How to Decide on Topics for Your Kindle Books

You're ready and willing to write a Kindle book, but you're wondering what you should write about. Here are a few ideas for how to decide on good topics.
1) Start your research on Amazon.com
The first step should be to do some research. Take a look at the bestseller lists within your broad category, and then take a look at the sub-categories that interest you the most.
Check what is selling well. Chances are that these are hot topics, and so if you write a
Kindle book with an intriguing title, it will likely attract an audience.
Obviously, you also want to explore the Kindle store. Again, check out the hot sellers, and see if any of those give you ideas about what you could contribute that's not quite covered yet but should be.
Even if it is covered, you may still have a viable book, just as long you emphasize an angle that's not overcrowded.
2) Visit your local bookstore
Sure, browsing online is fast and easy, but sometimes a leisurely afternoon in a local store while browsing the aisles might give you potentially profitable ideas.
One of the biggest advantages of a physical bookstore is that you can look inside the books all you want, and the inspiration might come from a subheading towards the back of the book, something you'd never find when browsing books online. Don’t overlook the magazine rack, either. Magazines are chock-full of book ideas, many of which might be too thin for a traditional book of 200-plus pages, but would be perfect for a Kindle book priced at $2.99. And because they’re published more frequently than print books, the topics are more current. Magazines also do a fantastic job of writing compelling article titles to pull the reader in.
3) Consider your own experience and interests
In addition, you should make an inventory of the things you know about and enjoy. It's much easier to write about what you know than doing research from scratch. You also might have books lying around the house about topics you're passionate about, and you can use those as a resource to provide you with ideas.
4) Use Google
There are a number of ways to use Google and other search engines to help you find topics for your Kindle book. You want to make sure you write about something people are interested in, so you may want to start by going to the keyword tool. Just type "Google keyword tool" into Google and you'll find it right at the top.
Then type in potential keywords, for example "scrapbooking" or "guinea pigs," and you'll discover how many people have been looking for those words as well as related words.
5) Narrow down your topic in forums
Once you have the broad overall theme, go visit forums to find out about the topics that people care about most. After all, you need to keep your focus narrow, so you can keep your book short and to the point.
Do the members of the forum ask questions about problems they're trying to solve? If you write about the solution, you'll have a readymade topic for a Kindle book that could sell very well. You can even come back later and add the link to your Kindle book to your forum signature and to your profile.
As you can see, it's not rocket science to find something to write about. Ideally, you should choose a topic that interests you... and that you can sell to lots of people who are passionate about it too.
Four Ways to "Write" a Book Without Having to Write it Yourself
If you have a manuscript in your desk drawer or on your hard drive, you won't have a problem creating content. But what if you are starting from scratch?
Consider the following four alternative ways to get content for your project -- without having to write it yourself, or at least while keeping the need for writing it yourself at a bare minimum.
1) Hire a ghostwriter
The first method would be to get someone else to write your book. Ghostwriters are in the business to write for others. They provide the original content, which is then published under your name.
The drawback is that ghostwriters will typically expect to be paid upfront. Their fees can range from a few dollars per page to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on their experience, the topic, and the research they’ll have to undertake on your behalf.
You can find ghostwriters in places like the Warrior Forum or in various sites where people offer freelance services, from elance.com, odesk.com, and shelancers.com. Make sure to ask for samples, as often people billing themselves as writers have never written anything more extensive than an email to their mother.
2) Use PLR products
Another option is to use PLR products to create your own book. PLR stands for Private Label Rights, and it means that you get the right to use the product as your own.
While you technically have the rights to use the PLR products as is, that's not a good idea. Sooner or later, someone will discover a duplicate product, and while you're within your rights, it does make you look bad. At the very least, you'd have to fess up about having used a PLR product.
So rewrite it, add more content, move things around, and make the resulting product your own. This will also help you compete with others who have bought the same product.
3) Use public domain products
The third option is to use public domain products, i.e., books and other materials that are in the public domain. This means that either there is no copyright, such as in the event of certain government publications, or that the copyright has expired.
You do have to be careful with public domain works. While you have the right to republish, you do not have the right to present yourself as the author. For example, one edition of Napoleon Hill's book "Think and Grow Rich" is in the public domain. It has been republished numerous times, in various edited formats, but Hill is always credited as the original author. You can absolutely not republish "Think and Grow Rich" and claim authorship.
The same is true of literary works. A lot of classic poetry is in the public domain. You can edit a volume of poetry, but you must give credit to the original authors. You're just the editor and publisher, and, of course, you get to sell the resulting book and keep the profits.
4) Dictate it.
Many people who consider themselves lousy writers would be the first to tell you they’ve been blessed with the gift of gab. Remember that communication is communication, and in this day and age there are many tools to help you translate your speaking skill into excellent written communication. For example, you can use
speech recognition software such as Dragon and have your words transcribed directly. You could record an audio of yourself and send it to a transcriptionist (check shelancers.com or odesk.com), or you could transcribe it yourself. Many popular writers such as Scott Stratten (“Unmarketing”) use this method for writing their traditionally published books. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for you!
As you can see, you have several options to get the content of a book you want to publish on Kindle, or anywhere else. Just be sure you are clear about the rules for each option, and follow them carefully.

