Your Books WON'T SELL Unless You Spend Thousands in Ads - The Sad Reality of KDP

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  • Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024

Комментарии • 125

  • @MathapornKaewchumpol
    @MathapornKaewchumpol Год назад +65

    I published 2 coloring books that I drew myself and I published them both 5 months ago. At that time I started with KDP and also started learning AMZ ads. First 2 months without ads - not a single copy sold in a single market. During next 3 months, when I launched a lot of campaigns, 1500 copies were sold. I don't have an email list nor I have done social media marketing. I don't know if the coloring books would start selling if I waited another few months. When you're starting out and you don't have an email list and enough social media followers who will buy your books, I think AMZ ads are necessary. Maybe it would help to just publish more books and gradually they would start selling. Anyway thanks for your no bs videos Sean 🤗

    • @Teamshmo
      @Teamshmo Год назад

      did you use custom ads or let amazon do it all?

    • @MathapornKaewchumpol
      @MathapornKaewchumpol Год назад +1

      @@Teamshmo I run AMZ ads and optimize them by myself.

    • @Teamshmo
      @Teamshmo Год назад

      @@MathapornKaewchumpol roughly how many keywords do you include in your ads?

    • @s.e.5957
      @s.e.5957 Год назад +1

      how much did you spend on ads?

  • @MIDLIFECRISIS50
    @MIDLIFECRISIS50 Год назад +34

    It's very rare that I step out and make a comment on a video but I had to here. First, I LOVE your sarcasm Sean!! I laughed a few times! Thank you.
    Second, no book, item, or service of any kind can sell if no one knows about it. It has to be put in front of the people who will want it!
    I have been doing KDP low-content books for about 20 months. I sell mostly notebooks and journals of which I make all my own interiors and covers. I pay no one for anything but getting exposure. I have been making over $5,000-$6,000 a month for over 4 months now while spending only about 10% of that on ads ($500-$600). My ad spend has always been around 10%. Imagine what mybQ-4 income will look like! My biggest money-maker is a glorified notebook that nets me over $2,000 every month because my royalty is $4.95 for each copy sold.
    My biggest competitor makes all her own stuff too. She, however, does NOT run Amazon ads but gets her exposure from her free social media marketing. She makes only half the royalties per book that I make so we both end up netting roughly the same amount each month.
    Third, you can throw all the money in the world that you want in ads but that will never sell an unwanted book! Your book (or product or service) HAS to be needed or wanted. If it's subpar, no one will spend their hard-earned money on it. Period.
    Your book has to be on point in all areas. Interior, cover, title, description, A+ content, Author central, and keywords. That product page should be tightened down and ready to sell ice to Eskimos by launch day! Whether you are using ads, email marketing, or social media.
    Thanks for another great video Sean!

  • @lauraliu3702
    @lauraliu3702 Год назад +13

    Thanks Sean! Totally agree. I rushed to publish my first low content book and thought if I just run ads then sales would pick up. In the end, it’s down to a few factors as you mentioned in the video. Even if it’s a low content book, it still requires research, thoughts and our effort to make it a worthy purchase for Amazon customers. If the book is not selling then the author should reflect and learn from mistakes.

  • @malikjohnson4285
    @malikjohnson4285 9 месяцев назад +2

    Sean is absolutely 100% with certainty correct. His information is priceless and course. Take it from a successful KDP publisher. Just stop complaining and get busy. Excuses are for losers. Thanks, Sean.

  • @soggynomadpress
    @soggynomadpress Год назад +4

    Loved a bit of cathartic snark from the start. Coffee out the nose funny. I needed that! In this business, you need some cathartic laughter, along with a strong spine.

  • @AndreaDingbatt
    @AndreaDingbatt Год назад +12

    😂 Thank you so Much for your humour and videos!!
    It's a sign of the times that some people seem to expect money to just land in their laps,,,
    without putting Any kind of effort into a business!!
    Thank you very much again for sharing your knowledge and information!!
    Andréa and Critters. ..XxX...

