in-depth, but that’s the gist of the pros and cons of distributing your newly minted publication on Amazon. It’s important to note that you don’t have to necessarily choose either/or in this situation. You do have the option to sell on Amazon as well as your own outlets so long as you do not enroll your book in Amazon programs like KDP Select.

Make sure you read all of the fine print before committing to sell on Amazon. Also, do you research on what it takes to sell your books through your own websites, social media outlets, and so on. Your situation, and your product, is unique – so your solution to selling will likely be unique as well.

Have you sold a book on Amazon? What was your experience?