What’s with the Pigeon driving a rusty blue truck?
We will get to that tail in a moment, but first, becoming a published author often comes with challenges, each serving as a stepping stone towards realizing your literary vision.
Using Kindle Direct Publishing to get your writing into the world is one of the fastest and most effective ways to become an author.
Among the arsenal of tools available to aspiring authors, Helium 10 emerges as a potent ally, especially when venturing into the realms of Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
But what makes Helium 10 a worthy companion in your authorial journey?
How might the insights from Helium 10 alter your approach toward your next KDP project?
If KDP is your stepping stone toward authentication, Helum 10 can guide you In at least three ways:
Every author carries a whirlpool of ideas, yet the essence lies in chiseling these rough stones into gleaming narrative gems.
The “why-why-how” technique, as explored by Eve Arnold, serves as a beacon in navigating this creative maze. The “why” unfurls the essence of your narrative, while the “how” lays down the path to manifest your ideas into words.
What’s my why?
I want to make money as an author. Why?
I want to call myself an author, and I want validation through social proof. Ok How? Well, KDP overlaps my newfound love for writing and my passion for all things Amazon. So, my “how” is utilizing KDP and Helium 10.
What’s your why?
What’s your How?
On the website Believe in a Budget, the author Ana Skyes. Shows her numbers of bringing in more than $2,000 monthly from at least 5 eBooks she created.
How do we do this?
We need a tool that not only resonates with our creative pulse but amplifies our ambition.
Helium 10's Chrome extension opens a window into the world of genres you yearn to explore.
Whether you're drawn towards the philosophical musings akin to Ryan Holiday or the profound life insights of Dr. Benjamin Hardy, both authors I am fascinated by.
Helium 10 grants you a lens to delve deeper into these realms, understanding the undercurrents that define some of their success on Amazon.
Both authors are native to Medium, and both were/are top writers and successful published authors.
I’ll focus on Ryan for a moment.
I’ve opened up Amazon.
Scrolling down the Amazon listing, we can see one of Ryan’s more famous books, “The Obstacle is The Way,” in the Product Details section, where we can learn much about seller rank.
He is #5 in Motivational Bussiness Management, #5 in Business Motivational and self-improvement, and #9 in Motivational Self-Help. Extremely impressive, consider the tens of thousands of books in those genres.
While neither Ryan nor Ben went the KDP route and opted for Hay House, Hatchet, and Paquin publishing, there are key insights we can learn from their Amazon sales.
DAMN ADHD! I just saw his new book is on prerelease for June 11, 2024, Right “Thing, Right Now” while writing this article.
Well, that’s a buy now.
Got me, Ryan, you got me.
I love hardcovers. They just hold up better and are easier to take notes in.
Pro Tip: Pre-release your books on KDP to build hype!
Now that my brain has gone down a rabbit hole.
Let's look at Helium 10’s Black Box Tool on their website and the usefulness of searching some of your book genres for insights about the genre and how we could further our ambition of becoming a writer utilizing Helium 10.
Black Box Filter Settings for this example: Category: Books>Subcategory> Children’s
Once here, a book titled Blippy caught my eye. My son loves Blippy.
Whether the author knowingly used the name of a famous kids' show for her loving Robot or not, it worked and got me to look.
From here, we can use the Helium 10 Chrome extension and see useful information. Once we do our research, we can open from the Amazon listing all about the author to study her other works.
Utilizing the Helium 10 Chrome Extention Xray- Amazon Product Research, we can start researching how this book generates $458.49 monthly!
At $2.99 for a Kindle version and $8.99 paperback.
Open the X-ray extension and click on the books with reviews.
Have you encountered a stumbling block in finding the right keywords for your book?
The best method to find all the keywords you’ll need is to open Cerebro from the Chrome Extention on the book you want to analyze, which will give you a Helium 10 window to pull all the keywords for this book and start your journey into making your own.
The genesis of my publishing odyssey was serendipitous. It was a fumble in KDP but a personal success and business triumph.
A friendly challenge from my teammate Jonah to pen down a book in less than a month led to the birth of "Take Back Your Brand," our first and fastest-produced book.
Our motive was simple - to craft a lexicon that would enlighten our clients, making our dialogues on Amazon's brand management more fruitful, but challenge ourselves to see if we could do it in under a month. We did.
Yet, the absence of Helium 10 in this initial venture is felt profoundly.
Our books initially meant to grace only our website, soon found a home in Amazon's vast repository.
However, the lack of precise tools like Helium 10 left a void, something I plan to fill in my forthcoming narrative endeavors.
KDP is a numbers game.
How do you get around the wall of numbers?
The KDP landscape is like a farmers market bustling with varied stalls, where success is a blend of offerings. You're offering what people crave and love.