    • @SeanDollwet
      @SeanDollwet  Год назад +3

      Glad you liked it 😂

    • @AndreaDingbatt
      @AndreaDingbatt Год назад

      @@SeanDollwet ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!
      MY APOLOGIES FOR SHOUTING,,,
      *CAPS LOCK IS STUCK,,,AGAIN!!🙂

  • @introzed1284
    @introzed1284 Год назад +6

    Thank you for making this video. Came across your channel few days ago and bing watched all videos. I'm a complete beginner to KDP, these videos been really helpful to get start. Keep producing more videos brother.

  • @CloudSecurityGuy
    @CloudSecurityGuy Год назад +3

    haters gonna hate and complainers gonna complain .. Have always loved your transparency Sean ! Your channel is a goldmine

    • @anthonyekoja398
      @anthonyekoja398 8 месяцев назад

      …..and potatoes gonna potate 😅

  • @jamesguy1432
    @jamesguy1432 Год назад +5

    “You got me” 😂
    Thanks for your videos Sean. The no b/s approach is a breath of fresh air and as always hugely insightful. Keep doing what you do. 🙏🏻

  • @jayupstateny13650
    @jayupstateny13650 Год назад +8

    Your videos are really helpful. A good video for you would be to take two similar books (one promote with ads, one with no ads) and see the results. That would be a fun experiment to watch.

  • @DenelsiaWalker
    @DenelsiaWalker Год назад +7

    Book Title: Cheer the F*ck Up! 😂😊
    This video is very professional in light of the dilemma that was being posed to you from viewers. You handled this beautifully and with humor. Great job! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
    I took plenty notes. 2:45 -4:15
    💎Cerebro & Bookbeam. (How much the book is making.)💎
    Keyword Distribution
    BSR Low: Then it is making a lot of sales.
    💎Children Coloring Books
    💎Swear Coloring Books
    💎Crossword Puzzle Books
    💎Adult Activity Book
    💎Childrens Activity Book
    Optional: Launch Process for Kdp- Speed up
    Improve "YOUR" craft.❤
    Keyword, Cover, Title, or something else.
    Thank you very much! 💐

  • @gilltrewick5219
    @gilltrewick5219 Год назад +24

    I am doing adult colouring books and haven’t been published for two months yet. I have done small ads, but half my nearly 500 sales have been organic. I do have 9 books now, but for the first month I only had five. It can be done, but quality and brand are REALLY important.

    • @SeanDollwet
      @SeanDollwet  Год назад +6

      Love it, real proof right there

    • @ayindeabiola509
      @ayindeabiola509 Год назад +1

      Any tips?

    • @gilltrewick5219
      @gilltrewick5219 Год назад

      @@ayindeabiola509 only what Sean is already saying on his channel, I found that a consistent look to the brand has helped a lot.

    • @gilltrewick5219
      @gilltrewick5219 Год назад

      @@ayindeabiola509 I also did loads of research first, I spent months following RUclips colourists to see what there preferences were etc. also, 500 sounds like a lot (and I’m delighted) but financially it doesn’t add up to a fortune! But I am in profit now so no complaints

    • @FutureAmesi-uo3tf
      @FutureAmesi-uo3tf Год назад +2

      I have published 5 books and have made no sales though, this is just my second week with Amazon, I pray I just start making sales like you guys...i love the evidence and courage I see here. Thanks mr Sean

  • @IhunanyaAdaora0529
    @IhunanyaAdaora0529 Год назад +2

    Thank you Sean. You're so good

  • @dlanor15
    @dlanor15 Год назад +10

    You don't need to spend money on ads "forever" if you don't want to, but let's not ignore that those books (except for the ones with the swear words) most likely ran ads in the past to get the books where they are today, where they're able to make money without ads. You could probably run ads for a few months, and if the book is good enough then positive reviews will increase the rank of the book, getting it to the point where it starts selling without ads. I'll be publishing my first high content book in a few days, and I'll run minimal ads to see how it does.

