Customers Lash Out Against Independent Publishing for Kindle

Information product creators have stumbled upon a goldmine by publishing for Kindle. Amazon has made the process of writing and selling digital books so easy and affordable, anyone can do it. Internet marketers have been clamoring to get in on the action, and the ability to compete on the same playing field as published authors has made breaking into the market incredibly enticing. However, this ease of access has ushered scores of poorly written Kindle books into the Amazon marketplace, which has made it increasingly difficult for customers to find quality material. This has angered many Kindle owners, and the backlash against the volume of low-quality eBooks some people publish to Kindle has caused many to question how long Kindle book creation will remain as unregulated as it is now.

Amazon Kindle Forum Users Speak Out

The Amazon Kindle forum is abuzz with angry customers who have had it with low-quality, independently published Kindle books. The books, nicknamed “Kindle Indies,” are getting an overwhelmingly negative reputation simply because of a few bad apples. Greg, a poster on the forum, is a perfect example.
Greg posted, “[W]hen Amazon opened up self publishing for Kindle, everyone and their dog has suddenly become an “author,” and every rejected manuscript resurrected as a kindle “book.” I have no problem with amateurs posting their stuff to share online in a writer’s forum, but must their writings be intermingled with real books in the Kindle store? Is there some way to hide them or weed them out when browsing and searching. It’s annoying to have to wade through all that garbage which has multiplied like a rat infestation in the Kindle store.”

Publishing for Kindle the Right Way

The first major clue for Kindle users that your book may be self-published is the cover. Indie book artwork and graphics are generally low quality, and even decent graphics can be pegged as amateurish to the untrained eye. If you are considering publishing books for the Kindle, outsource your cover creation to a trained graphic designer. If you are positive that you have quality content, and you feel your work will bring in the bucks, it may be worth your while to shell out initially for cover art so that your audience will take your book more seriously while browsing.

Another way to ensure that customers will perceive your Kindle book as a “quality” product is to make sure you do not fabricate reviews or try to buy them on Fiverr. Customers are savvy – now more than ever – and they can spot fake reviews from a mile away. Let your readers write their own reviews, and if you have a good product, the customer reviews will speak for themselves.

Remember, the real judges of your work are the readers who buy books for Kindle, not the industry or other authors. They will ultimately decide if your book is worth buying, and they’re the ones who will make you money – or not. If you receive overwhelmingly negative reviews and a dismal star rating, take that as a major hint. Either go back to the drawing board and create a better product, or spend the money to hire a good ghostwriter to do it for you. Publishing for Kindle can really help you make money online – you just have to know how to play the game.

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