Pick wisely and find the niche that meets your passion and market demand. You will be heavily rewarded for it.
Kids' books might be something other than your fancy.
Venturing into writing children’s books without a fondness for whimsical tales is akin to a cat fancying a dip in the pool - quite unnatural and a tad disastrous.
Children’s books are the cozy corner in the KDP market, a spot warmed by eager parents and grandparents on a hunt for bedtime adventures to share with their tots.
Now, my narrative with children’s tales is disturbing to some children.
However, my children are accustomed to being disturbed.
Ask my kiddos about a sick cow. A character that is three generations old, a cow, is introduced into storytelling during bedtime, and the sick cow always dies.
My grandfather told his son, my dad, and I still retell my children the sick kine story.
Having read “Little Blue Truck” and the “Pigeon” series to my children enough times to narrate them backward, a mischievous thought danced in my mind.
What about a more adult crossover where the Old Rusted Truck and the Crazy Pigeon go on an adventure?
See, I told you we’d get to the Pigeon.
The pigeons driving the little blue truck, of course, find themselves on a high-octane cruise, ending in a dramatic cliffhanger, quite literally.
They race, lose control, and poof. Off the cliff, they go into the sunset, marking the end of their chirpy tales.
One last beep beep.
As the truck tumbles down the river to its final resting place, the cacophony of shredded metal and foul bound down a hill at an Unstoppable speed.
As the ball of turmoil finds an unfortunate sick cow standing by the farmer's red barn, and as providence would have it, the cow is un-alived by the entanglement of steel, rust, blue, and feathers.
Parents worldwide squee with delight as there is no more Little Blue Truck, and that daft Pigeon is dead.
Now, while this thought tickled my funny bone and made my kids laugh, it brought home a crucial point - the essence of aligning with a genre you revel in.
It's here that Helium 10 steps in as a sage companion, helping you peek into genres that tickle not just your readers’ fancy but yours, too, ensuring the road to KDP success is as enjoyable as a joyride in the Little Blue Truck.
Helium 10 is more than just a keyword research tool; it's a compass that directs you towards a more enlightened path of publishing on Amazon.
So you don’t kill a beloved Truck and Pigeon.
The sick cow has to die. It’s a family tradition.
Cerebro is akin to having a bird's eye view of the landscape you're venturing into.
It lays bare the terrain of keywords, the roads blazed by your competitors, and the uncharted paths brimming with cliffhangers.
(I’m a stay-at-home dad. Remember? Puns are my native language.)
Have you ever wondered how your book could stand out amid the dense Amazon forest?
Helium 10 provides a semblance of an answer, unveiling the intricacies that often remain veiled in the broader publishing scheme.
Indeed, the initial glance at Helium 10's pricing might evoke a sense of hesitation—$ 99 for the most needed tools for a budding author.
Yet, when examined with the plethora of insights and aid it extends, the scales tip favorably.
Moreover, the pathway to a more accessible experience is paved with referral codes MRW10 and MRW20, offering a 10% lifetime discount and a 20% discount for the next six months, respectively. See Helium 10 landing page.
In your quest for a successful KDP endeavor, does the investment in Helium 10 align with your vision of a well-curated, well-marketed book?
The tales of Ryan Holiday and Dr. Benjamin Hardy resonate with a common thread - a well-navigated journey through the Amazon marketplace.
Their prolific presence on Medium transcends into the realm of published authors on Amazon, hinting at a narrative well-spun between these platforms.
I love the community on Medium.
I recently stumbled upon a Medium author, Veronica Llorca-Smith’s book, “The Lemon Tree Mindset” (not an affiliate link, just a shout-out to an aspiring author).
Use her link, check out her profile, follow her, subscribe, and get a copy well worth the read. I am not affiliated with her … yet, But I find her backstory impressive and inspiring.
Her book is powerful. I highly recommend it.
Unfortunately, my review isn’t posted on Amazon Yet, or I would be #36 on her ratings of a perfect 5 stars.
I’m on my second time through. The life lessons and trials she goes through to develop her mantra and mental calibration are incredible.
Keep an eye on her. I’m calling it now. She will be the next Ryan or Ben.
I’m calling it now. She will be the next Ryan Holiday or Benjamin Hardy, PhD.
As you and I aspire for greatness, Helium 10 is not merely a tool; it’s a companion in your narrative voyage on Amazon’s KDP.
As we stand at the cusp of transforming your ideas into published reality, choosing allies like Helium 10 could dictate the narrative of your success.
So, as you ink the first or the next chapter of your authorial journey, how prepared are you to explore the uncharted waters with Helium 10 by your side?
Note: While some links may accrue a commission, the zeal for imparting insights and sharing this journey is invaluable and springs from the core of my retail narrative.