    • @rizwan2730
      @rizwan2730 Год назад

      how is it going

    • @dlanor15
      @dlanor15 Год назад +2

      @@rizwan2730 Unfortunately I didn't get to release it. I'd say it's 90% finished, but I was too bored to finish up the remaining 10%.

    • @ichbinjon
      @ichbinjon 10 месяцев назад

      @@dlanor15 Did you decide to finish the last 10% and get it published?

  • @MsDR-ys3cb
    @MsDR-ys3cb Год назад +2

    I Love Your Response. Your so Awesome. Thank you for educating us with a great attitude. Keep up the good work.

  • @susanbaker9315
    @susanbaker9315 Месяц назад

    Really appreciate your clarity and honesty

  • @essambehslines6323
    @essambehslines6323 4 месяца назад

    Keep improving your skills and keep publishing. Enough motivation to continue. Thanks alot Sean appreciate ❤❤

  • @KatarinaKocses
    @KatarinaKocses Год назад +4

    Sean, that summer word search as a matter of fact I know ran ads heavily in the beginning of the summer. Now they’re off because summer is over and also they ranked the book at #1 of the keyword. Can you look at historical ads data? Because yeah once you spend a lot and get your bio ranked you probably don’t need to keep the ads running.

  • @ABK9354
    @ABK9354 Год назад +2

    Thanks for the advise. Appreciate your frank opinion.

  • @lilszard
    @lilszard Год назад +7

    Some people really do need to cheer the f*** up. 😆Thanks for the break down...it's exciting to see indie books ranking sans ads in such big niches. Imagine if they started advertising just a bit.

    • @SeanDollwet
      @SeanDollwet  Год назад +3

      Haha agree, they would crush it with ads

  • @JohnDoyle-jaddigitalstategies
    @JohnDoyle-jaddigitalstategies Год назад +1

    Thanks for that funny and refreshing video. Great facts.

  • @CRW567
    @CRW567 6 месяцев назад

    Thanks, Sean. Another great video. I love how you killed the noise.

  • @brandonestelle9029
    @brandonestelle9029 Год назад +1

    Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring!

  • @Cheryl_izzy
    @Cheryl_izzy 8 месяцев назад

    Thank you so much for this video. I'm trying to learn and an extreme beginner, and your videos are helping explain to me things that others can say and I don't understand. I like how you can be funny and sarcastic but so polite that it takes a minute to tell.

  • @anshumankar3320
    @anshumankar3320 Год назад +11

    Even if you give success pill to people still they are pretty lazy to embrace it😅...eye opener video for those who look for excuses...

  • @bubblybosun
    @bubblybosun Год назад +1

    As always, thanks Sean ✔️✔️✔️✔️

  • @adeisidaemon
    @adeisidaemon 3 месяца назад

    He's right, my bestsellers in the public domain market have no adverts.

  • @saidelbalili3824
    @saidelbalili3824 Год назад

    Totaly agree with everything u said Sean. Ads help a lot but not a must. Thx a lot

  • @julieshaffer7140
    @julieshaffer7140 Год назад +2

    I have heard of people that make money that don't run ads on amazon but then I wonder if they run ads on facebook or other platforms.

  • @rw9866
    @rw9866 Год назад +1

    There is always the people that do not put in the time and effort to get there books sold, I have been at it for 6 months and I'm getting sales with no ads it can be done. Really just need to do the search to see how busy the niche is.

  • @vikrant3324
    @vikrant3324 6 месяцев назад

    If I have budget I definitely join your course sir, you giving lot of information, I already uploaded one of my first book on self help, thank you sir

  • @pressytojumpscare
    @pressytojumpscare Год назад

    This was a very good video! Thank you! Gives me hope knowing that these things just take time and experience.

  • @VLoveTarot
    @VLoveTarot 7 месяцев назад

    thanks for sharing!

  • @cwlaw84
    @cwlaw84 Год назад +4

    Are you able to tell whether those books you identified ran ads previously? It seems as though the metric you’re showing is a present state of sponsored words. Is it possible these books used ads to encourage sales initially and then once they had ranked and received positive reviews scaled back the ads until the books placement in natural results was profitable.

