How much does an average self publishing author make on Amazon?

The average writer in my experience probably makes less than $100 a year in ebook sales.

But here are a few things that make a difference for authors who make thousands or more per month:

1. Create a good book. Absolutely essential in ebook sales where reviews can make or break a book.

2. Create lots of good books. Most authors don’t make a living on one or two books. They make a living on ten, twenty, or fifty books. In today’s world where books are much shorter than they were ten or twenty years ago, it’s easier to write more books.

3. Price your book for the market. Price it too high and you won’t have many sales. Price it too low and you won’t make much per sale.

4. Promote like heck. You really have to do a lot of promotion to see sales. Just listing a book on Amazon rarely results in many sales. It’s the promotions you and your friends and your fans and your JV partners do that make a difference.

5. Test giving your book away as a tool to increase visibility on Amazon (Kindle Select allows you to give your book away for five days out of 90, but does require an exclusive).

6. Go social. Test Facebook ads. Try the new Twitter ads.

7. Create a podcast or video channel or both. Be consistent. Do something weekly. Build an audience.

I know authors who have made over a million in one month on Amazon. But, alas, I know many more who have made $10 or less in one month.