Five Reasons It's Easy to Create a Kindle Book

Maybe you've had a book inside you all along and now you have the opportunity to get it out there and share it with the world. But chances are that you're like most people and are intimidated by the idea of writing a book. Here are a few ideas that should make the task a lot less daunting than it might seem at first sight.
1) It doesn't have to be "book-length"
Here's the first and probably most encouraging part: your Kindle book does not have to be what you would consider "book-length." Not even close.
In fact, your Kindle book can have just a few pages. Just find the sweet spot between delivering on the promise you made in the title and description, length, and price. If the book is very short, you may opt for charging just 99 cents, the lowest permissible price currently on Kindle. You probably won't get rich from the royalties, but at 99 cents, your book could be a terrific impulse buy and get you lots of leads.
2) Kindle pages are smaller than regular pages
Not only does your Kindle book not have to contain very many pages, but the pages themselves don't hold as much text as your regular page.
Simply reformat your pages to Kindle's A5 format, and you'll discover that your 2000- word essay has become a lot longer!
3) You may well have ready-made content
Have you been writing articles for article directories? If so, you've got ready made content sitting on your hard drive. Simply gather up a few of your articles, arrange them into a logical sequence, fill in any gaps, write an introduction and a conclusion, add a table of contents, a resource section, and a brief bio. And bingo: Instant Kindle book.
You can also do the same thing with blog posts. And once you have published your first Kindle book, you can grab a few more posts, and assemble your second book in short order.
4) Rewrite PLR content
If you have purchased PLR content, which is "Private Label Content," you also received permission to republish that content under your own name.
You have to be a bit careful though. It's best to rewrite it, reassemble it, and add some of your own information before you package it as a Kindle book. You don't want
people to buy your book only to discover that they already have that book, published by another author.
5) Start writing content from scratch
If you don’t have pre-written articles, blog posts, or appropriate PLR content, here’s a way to start writing new content yourself.
Just write articles, one at a time, and publish them on your blog or in article directories, or maybe both. Once you have a few, proceed as in option 3.
Still intimidated? I hope not. Creating the content for your Kindle book doesn't have to be a huge undertaking. Keep the books themselves manageable in size and sell them for a low price.

What You Need to Submit Your Book

We’ve talked why you should write a Kindle book, but we haven’t touched on just how easy it is to submit your manuscript for publication. Unlike traditional publishing, there’s no need for an agent, you don’t have to submit your manuscript for consideration, and you don’t have to wait the months or even years it takes to have your book press-printed. Instead, you just follow these simple steps:
1. Go to https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin and sign in using your Amazon account.
2. Read and accept the terms of service.
3. Click “Add a New Title” and enter your book details including:
-Book title
-Description
-Language, publication date, publisher, and ISBN (all optional)
-Verify your rights (whether the book is public domain, or you own the rights)
-Add categories and keywords to target your book
-Upload your book cover
-Upload your book file
4. Determine Rights and Pricing, including:
-Publishing territories
-Royalties (35% or 70%)
-List price
-Kindle book lending
It’s really that easy! If your manuscript and cover are finished, the whole process can be completed in just a few minutes. Then you’ll wait for approval, which can occur as quickly as 24 hours. Compare that to the year-plus that print authors must wait to see their books in the bookstore, and you’ll know why authors love the Kindle!
A note on formats: To publish to the Kindle, you must have your content in the right format. Here are the supported formats for the Kindle:
-.zip
-.doc
-.pdf
-.epub
-.txt
-.mobi and .prc
A note on covers: Would you purchase a book from Barnes and Noble that had no cover, or had just a plain brown wrapper? Possibly, but probably not. We’re visual creatures, and in the online world when you can’t pick up a book to leaf through it, the cover sells the book. Spend some time and money on getting your cover right.
When a customer is browsing the Kindle store in Amazon, you want your book cover
to be professional and eye-catching. Look at other book covers to see what appeals to you, and find a graphic designer who can assist you in creating the look you want.
Graphics don’t have to be expensive; try sources like fiverr.com, shelancer.com, and
odesk.com for graphics help.