    • @KatarinaKocses
      @KatarinaKocses Год назад

      Bingo! Yes, I’ve been following the “summer word search” keyword because I published one of those and that book that Sean is showing was advertising heavily in the beginning of the summer. As soon as they ranked the book on no. 1, they turned off the ads. I sold a bunch of summer word searches and am ranked on page 1 but still ads cost me more than I made back. I’m sorry to say but the best online business: teach others how to make money online. Or even better: teach teachers how to make money online.

  • @catherinewestbrooks
    @catherinewestbrooks Год назад

    Love this video! 👏 Thanks for always making great content!

  • @tim4505
    @tim4505 Год назад +3

    What's the extension to see how much making per day based on Bsr ?

  • @MenoHealth68
    @MenoHealth68 6 месяцев назад

    Thanks Sean,
    Such helpful videos, brilliant stuff and never listen to the haters :)

  • @barrygeorgioukdp
    @barrygeorgioukdp Год назад +2

    It's funny how the people who publish low quality books that no one wants to buy are the ones complaining about ads. Whereas the publishers spending thousands of dollars for one book which takes over 2 months to make and focus on building social proof and increasing their conversion rate don't seem to have a problem with ads.

  • @greenlitlleman
    @greenlitlleman 11 месяцев назад +1

    As a fiction writer I made up to 30k per book without ads. I wonder how much more I could've earned if I actually used them...

  • @flooredjustfloored
    @flooredjustfloored 5 месяцев назад

    One of those searches came back with 100,000 hits. How would the sellers of results that land around hit 10,000 (maybe 1,000 pages in,let alone the sellers in the back) gain any visibility if not for ads? Speaking as an Amazon buyer, I never scroll past the first five pages of results for anything I buy on there - ever. Please help me understand what I might be missing.

  • @lifethenwork72
    @lifethenwork72 Год назад +1

    Thank you for laying that out for all the negative nancy’s!!!

  • @themommaspot5298
    @themommaspot5298 Год назад +2

    Have you used Lulu with KDP? I'm just curious because I know they offer different bindings/hardcover etc. Wondering if that would make a difference if I wanted to create a undated planner??

  • @valentinekosisochi3265
    @valentinekosisochi3265 Год назад +4

    I made over $100 with a book without ads

  • @centerfordigitalmarketing
    @centerfordigitalmarketing Год назад +2

    This is deep stuff

  • @fertilityflowmethod
    @fertilityflowmethod Год назад +1

    Question to Sean and new publishers of no content KDP books - now that Amazon doesnt give out free ISBNs to low content books and you cant get the 'look inside' feature as a result of this, is it even worth trying to compete in this market anymore? I know you can buy ISBNs but they are really expensive!

    • @mr.mediocregamer9653
      @mr.mediocregamer9653 Год назад

      Seriously? No more free numbers? You gotta pay?
      I mean, I get why Amazon is doing that. There are millions of people it seems now uploading thousands of books each. The market is over saturated and they need to start getting people to only upload product they actually believe in or at least pay up to be there.

  • @ProjectPiperCustoms
    @ProjectPiperCustoms 6 месяцев назад

    Sean do you have any advice to share for high content non fiction book sales on KDP? Or do the same principles apply across the board?

  • @sehalahmad3123
    @sehalahmad3123 Год назад +1

    Can you tell me ..
    Which extension is good for a niche score ??
    Current situation

  • @ultimate_real
    @ultimate_real Год назад +1

    I believe Your support will worth it one day especially for me ❤

  • @emeriktremblay3881
    @emeriktremblay3881 Год назад +1

    Why sell the account if you plan on making a 2nd one

  • @ikaysilas
    @ikaysilas Год назад +2

    Great video Sean you look pissed😂

  • @AlexAlcyone
    @AlexAlcyone 6 месяцев назад

    ok but all you know is whether they are running *Amazon* ads. You have no idea what they are doing on other platforms to push traffic to their books - or how big that spend is. They could be running a strong social media campaign, ads or shoutouts on other social platforms, Google ads, email list marketing, banner traffic from their own website, media buys, banner buys.... you might be able to back engineer some of this by digging in to the author's social profiles but you can't know everything they are doing.

