Ryan is back in this bonus episode providing a status update! After surviving two moves — one cross-country, another locally — and getting infected with COVID-19, he's almost ready to return to regular podcasting. Listen for a quick check-in. The Self-Publishing Puzzle podcast will return to regularly scheduled programming soon!

Should I publish my novel exclusively with Amazon, or should I publish wide? In this episode, Ryan draws from his own experience using both strategies to help you decide what's best for you, your goals, and your author business. Discover the details of how Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing Select service (oftentimes colloquially referred to as "Kindle Unlimited") actually works for readers and writers, as well as the various benefits and drawbacks for publishing exclusively to Amazon versus publishing to all of the major retailers like Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo.

Key Topics:

• How the mechanics of KDP Select program works and how authors get paid when they enroll
• Why some genres are better fits for Kindle Unlimited and vice versa
• The potential difficulties you might encounter with both strategies, from marketing to competition
• Accessing international markets and selling books direct

To learn more about Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing Select program and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, as well as their terms and perks, visit: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/select

To read a full transcription of this episode, please visit www.selfpublishingpuzzle.com 

You can also find the show on all your favorite social media channels, including: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

When you’re considering writing and self-publishing a novel, how do you know where to start? The answer’s easy: With the right mindset and by researching your market and competition! In the first episode of the Self-Publishing Puzzle podcast, Ryan will walk you through what it means to be an author entrepreneur and the nitty gritty of doing market research on Amazon to write a book that readers will want to buy, read, and rave about!

Key Topics Covered in this Episode:

• Understanding and accepting the risk inherent in self-employed business
• Analyzing Amazon’s Top 100 Best Seller lists for specific items, including genre and competition/barriers to entry

Ryan also takes a deep dive on analyzing best seller Trends, such as:

• Author Names/Pen names
• Titles/Subtitles/Series Titles
• Book cover design
• Blurbs/Book Descriptions
• Tropes
• Price
• Length
• Sales Rankings
• Reviews and reader expectations

You can also watch the accompanying demonstration video where Ryan walks you through how to navigate these pages and find the information you need.

To read a full transcription of this episode, please visit https://selfpublishingpuzzle.com/podcast/s1e1-using-amazon-best-seller-lists-for-market-research

You can also find the show on all your favorite social media channels, including: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Should I publish my novel under my legal name or a pen name? In this episode, Ryan will walk you through all the ins and outs of the "nom de plume" — why you may or may not want to use one, the benefits and drawbacks of each path, and how to actually choose a pen name if you want to use one.

Key Topics:

• Ryan reveals the pen name he'll be using for his project!
• The ethics and history of pen name usage
• Using a pen name to shield your identity, separate your work, or keep unwanted eyes from finding it!
• Why using a pen name might not be a great idea, depending on your goals for your book

To read a full transcription of this episode, please visit www.selfpublishingpuzzle.com 

You can also find the show on all your favorite social media channels, including: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

In this trailer, meet your host: Ryan, a self-published author with more than two dozen novels under various pen names. This short introduction to Ryan and the show will give you a taste of things to come when we begin solving the self-publishing puzzle together! Join Ryan for Season One, Starting Your Author Business, beginning Monday, April 6th, 2020.