Writing a book and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Part 2: My first KDP book and Starting a business

Why read the blog when you can watch the uduforu vlog on YouTube!

        Amazon.com provides good help and resources for its Kindle Direct Publishing. But Amazon amends its policies often and without notice, so check whatever is current. In the series "Writing a book and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)," I recount the book creation process from start to finish, but it is not a comprehensive how-to or a guide to using KDP. Instead, I highlight milestones and advice to keep you moving forward. I hope to inspire you to begin your book creation process, stay organized, and navigate the obstacles I encountered. If you prefer, read the scripts of the videos in the blog at uduforu.com.

        I refer to my first KDP book, self-published in 2019, as an example throughout the series. I chose the book title Hip Replacement Adaptive Equipment and the Sport of Recovery: A Patient's Perspective due to limited title availability. In addition, I thought using keywords in the title would help the book show up in search results. Book titles are surprisingly complicated. In the series, I will call it My Hip Book to simplify the reference.

        The topics of Part Two are inseparable, and I focus on crucial points to keep them brief. I will isolate and expand on issues in the future.

My first KDP book:

        I initially did not envision a book when brainstorming for My Hip Book. I thought an e-booklet would be ideal since I wanted to include videos. I tried to avoid repeating what I disliked about other books and videos. They were incomplete, long-winded, or lacked organization. I distilled the information crucial to a prospective patient and decided to make something to deliver just that while sharing my experience. I realized photo comparisons of the Adaptive Equipment would clarify my intent, and the project’s scope grew as I worked.

        KDP considered My Hip Book a textbook due to its pictures so, I had to upload a PDF manuscript. Because of this, the e-book could not use customization features for readers that are common to other e-books, like changing the font size. Instead, you have to pinch on the screen to zoom or magnify it if reading the e-book on a computer.

        Feedback about My Hip Book was immensely positive but revealed a preference for a physical book. Creating a paperback is a KDP option but the book needed to be less like a scrollable document. Thankfully, I did not need to change its standard portrait letter size. The book must be a minimum of 100 pages to print its title on the spine. But I only fluff the manuscript to 68 pages because I want some pages to be “this side up” as the reader turns.

        The more pages, the greater the production cost, and I did not want to overprice the book. My Hip Book is competitively priced with other titles in the niche. So, I initially priced the paperback book at $12.95 and made $2.16 after the book production and KDP cuts. The e-book was $6.95, and I made about the same amount after the KDP cut. Pricing is not “set it and forget it.” I need to evaluate increasing the price as production cost rises with market changes.

        All books published on Amazon get a free ASIN (The Amazon version of an ISBN), and physical books published solely on Amazon get a paid-for-by-Amazon ISBN. Thinking I might not sell exclusively on Amazon, I bought an ISBN for the e-book. The paperback needed an ISBN for the same reason.

So, KDP lessons learned:

        After I published the e-book, I discovered video playback in KDP e-books is limited to Amazon devices. So, I created a YouTube channel for everyone to access the videos. If I had understood this from the start, I would not have bothered to put the videos in the e-book. Then again, I may not have bothered to make the videos at all. In general, I do not recommend including videos in KDP e-books. But I recommend making YouTube videos for your stuff if you like doing that kind of work.

        After I published the paperback on Amazon, I looked into advertising and discovered I needed three unique titles to qualify. Frustration and disappointment fueled my determination to continue. And I found a use for the KDP hype videos about publishing low-content books – minus the money-making scheme. I then created the journal-style books From the Bed to the Road and You do Haiku. I opted to publish them solely on Amazon to take advantage of the KDP included ISBN. I also did not consider the journals worthy of filing for copyright. The copyrights of the journals are automatically mine, but I will not have certificates from the federal government.

        Email is an important marketing tool. Why the random statement? Because I re-listed my email everywhere and must republish my books to include it, too. I used uduforu@gmail.com because it is free but now use info@uduforu.com and martin.e.dodge@uduforu.com. Having an email address for your business can prevent the email it sends from automatically being filtered as spam. Also, avoid using other free emails - @outlook, @hotmail, @yahoo, @whatever for your business. I use a budget-friendly business email-only plan by Google. Find a business email plan before you need to do what I did. In any case, a business email looks professional, and some services require one.