    • @SeanDollwet
      @SeanDollwet  6 месяцев назад +1

      If you send me proof of these books spending thousands in external marketing I will happily make an update video

    • @AlexAlcyone
      @AlexAlcyone 6 месяцев назад

      ​@@SeanDollwet you aren't paying me enough to research your video for you ;) all I am saying is that you cannot prove that they aren't and that the stats presented are therefore an incomplete picture. Many best sellers are using viral social media campaigns and/or paid ads on other platforms.

  • @bentoleal8690
    @bentoleal8690 Год назад +2

    Excellent, Sean -- question: How do you maximize the number of keywords for a book without doing ads? For example, the books you showed in this video had zero ads but had many (sometimes thousands ) of keywords.

    • @MIDLIFECRISIS50
      @MIDLIFECRISIS50 Год назад +2

      Amazon algorithm will do that. It starts with your title, subtitle, keywords, and categories then tests variations from there. The better a product does, the more keywords Amazon will test. Yet another important reason to be in the proper categories😉

    • @bentoleal8690
      @bentoleal8690 Год назад

      Thanks for the info@@MIDLIFECRISIS50 😊

  • @MuziqRocksChannel
    @MuziqRocksChannel Год назад +1

    What's the plugin that shows number of sales per book?

  • @counselingwithHEART
    @counselingwithHEART Год назад +1

    I have over 300 coloring books and anytime I've tried to run Ads through Amazon I've spent 3 times as much as I profit (meaning $2.05 per book profit). I might sell a hundred, but spent $400 in Ads. So, I'm not sure if I agree with your video about Ads. You DO HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY to get sales (profit; not just sell price). Over the last two years I NEVER profited from Ads.

    • @moezzaasif2593
      @moezzaasif2593 Год назад +3

      I can understand. But what you are doing is that you have launched a fast food chain and are trying to compete with McDonalds and KFC. That will obviously cost a lot. 'Coloring books' is a niche where highly established brands are working. They have reviews and ratings. They have people's trust.
      Please identify your competitors when you are finding your niche.
      If you are not the alpha (you have little money and no unique idea) you cannot fight them.
      I would suggest you to create books on keywords which give less than 3000 search results.
      As an idea, niche down on activity books and journals.
      I am not very experienced on amazon Kdp, but I have been working on other platforms. And this is my learning after a lot of research.
      Hope this helps.

    • @MIDLIFECRISIS50
      @MIDLIFECRISIS50 Год назад

      If you are spending that much on ads for books that sell, then you are running your ads all wrong!! You need to learn how to optimize ads.

    • @Rakpips
      @Rakpips Год назад

      ​@@moezzaasif2593 please how do i contact you?

    • @counselingwithHEART
      @counselingwithHEART Год назад +1

      @@moezzaasif2593 Thank you for your honest explanation. I really appreciate it. Most people 'blow smoke' all day long. Sean is usually pretty upfront and honest.

  • @shanewallace2045
    @shanewallace2045 Год назад

    Sean … QUESTION
    can you do short stores with bookbolt ? Have you done something like that?
    Also wondering how “marker” books would do instead of crayon books .
    loved how you #micdrop those that want to make a million over night . This type of business is a marathon. But as you have mentioned one great book will put you closer to your finish line

  • @jfelfoldi10
    @jfelfoldi10 11 месяцев назад

    HAHAHA love the sarcasm and your videos

  • @genghiskhoo8312
    @genghiskhoo8312 9 месяцев назад

    Hi Sean! Thanks for your video!
    I couldn't figure out how to get the sales/day and royalties/day information for each book as in your video. Is there a separate tool you are using for this?

  • @chantellesiequien1198
    @chantellesiequien1198 Год назад +1

    When he said everyone leaving those comments should buy this book. I lost it lmaoooo

  • @DQyoutuber
    @DQyoutuber Год назад +3

    maybe they ran ads before, and not running anymore?

