The Ins and Outs of KDP

After accidentally publishing my paperback on Amazon before it was ready (don't get me started), which I am now calling the unofficial “Soft launch”, I was able to correctly upload the paperback and the Kindle version. Now, pending review, the paperback will be available immediately, and the Kindle available for pre-sale before the November 1 launch date. Why is the paperback not on pre-sale? Don’t get me started…
 
This is not going to be a bitch session about Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. As much as it could be, there is a learning curve in any new endeavor. It would be nice, however, if there were a few more checks and balances throughout the process.
 
First things first: Why did I decide to go with Amazon? A few reasons: It doesn’t cost anything to publish with them. Since you do all the work formatting and publishing, they just take a percentage of the sales, and Amazon is HUGE, but you knew that. I also could not advertise my first book there, since it wasn't exclusive.
 
I paid to publish my first book, and I don’t regret it. The company that I used, Friesen Press, did a great job with my cover and interior, and they make my book available across all major online sellers. They also provided me with marketing advice and learning modules. Was it money well spent? Not yet…I am still hoping to recoup my costs, but I did learn a lot.
 
KDP provides templates to use to format your manuscript. Great, but wait! I used the 5x8 paperback template, uploaded it, and found that the margins were off. So I did it again. And again. Then readjusted the margins.  And again, and so on until it looked right. It should be easier than that. I lost count how many times I uploaded mt MS.
 
Then I realized it did not have page numbers. Ever try to insert page numbers into a word doc? OMG. You have to create headers/footers, then if you want the numbering to start anywhere other than the first page, you bang your head against the wall for a while, because it feels better than the headache you get trying to follow the instructions.
 
The cover program in KDP allows you to use their templates or separately upload your own. This should be combined since the templates are limited in structure.
 
How long did it take? Too long. And my head hurts, but it’s done. Book #2. Yeah!
 
The Knot at the End of the Rope now available for pre-sale on Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KP9RSYG
or now, in paperback: 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KGHH4HH