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You Should Publish Ebooks with Your Articles and Stories

I published two in one month

By Cathy CoombsPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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You Should Publish Ebooks with Your Articles and Stories
Photo by Art Lasovsky on Unsplash

Do you have a lot of articles?

If you have a collection of your written articles, consider organizing them into topics or categories. This is a convenient way of locating something you’ve written quickly instead of scrolling down to find what you’re looking for.

All of my articles or stories are categorized accordingly. I’ve decided for categories of more than 10 articles, I’m going to compose eBooks.

It’s an easy process with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) which is self-explanatory and user-friendly. There are other tools that can assist you too.

Once you have gained a lot of experience with online writing platforms, the next step should be getting more exposure and a higher earning potential by self-publishing eBooks. I believe the potential is there.

Author Darcie Chan

I remember reading about Darcie Chan around 2012. She was an attorney who had uploaded her fiction novel into Amazon’s Kindle Store. The name of her first book was The Miller River Recluse. She wasn’t successful in finding a traditional publisher plus she was an unknown in the industry, which is something most of us would experience.

Some years passed and with the growing popularity of eBooks, Darcie decided to self-publish.

I still remember when a co-worker of mine sent me The Wall Street Journal article over 10 years ago about Darcie’s success. Even then, I remember thinking, "well, if she can do it, I can do it."

Before opting to self-publish, when Darcie initially sent her book out to traditional publishers, it was rejected. She ended up getting an agent who sent her manuscript out and it was rejected.

When she learned eBooks were on the rise, she went on that journey making her own book cover. Darcie’s first royalty check came in at $39. When she noticed other eBooks were selling at a lower cost, she changed her price from $2.99 to 99 cents. In her first month at a lower price, 100 copies were sold.

When her book was mentioned on Ereader News Today, within two days, another 600 copies were sold. This persuaded Darcie she could be a driving force with the sale of the book. She said she spent about $1,000 on marketing and bought banner ads to promote the book.

She also paid Kirkus Reviews to review her book (they still give you the option to receive a private review if the review is negative). She would use her reviews on Amazon to further promote her book.

By the summer, she had sold more than 14,000 copies which helped make her more visible and featured on sites. That same summer, Darcie made The New York Times and USA Today eBook bestsellers lists.

She made an estimated $130,000 before taxes plus she’s getting a steady royalty check every month.

Because Darcie’s first eBook was so successful along with her marketing efforts, she received an offer to write two novels for Ballentine Books. Ballentine also picked up publishing her first book in 2014. She eventually left her legal position to write fiction full-time. It’s hard to write full-time with a full-time job and raise a family.

When I first read about Darcie’s success, I saw the article as complete inspiration. But that was a decade ago and I found it challenging to have ample writing time each day because working with a law firm, I was exhausted at the end of the day.

So, unless I were to leave my job, I could never write full-time. I finally made that decision in the spring of 2021, and here I am on that journey. I note the pandemic of 2020 also prompted retrospection and drive towards that decision.

Today’s publishing climate affords writers so many potential paths to success. So, if you believe in a story, put your heart into the writing of it, even if you’re told that it’s quiet, or genre-bending or “ordinary.” Get your manuscript in tip-top shape and do your best to get it in front of readers.

If you don’t give up, your experience just might be life changing. (Source.)

Your to-do list

  • Create categories for your articles or stories.
  • Organize your articles or stories.
  • Research Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing site.
  • Take 10–12 articles in any given category and create an eBook with Amazon’s program.
  • Have a marketing plan based on your budget.
  • Never give up.

© Cathy Coombs

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About the Creator

Cathy Coombs

Earning a B.A. in English Journalism & Creative Writing confirmed my love of literature. I believe every living experience is tied to language, and words influence us all.

Website. Write, self-publish, and self-market. Go.

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