Frequently Asked Questions

What is an indie author?

An indie author is anther term for a self publishing author that doesn’t affiliate with any larger company. Typically most of the work involved for indie creators piles onto a single person or a smaller group of people as these groups typically aren’t very big. For example, I write and illustrate my books all by myself, and only at the very end do I seek assistance for final formatting and distribution. And even then, a great chunk of marketing and personal distribution falls upon my own shoulders. There’s definitely a great and unique challenge to making it as an indie creator, but that makes sales all the more satisfying.

Why are there shipping costs and why are they so complex?

Selling books through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is no easy fleet. At the end of every sale, I makes less than 25% of all the finances processed through Amazon. Amazon alone takes a 40% cut initially, and even after that printing costs subtract another 37% . This website exists as an alternative to make a slightly higher royalties even if it involves physically using the local postal service for shipments. This way I can avoid the 40% cut that Amazon takes for their share for using their services, even if it means going out of the way to collect and use shipping finances.

This is where the shipping costs come in to offset loss from Amazon’s sales. These royalties are then used to pay off the existing cost of investment that went into publishing the books in the first place. For example, if I were to sell through Amazon alone, over 2,500 copies of my first book “Dragon Boy” would need to be sold to overcome the finances originally invested into the book, compared to website and personal transactions as an alternative. Most of the royalties that I collect are funneled right back into the business to publish more books and to invest in even more printing and materials.

What exactly is the end goal here?

When push comes to shove, I don’t make very much from this book business. But that’s not exactly the ultimate goal here, either. At the end of the day, being able to spread the love of art and storytelling, and to know you have made a mark on written and illustrative media as a whole— THAT is a very rewarding feeling, and it never gets old getting to share it with others. The ultimate goal is to spread creativity, imagination, and individuality— To inspire others of all ages, to let them know that they can do whatever they put their hearts and minds to.