    • @SeanDollwet
      @SeanDollwet  Год назад +5

      Could be the case for some, but I doubt it for some of the new books with 0 reviews which were still on page 1

    • @MrPhoton1
      @MrPhoton1 11 месяцев назад

      @@SeanDollwet I think the algorithm adds in some random no-rating books to make it look more organic to the customer. But the odds to get listed without ads on any platform are decreasing as the niches get flooded.

  • @coloringcami
    @coloringcami Год назад +1

    What kind of plugin show this data on amazon? I mean daily sales

  • @counselingwithHEART
    @counselingwithHEART Год назад

    Question for Sean....if they aren't running ads, how come they have 2000+ keywords... you can only fit words in those 7 boxes. So, where is the 2000+ keywords actually found for books.

  • @loot6
    @loot6 Год назад

    Does that tool detect ads that aren't amazon ads though? Also what if they ran ads to get downloads and reviews and then disabled them once they established a higher ranking for organic keywords?

  • @kevinalmiron8693
    @kevinalmiron8693 Год назад

    Book beam also shows you right? With the S option

  • @traveltoday4057
    @traveltoday4057 Год назад

    Why you said that you are working on your second KDP account, when Amazon only allow one account?

  • @miriamgutierrez9966
    @miriamgutierrez9966 Год назад

    What are amazon ads?

  • @kevmcgillivray
    @kevmcgillivray Год назад +3

    They probably run facebook ads or have put the work in to build an audience on a platform because thats what works for them. But no one is willing to put in the work to make that happen thats why they complain haha just excuses sean mate let them complain more exposure for you 😂

    • @SeanDollwet
      @SeanDollwet  Год назад +3

      Agree, so many ways to bring in traffic besides just ads haha

  • @GS195
    @GS195 Год назад

    Well that sucks

  • @ClubdeCampeones
    @ClubdeCampeones Год назад

    LFG!!!

  • @SimplyEastTexas
    @SimplyEastTexas Год назад

    🤣… hang in there Sean. People like quick fixes.

  • @sobeidalagrange7129
    @sobeidalagrange7129 Год назад

    07:40
    09:39

  • @michaelpipkins4546
    @michaelpipkins4546 Год назад

    Some of those books you spotted were published via CreateSpace ... which closed and became KDP about 5 or 6 years ago. I know because my books were selling like hotcakes at the time and the very day that it became KDP they all tanked and never recovered. I'm not saying you are wrong, but just that those books came out a long time ago and probably ranked well early on for whatever reason. So today they are just reaping some of the residuals.
    Your advice is still sound ... but it's not all that you present in this video. Those examples are the exceptions, not the rule.

  • @DjHamaeel
    @DjHamaeel Год назад +3

    😂😂😂 You are funny

  • @sammybarasa2390
    @sammybarasa2390 Год назад

    Many of these could very well have run ads in the past, and stopped after getting traction. Or perhaps stopped for the purposes of making this video. Sus.

  • @pdworld3421
    @pdworld3421 Год назад

    at the beginning of the video you said you built a 6 figure kdp business and by the end of the video, apparently it went up to 7 figures. lol

    • @SeanDollwet
      @SeanDollwet  9 месяцев назад +1

      6 figures a year, sold close to 7 figures 😂

    • @pdworld3421
      @pdworld3421 9 месяцев назад

      @@SeanDollwet I see

  • @doppelganger9254
    @doppelganger9254 Год назад +3

    You keep saying ass and not ads 😂😂😂😂

  • @Moviesforyouhere
    @Moviesforyouhere Год назад

    Stop making low-content videos like this, Sean! It's not helping at all! I am just one click away from unsubscribing you

    • @loot6
      @loot6 Год назад

      Why is it low content?

    • @Moviesforyouhere
      @Moviesforyouhere Год назад

      @@CalmnessHeartsease just buzz off no one’s listening

  • @myob3074
    @myob3074 Год назад

    Oh really is that so 🧐
    .. HOLD MY BEER I'LL BE BACK 🥱😎