The Most Underrated Philosopher of this Era is

[Davino]

@Leo Gura

Amazon now offers Kindle Direct Publishing: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/

It is a new business model for independent writers that allows printing on demand and outsorcing of the technicalities to Amazon.

Here is a quote from their help web: "KDP prints your book on demand and subtracts your printing costs from your royalties. That means you don't have to pay any costs upfront or carry any inventory."

This may be worth investigating. I know several people that are satisfied with the service. Amazon is investing higly in KDP, as books are an important part of their market and even have a current monopoly (68% share) on ebooks.

 

Here I found a good analysis of benefits and drawbacks on the subject:

Quote

Amazon KDP benefits:

There was a time when writers would chase publishing houses, hoping one of them would pick their book up. Thanks to Kindle Direct Publishing, this is no longer an issue. 

It’s easy

You may ask, is publishing on Amazon easy? It definitely is. 

Amazon KDP has a simple, user-friendly interface with useful prompts, demonstration videos, forums, help centers, and FAQs. Even if you’ve never published a book before, there is nothing to worry about. Amazon will guide you through the process step-by-step. You can publish your book in a matter of hours. 

Wide reach

As a self-publisher, you want your book to be available to the masses. This is probably Amazon’s biggest strength. No competitor comes close to its huge customer base.

Furthermore, you can select the territories you want to sell your book in with just the click of a button. You can even handpick the distributors you want to work with, right from your Kindle dashboard.

Once you’ve published your book, you can ensure it is visible to readers by using targeted Amazon Ads.

Does Amazon KDP print books? 

Publish in multiple formats

As a Kindle author, you can offer electronic versions (ebooks and audiobooks) as well as physical copies of your book. 

Amazon is essentially a one-stop shop for publishers. All you have to do is upload your manuscript, and it will take care of the rest - printing and delivering your book for you at your maximum convenience.

Higher royalties

KDP offers higher royalties than most self-publishing platforms. You can enjoy up to 70% royalties on each ebook sale. However, there are some conditions you must meet. Print books come with a fixed 60% royalty rate, unless you decide to sell your books through Amazon’s Expanded Distribution Network, in which case you get a 40% share. 

Timely payments

Amazon pays you monthly, sixty days after the closing of the sales month. For example, if you sell 10 books in January, you’ll be paid for them in March. While this makes for a long initial wait period, once you get over it, things flow smoothly. Rest assured, you’ll face no delays in the release of the payments. 

Complete control

If you have ever approached traditional publishers, you’d know about all the demands they make before agreeing to publish a book. Everything from the cover to the content of the book can be challenged. And so, until you satisfy them to the tee, you can’t really expect your book to be published.

Amazon KDP fixes these issues. As an indie author on Kindle, you have complete creative control over your book. You may work with reviewers, designers, editors, etc. but you always have the last word. 

Quick turnaround

If you have the manuscript of your book ready, you can go live with your book listing in less than 72 hours. Amazon KDP has managed to streamline the book publishing process to a few simple steps that anyone can follow. 

Access to analytics

One of the biggest benefits of publishing a book on Kindle is that you can track sales data and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly. Amazon KDP offers an easy-to-use dashboard that gives you a bird’s eye view of your daily sales, earned royalties, Kindle Unlimited activity, and much more.

This data can provide insight into what your readers are responding to and how your marketing campaigns can be tweaked to increase sales. 

Amazon KDP drawbacks:

Like we mentioned earlier, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when selling books on Kindle. The platform comes with a few challenges too. 

Here are some of the cons of publishing on Amazon KDP:

It may take some practice

While the process of uploading a book on Amazon takes a few minutes, writing and listing the book can be a harrowing task. This is especially true if you have a limited writing experience and don’t know much about how online marketplaces work. 

If you are a newbie, you will likely require assistance from other professionals like editors, proofreaders, cover designers, photographers, etc. You might even need help with Kindle SEO to optimize your listing. 

Intense competition

Amazon is massive. And while this gives self-publishers access to millions of readers, it also means you face intense competition. 

As a self-publisher on KDP, you must understand the importance of niching down and familiarize yourself with the concept of keyword research.

Lastly, you must incorporate Amazon Ads into your promotional strategies to beat your competitors. 

The 70% royalty program isn’t for everyone

A lot of self-publishers choose Amazon to reap the benefits of its 70% royalty programs not realizing that there is a criteria they need to meet before qualifying for it. 

For example, the 70% program is only for books that are priced within the $2.99-$9.99 range. If you price your book higher, you won’t qualify for it.  

Pre-orders aren’t for paperbacks

When you’re an established author, Amazon’s pre-orders are an excellent way to create hype for your book. Sadly, pre-orders on Amazon aren’t available for paperback copies. Anyone who wants a physical copy of your book will have to wait until it is published.  

Interactive content is limited

Authors publishing ebooks have the luxury of incorporating widgets and other fun stuff in their content. Unfortunately, Amazon only provided limited interactive features for ebooks. If you’re hoping to engage readers with sophisticated media then Amazon may not be the best fit for this type of execution.

 

 

[Cosmin Visan]

Myself.

[Nilsi]

Has to be Daniel Schmachtenberger.

His comprehension of the most pressing problems of our time is way beyond that of anyone else.

In some sense, it's hard to call him a philosopher proper because his thought is so urgent and specific to the contemporary context. It is the way in which he approaches these problems that I think will endure though.

[Nilsi]

1 hour ago, Nilsi said:

Has to be Daniel Schmachtenberger.

His comprehension of the most pressing problems of our time is way beyond that of anyone else.

In some sense, it's hard to call him a philosopher proper because his thought is so urgent and specific to the contemporary context. It is the way in which he approaches these problems that I think will endure though.

This is perhaps my favorite series of talks he has given so far.

The man flew off to the rainforest at 18 to pursue enlightenment; managed to convince some of the most intelligent and powerful people on Earth to mentor him or at least arrange a meeting with him in his 20‘s; developed a novel cure for a neurodegenerative disease he was diagnosed with when he was in his 30‘s, despite having no background in medicine whatsoever;…

This is what real philosophy looks like, as opposed to the dorky scholarship and endless debating that is usually attributed to the „philosopher.“

Once this man's full biography is published, he will be remembered as one of the greatest to have ever done it.

Edited February 12 by Nilsi

[Yimpa]

On 1/23/2024 at 3:32 PM, UnbornTao said:

My dog.

I was at the animal shelter yesterday and approached a large dog inside of a small cage. Only a few moments of observing it up close taught me so much about the meaning of life. 

[Danioover9000]

@Nilsi  I can agree. This also is a great podcast showcasing him a bit more and how he thinks: