Indie Author School

Author platform advice, indie publishing news, and what actually works for selling direct to readers.

26 August 2026

What you keep on a £4.99 ebook sold direct: Payhip, Shopify, Gumroad and BookFunnel against KDP's royalty bands

A line-by-line fee comparison of direct ebook selling against KDP's 70% and 35% royalty bands, with the break-even point for monthly platform fees at 5, 20 and 100 sales a month.

25 August 2026

How much does it cost to self-publish? A breakdown by what you actually buy

A per-book and per-year cost breakdown of self-publishing, with current editing, cover, ISBN and platform prices, and where to spend first if the budget is tight.

25 August 2026

How do my readers get the ebook onto their Kindle?

The delivery question stalls more direct ebook sales than price does. Here is how Send to Kindle works in practice, plus instructions you can paste straight onto your thank-you page.

25 August 2026

How should I price my book? Working backwards from the royalty bands

Book pricing is mostly arithmetic: royalty bands, printing costs and series position. Here is how to narrow the range to two or three sensible numbers, then test.

24 August 2026

The steps to self-publishing, in the order they have to happen

A working sequence from finished manuscript to book on sale, including which steps depend on each other, what you can change later and the one deadline with a real penalty.

23 August 2026

What are the benefits of self-publishing, and what does each one cost you to use?

The real advantages of self-publishing are control levers: rights, price, availability, speed and reader data. Here is what each one gets you, and the work it takes to cash it in.

23 August 2026

KDP Select or going wide: deciding per book rather than per career

What Amazon exclusivity actually covers, what Kindle Unlimited pays, what wide distribution adds, and how to run the numbers on your own catalogue before you switch.

22 August 2026

How much money does a self-published author make?

What indie author income surveys actually report, why the average is five times the median, and how to model your own earnings from royalty rates, catalogue size and price.

22 August 2026

The ten most important things for a indie author to do after writing the book

A running order for publishing a book properly: four moves on the book itself, two on retailer placement, two on connecting readers to your next book, and two on launch and measurement.

22 August 2026

Do I need my own author website?

A straight answer for indie authors weighing up an author website: what Amazon already covers, the four jobs a site does that KDP cannot, and when you can wait.

21 August 2026

How to be a self-published author: the full job description

What self-publishing a book actually involves, from editing and covers to ISBNs, KDP royalty bands and the reader list you own. Current rates and real costs, no hype.

Ready to run it all from one place?

Author page, direct sales, mailing list, ARCs and press kit - built from one ASIN. Free for 14 days, no card required.

Start My 14-Day Free Trial

From $10/mo.