How to publish a short story on Kindle

The_Outlaw_Torn · Aug 27, 2014

People say that self-publishing your novels on Kindle is always possible, so I'm looking into that. But in the meantime, I'd like to know if publishing a short story on Kindle (KDP to be precise) is possible as well. And I'm not talking about collections (which I'm also looking into). I'm talking about a single short story to be published. All I know is that it has to be through Kindles Singles, a group of editors has to give approval, the most appropriate price is $0.99, and that the story has to be more than 3,000 words total. The genre that I'm working on is gay erotica, and I think I know the basics for this particular route.

I'd like to make sure that I've got enough info for Kindle. Do I need cover art? Does it require promotion? Is Singles the only option on Amazon? Do they occasionally censor some erotica or something?

Polenth · Aug 27, 2014

You can upload it the same way as you do novels, with no approval outside of the basic check for all books (make sure the book is formatted okay, readable and doesn't have an explicit cover/title and there shouldn't be issues with this). I'm not sure where this idea got started that Singles is the only way, but you're not the first to say that... whoever started that rumour is wrong.

The main length limit is going to be what readers will accept. Shorts are fairly popular in romance and erotica, so you're in a good area to start with.

Amazon have a good help section which covers most things you might want to know: https://kdp.amazon.com/help

veinglory · Aug 27, 2014

As mentioned you can publish any material not containing 'banned' types of content any time. The lowest price you can charge is 99c.

WriterBN · Aug 28, 2014

The_Outlaw_Torn said:
I'd like to make sure that I've got enough info for Kindle. Do I need cover art? Does it require promotion? Is Singles the only option on Amazon? Do they occasionally censor some erotica or something?

Kindle Singles is a completely different option from publishing through KDP. Singles is much like submitting a story to a prestigious literary journal. The acceptance rates are very low, but if you do get in, it's worth it.

You can publish a short story through KDP just as you would a novel. Many authors do single stories, but they generally don't sell very well at $0.99. (I have one of my stories as a freebie to promote sales of my book.) The same rules apply regarding content for short stories.

The_Outlaw_Torn · Aug 28, 2014

WriterBN said:
The same rules apply regarding content for short stories.

Amazon Kindle does not allow pornography. What kind of pornography? Video and photographs? Does fiction (print) apply as well? Sorry if that's a dumb question. I'm just trying to make sure.

WriterBN · Aug 31, 2014

If you're not sure, it's best to check with a rep at KDP. Their definitions, like most places, leave a lot of room for interpretation.

Elly_Green · Sep 1, 2014

The_Outlaw_Torn said:
Amazon Kindle does not allow pornography. What kind of pornography? Video and photographs? Does fiction (print) apply as well? Sorry if that's a dumb question. I'm just trying to make sure.

Here are some sources of what seems to be the current situation with Amazon regarding adult books and what constitutes pornography.

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2011/01/guest-post-by-selena-kitt-part-2.html
http://selenakitt.com/blog/amazon-at-it-again-blocking-pseudoincest-and-monster-sex/
http://selenakitt.com/blog/survival-tips-for-the-pornocalypse-erotica-writers-get-armed-and-ready/

Basically, don't limit yourself to Amazon and find other venues to retail through who appreciate your artistic view just in case Amazon decides you are the devil.

Good luck!

How to publish a short story on Kindle

The_Outlaw_Torn

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Polenth

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veinglory

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WriterBN

The_Outlaw_Torn

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WriterBN

Elly_Green

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