Indie Author School
Lessons, news and resources for self-published authors
Plain answers, current numbers and the rule changes that affect your books, written by Chris Thomas and Alex Lark, two authors who publish their own books.
Latest
A 12-week book launch timeline for an indie author, working back from release day
Week by week from twelve weeks out: preorder decision, review copies at week eight, cover reveal, press kit, launch-week emails and the month after.
Amazon Ads for an indie author's first £100 or $100: what to expect
Which Amazon ad types a KDP author can run, how bids and budgets work, why reports lag by up to 14 days, and how to work out your own break-even ACOS from your royalty.
Amazon KDP royalties explained: ebook, paperback and hardcover
KDP pays 70% or 35% on ebooks, and 60% or 50% minus printing on paperbacks and hardcovers. The bands, fees and formulas, with worked examples.
Audiobooks for indie authors: ACX, Findaway Voices and the rights you keep
ACX pays 50% exclusive or 30% non-exclusive in 2026. Voices by INaudio, once Findaway, is wide at 80% of store royalties. What each licence lets you keep.
Author bio templates at 50, 100 and 200 words, and where each one is used
Three fill-in author bio templates at 50, 100 and 200 words, where each length is used, the order of facts, and when to write in first or third person.
Mailing list tools for authors compared: MailerLite, Kit and Mailchimp
Free tiers, automations and prices at 1,000 and 5,000 subscribers for MailerLite, Kit and Mailchimp as of November 2026, and which suits each list size.
News
All newsKDP changes in 2026: what indie authors need to know, with dates and sources
Every verified Amazon KDP change in 2026: the $12.99 royalty band, the two-titles-a-week limit, 18-month pre-orders, Kindle+ audiobooks and payment rules.
Kindle Unlimited per-page rate: September 2026 paid about half a cent a page
Amazon's September 2026 KDP Select Global Fund is $65.9 million and the US rate works out at about $0.0054 a page. Six months of figures and what a 300-page novel earns.
Making Tax Digital from April 2026: what UK self-published authors have to do
From 6 April 2026, UK sole traders with over £50,000 of gross trading income must keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates. Thresholds and deadlines.
Lessons
All lessonsA 12-week book launch timeline for an indie author, working back from release day
Week by week from twelve weeks out: preorder decision, review copies at week eight, cover reveal, press kit, launch-week emails and the month after.
Amazon Ads for an indie author's first £100 or $100: what to expect
Which Amazon ad types a KDP author can run, how bids and budgets work, why reports lag by up to 14 days, and how to work out your own break-even ACOS from your royalty.
Amazon KDP royalties explained: ebook, paperback and hardcover
KDP pays 70% or 35% on ebooks, and 60% or 50% minus printing on paperbacks and hardcovers. The bands, fees and formulas, with worked examples.
Resources
All resourcesAuthor bio templates at 50, 100 and 200 words, and where each one is used
Three fill-in author bio templates at 50, 100 and 200 words, where each length is used, the order of facts, and when to write in first or third person.
Book launch checklist for indie authors: four weeks before, launch week, the week after
A one-page launch checklist for a self-published book: what to do four weeks before release, during launch week and in the week after, one line per job.
Copyright page template for a self-published book, UK and US
What goes on a self-published book's copyright page in the UK and US, what to leave off, and a fill-in template you can copy into your front matter.
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