How to Become Financially Free with Amazon Self-Publishing

America! Home of the brave, land of the free. So why does it feel like so many of us are in financial slavery—tied down to dead-end jobs, clocking in and out like robots, putting our hopes and dreams on the shelf while we grind just to pay the bills?

There’s got to be a better way, you think—as you mix an energy drink into your coffee to keep yourself going.

If you’ve been thinking about becoming financially free and breaking the chains of mediocrity, you’re in the right place.

Like that pea stuck under the princess’ mattress, maybe you’ve had a feeling there’s a better way to live. But you don’t know how to get there.

And if we’re being honest (which we are of course always are), there are a ton of paths to financial freedom. But we’re going to show you what we think is the easiest and best way for everyday people to become financially free: self-publishing on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

“But I’m not an author!”, you might say. Hear us out. With the right education, self-publishing on Amazon’s KDP is definitely possible for those who don’t consider themselves writers. In fact, hundreds of people around the world are learning that they have what it takes to make money on Amazon’s powerful self-publishing platform.

So if you’ve ever wondered, “Can I make money self-publishing on Amazon?” We’re here to bring you good news. Yes, you can make money on Amazon KDP. People just like you are finding that with the right resources, they can escape the corporate Matrix and build their dream life. You don’t need to be the next Stephen King or John Grisham. And you don’t need a business degree to be successful. Just keep reading!

What Is Financial Freedom?

Before we travel too far into the Amazon KDP jungle, let’s take a step back and talk about financial freedom. What does it even mean to be financially free? Does it just mean you’ve paid all your bills for the month and now you can relax—until next month? Is it retirement? Or inheriting $10 million from a rich uncle and moving to the Bahamas to live the next 40 years on a beach? (Wouldn’t that be nice!)

Being financially free just means you’re no longer trading your time for money. You know those hourly rates—$20 an hour, etc.—companies advertise to try to attract employees? That’s active income. Money you have to actively work to bring in. If you work 8 hours a day at that rate, you’ll bring home $160, minus taxes. If you work zero hours, you’ll make $0. Not cool.

This type of income might be exciting when you’re 16 years old, but when you’re 30, it starts to get old.

Enter passive income, our hero of the story (besides you, of course).

Get Those Golden Eggs!

Passive income is like the goose that keeps laying the golden eggs, allowing you to do whatever you want with your time. To live a life of freedom! It’s one of the great secrets of successful people. Instead of working to line someone else’s pocket, they build and invest in something for themselves that has the potential to generate income even when they’re not working.

Passive income is the key to financial freedom. It’s the kind of money that hits your bank account even while you’re sleeping. It comes from things like real estate investments, stock dividends, royalties from assets like music, software or books, or monetizing a blog, YouTube channel or podcast.

The Internet has brought so many amazing opportunities for this type of income.

In fact, students of our Amazon self-publishing program are making anywhere from $1,000 per month all the way up to $10,000 a month. And all in passive income. So once they’ve published a few full-length books they’re free to pursue other interests or dreams.

Now we’re ready to unpack Amazon’s KDP platform and show you how to harness its power to build your dream life.

The Power of Amazon’s KDP

Amazon got its start selling books online. So it’s no surprise that its founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, has invested heavily in continuing that legacy. Amazon’s KDP has disrupted the stuffy traditional publishing industry in so many ways. It’s opened the doors for millions of people to share their work and make a living from their art, expertise or life experiences.

Here are just some of the incredible aspects of Amazon’s KDP that many don’t realize:

• It’s totally free! There are only some expenses for self-publishing on Amazon if you decide to hire a ghostwriter, designer, editor, etc.
• It’s fast. You can publish your book in less than 5 minutes if you have all the details and files ready and it will be available around the world within 72 hours.
• Publishers can get a 70% cut of every book sale—way more than you would typically get in a traditional book deal through an agent
• You’ll have full control over your book—the cover, artwork inside, the list price, etc.
• You’ll be able to reach a worldwide audience through Amazon’s Kindle Store.

These are just some of the reasons we’re so passionate about sharing this knowledge with others. We even created a training course that walks you through all the tips you need to start publishing on Amazon. We recommend people start small with a short eBook (around 50 pages or so) and just dip their toes into the water.

Here’s a brief overview of the steps to publishing on KDP. (For a more in-depth explanation, check out our article on how to publish on Amazon.)

1. Research and come up with your topic or book title
2. Write your book
3. Edit, proofread and format it for Kindle eReaders
4. Upload it to KDP
5. Set your book’s list price
6. Publish!
7. Tell others about it 

Once you publish your first book you’ll be empowered and inspired to keep going. After all, nothing is more motivating than seeing real money hit your bank account after you created something like a book from scratch.

Imagine the Feeling…

It’s time to let your imagination run a little wild. Allow yourself to dream!

Picture yourself traveling around the world, no longer stuck at home or in some beige corporate cubicle. You’ve put in the time and energy self-publishing and now you can reap the benefits.

Think of how good it will feel when you check your bank account every morning and see those royalties rolling in! How good you will feel knowing that you can go wherever you want as a digital nomad and explore other cultures, make new friends and live the life you’ve always wanted.

All of this is possible through Amazon’s KDP platform.

Our virtual workshop will show you how to publish a book completely from scratch so you can start making your first profits. Again, starting small and proving to yourself you can do this is the best approach. You’ll also be able to get a print copy in your hands and be able to join the ranks of  and entrepreneurs.

And you’ll be surprised to learn that you can self-publish on Amazon without spending a penny. There are ways to publish with no upfront costs and our webinar shows you how.

If you’re still a little skeptical that you can do this, let’s conclude with some real-life examples of people who made it happen.

Real Stories

Tammy Gallagher took our course and makes an average of $1,000 a month. Tammy wrote an eBook called “Longevity Secrets: An Anti-Aging Guide to Preventing Disease, Avoiding Memory Loss, Staying Active and Living Longer” and she is only just beginning.

Here’s an excerpt from Tammy’s Amazon bio that shows why she is so passionate about helping others with the information in her book.

“Tammy Gallagher found herself obese with high blood pressure and high cholesterol in her mid-20s. She ultimately developed Crohn’s disease after living a very unhealthy life. Now in her late 50’s, she’s healthier than ever. She lost 78 pounds and now has healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure.”

The beauty of self-publishing is that, not only are you building a passive income stream, you’re also helping others live the life they want. By sharing your knowledge or experience, you can help thousands of others reach their goals.

Colby Summerlin was tired of the 9-to-5 grind and finally did something about it. Colby took our Publishing.com course and launched “The Beginners Water Bath Canning Recipe Book.” Colby is now making an average of $1,400 a month just from this one book. Colby also has a book review average of 4.9 stars and already has 273 reviews!

Tammy and Colby’s numbers might not be enough to fully replace their income (yet!), but they’re only just starting down the path. And others are making up to $10,000 a month from selling multiple full-length books. You can do the same!

Get Started Today

Our self-publishing workshop walks you through step-by-step how to make money with Amazon’s KDP. You’ll also get connected with other people who are pursuing the same goals. So you’ll be able to lean on a community when you run into questions or roadblocks.

Sign up for our free webinar and learn how you can finally reach your goals of financial freedom.