        Because I need to change the email in My Hip Book, I am making a larger font version, and the re-formatting is brutal. The process condenses the table of contents, enlarges pictures, and makes reading friendlier. I must be careful, though. Altering my work could require additional copyright and other expenses. The edited content of the book must not depart from or significantly add to the intent of the original manuscript. The videos must remain unchanged. I must buy new ISBNs for the books because the edits are more extensive than fixing typos. However, I can change the book cover and price without repercussions.

        I will republish everything without fanfare when all is done. My Hip Book will only have the new email if the production cost of a larger font version is too much. There are edits other than a larger font to make republishing worth the effort. Self-publishing allows this freedom. For perfectionists, it can be a curse. But you do you.

Now about starting a business:

        While learning to create My Hip Book, I looked into copyright and business stuff. Copyright could wait until I finished My Hip Book, and even then, I could publish while the paperwork is processed. In the meantime, I could get started on business items. My Hip Book is a medical subject, so I decided to form an LLC for the additional legal protection. In Virginia, you need a lawyer to form an LLC. Also, using a lawyer is recommended when filing for copyright. So, I shopped for a local firm to do both.

        A business needs a name and a location where it operates. The State of Virginia, Internal Revenue Service, and the County of Albemarle websites have lists of steps that helped me open my business. I registered my business name with the State of Virginia and acquired a Tax ID from the IRS. The county government requires a zoning permit and issues its license for operating a business within its borders. Forming an LLC required the services of a lawyer. I also had an accountant do my business and personal taxes to ensure accuracy.

        A business owns the intellectual property it creates, so copyright and trademark are critical topics. Though I was advised to wait to trademark a company logo – wise advice because my logo evolved. Make sure what you name or claim does not resemble something that already exists. Google it, whatever it is, and see what turns up. When it comes to a legal dispute, nitpicking over whether you own something you created is not a dinner table debate. A government-issued certificate will immediately settle the case. People you know and sources online will cast doubt on the need for professional help in this arena. Hiring legal services to formally copyright or trademark is a good idea and worth the money as the process has multiple one-way-only time-sensitive steps. Not everything needs this level of protection – that is your choice, but make sure your decision is responsibly informed.

        I wanted to separate my finances from the LLC, so I decided to open a business bank account. Creating a business bank account takes more time than a regular one. I went to the bank, not knowing the bank required an LLC operating agreement. I was still waiting on the lawyer to get the final paperwork. The bank officer said I could get an operating agreement online. I wanted to open the account that day, so I paid for one on a big-name website. Unfortunately, it lacked a section that stated I had the authority to handle money for the business. Luckily, the bank officer could add a note to the document to fix what was missing. I provided the bank with the paperwork from the law office later. I am not sure I saved time with the runaround, but I did not know better.

        The internet made finding government offices, forms, registration, and payment a breeze. But I highly recommend that you do not use an online company to create your business, legal work, accounting, or copyright/ trademark filing. My experience at the bank made me aware of how a quick fix can lead to extra expenses and wasted time. Hiring help to do time-sensitive things that require multiple steps will save money. You will pay upfront for government services and pay again to start over. A local firm or office has the expertise to do the job right the first time.

        So, the minimum sequential list for creating a business is:

1. Register a business name with the state government.
2. Register a business type with the state government – I required a law office to form an LLC.
3. Copyright and trademark intellectual properties that are crucial for the business.
4. Get a Tax ID number from the IRS and register the business with the state government taxation department.
5. Get a local zoning permit and business license. Also, determine the business category. The lawyer did not help with this. The county registered uduforu, LLC as a mail-order business that does not sell food, alcohol, chemicals, cosmetics, or gun powder. As such, the company does not require additional permits or licenses.
6. Get a business bank account. Ask the bank what it needs and, if necessary, wait to get documents before you start the process.
7. Use an accountant to file your business and personal taxes. Especially to sort out tangible business property taxes. For example, uduforu, LLC is a home-based business, and its products are produced and shipped by other companies. So, I do not require storage space and related taxable business property items. I pay taxes on the iPad and other Items the business owns, though.

And use your time wisely:

        I encountered time roadblocks throughout creating My Hip Book and starting a business. I had to wait to proceed because of money, paperwork, learning, and more. Luckily, patience is free and usable as long as you can muster it. Marking dates on a calendar helped put the time in perspective, especially for legal and government processes. I used the time in between action dates to advance other matters. Save money, practice skills, and play while the days pass.