Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher

Indie publisher since 2018. 450K+ book units & $2M+ in KDP royalties. Sharing what I've learned about self-publishing, Amazon Ads & building a book business.

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

I've published 222 books on Amazon since 2018.

450,000+ book units processed.

$2M+ in estimated royalties.

And more failed experiments than I can count.

Here are 8 lessons I wish I'd known before publishing my first book:

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

I’ve spent hundreds of thousands on Amazon Ads.

And I don’t think I’ve ever had a book turn a profit with a cost per click above $1.

At that price, you need a seriously good conversion rate just to break even.

My advice?

Watch your CPC like a hawk.

Cheap clicks give you room to make mistakes. Expensive clicks don’t.

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@MPhilbinWriter Yes unfortunately this is the new normal. Having a social media presence is necessary.

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

Everyone tells you to read the 1-star reviews.

I prefer the 2s and 3s.

These readers were disappointed, but still found something worth praising.

They'll tell you what the book got right AND where it fell short.

Keep what worked.

Fix what didn't.

That's how you make a better book.

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@LearnDigital0 helpful?

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@TheDigitalKevin teach me brother!

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

Want better book ideas?

Bookmark Amazon’s Top 100 Best Sellers page.

Spend 10 minutes a day studying it.

Look at the topics, titles, covers, and what’s climbing the rankings.

It’s free market research.

Your next bestseller idea might be hiding in plain sight.

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@MoeWanders What a vibe

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@KipAuthor Now that’s a successful morning!

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@Mary_ork A non fiction trivia book for Harper Collins! :D

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

Not true, you can use software like kdspy to see what competitors are making.

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

If I had to start publishing on Amazon again, here's what I'd do:

Day 1: Research 20 potential niches.
Day 2: Study the top 10 books in each.
Day 3: Identify a topic with demand and weak competition.
Day 4: Test several cover concepts.
Day 5: Plan a book that's genuinely better than what's already selling.

Most beginners start by writing.

I'd start by finding buyers.

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@aarondstar Maybe wise?

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@DumnameneM47579 Your messages are set to private or something, I can’t message you

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@julianreads2 Fact trivia book, exactly up my wheel house :D

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@DumnameneM47579 Keep running ads if it's working, profit margin is super high I assume!

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@DumnameneM47579 Wow congrats!! What kind of book is this?

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@julianreads2 I'm currently in talks with Harper Collins and might be working with them on a book! First time for me, very exciting :D

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

One of the easiest ways to find new book ideas:

Bookmark Amazon’s Top 100 Best Sellers page.

Check it regularly.

Look at what’s selling, which topics keep appearing, and how the covers are designed.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

You just need to understand what readers are already buyindg.

[Sam Mercer | Indie Publisher @KDPFieldNotes]

@dave_uncensored 4 hour work week!