My first book was a collection or articles previously written that I combined into a book, basically to see if I could actually produce a book on Createspace a self publishing platform. I really am a technophobe but with a little help from Arty my trusted technical guy plus the help line at Createspace I achieved my first book.

As I hadn’t had it professionally proof read and edited it was sprinkled with errors, but I had achieved my aim of writing and publishing a book. I made a little video to promote it on YouTube, set up a face book page and for the time being have left it languishing on Amazon with very little happening. A useful point to remember it is possible to redo both the cover and the contents when I’m ready to improve it. This is one of the advantages of self-publishing.

It all began with 2 years of sudden health problems which compromised my ability to walk for more than 100 yards without having to stop for breath. Needless to say this led me to indescribable depression. My life had changed it felt like overnight. Until then I had been a fit active pensioner working until the age of 75,but then disaster struck in two consecutive blows.

Apparently when trauma or debilitating illness occurs suddenly, which prevents you following your life plan, you are likely to suffer severe depression until you are able to create a new life plan for yourself. This certainly happened to me.

We had just bought a holiday home in Spain where we intended to spend the cold winter months plus a mobile home in the English countryside for the warm summer months when disaster struck. My first mistake was not learning the language, so anyone buying abroad, heed my warning and learn enough of their language to converse with the natives. Feeling so unwell I had no wish to return and the house was sold.

I wasn’t until I developed my new interest that I began to feel human again. I now had something to get my teeth into. Writing has always been something I enjoyed although until recently it has been a dormant skill. So I have just finished my second book with several others at the planning stage and a new way of life has begun. Sadly I find Createspace has been swallowed up by Amazon, so for my new book I will have to fathom out the intricacies of the new system.

But I have learnt if you have a hidden talent or desire, don’t wait for ill-health to hit you, make a decision to begin right now you will be so glad you did. You are never too old to begin something new; don’t go to your grave wishing if only…

Earlier this year, Amazon rolled out its Amazon Brand Registry, which is an effort to work with registered trademark owners to protect the customer experience on Amazon’s site. Since that time, as the official correspondence address on my clients’ trademark registration, I have received many requests from Amazon asking to validate and verify trademark owners for the registry. Enrollment in the Amazon Brand Registry provides trademark owners with improved tools for fighting trademark infringement.

It is well known that having a listing removed or a seller flagged for trademark infringement has often been a difficult endeavor on Amazon. Common types of trademark infringement or misuse I’ve seen there include:

• Someone sells their own product using your name, logo, or trademark
• Someone sells their own product using a name, logo, or trademark that is similar, but not identical, to yours
• Someone hijacks your listing but ships a different product
• Someone improperly lodges an infringement claim against a trademark you own

Handling things like the above generally required contacting Amazon’s automated service, eventually getting through to a person, and having the listing or complaint analyzed and then potentially taken down. This process was slow and cumbersome, especially if there was infringement by multiple users. And trademark owners could find themselves in a game of whack-a-mole with listings subsequently popping up under different seller’s accounts. The Amazon Brand Registry is intended to ease and speed the process of finding and handling potentially trademark infringement on Amazon.com.

Now, users who are enrolled with the Amazon Brand Registry will be able to create and upload unique videos and photos that are keyed to their accounts. Misuse of that content by others is easier to find and stop. Enrollment also gives you a faster takedown process, letting you clear infringement more quickly than with the old system. Enrolled sellers have access to text searches, image searches, and automated responses to potential intellectual property infringement. Sellers who are enrolled will also appear more legitimate to prospective customers, who may opt to purchase from that seller rather than one with a cheaper price but a more questionable status.

Some points and prerequisites concerning the Amazon Brand Registry:

• Only owners of federally registered trademarks are eligible to participate in the Amazon Brand Registry. Common law trademarks and pending federal applications do not provide an enrollment basis.
• Word marks are definitely eligible – these are sometimes known as “standard character marks” because they usually appear simply as capital letters without claim to style or font.
• Composite marks appear to be eligible. Amazon says that “words, letters, or numbers in a stylized form” and “illustration drawing[s] which include[] words, letters, and/or numbers” are eligible. This seems to imply that a mark or logo having both text and graphical elements will qualify.
• It appears that pure design marks – graphical elements which have no text, words, or letters – may not qualify.
• You will need to provide proof of your registered trademark, as well as proof of how the mark is actually being used on the product or packaging for the product.
• I’ve seen discussion that your trademark has to be registered on the Principal Register, not the Supplemental Register. I have not been able to verify this with Amazon, however.

If you are a trademark owner, consider the following for moving forward:

• Registering your trademark. Registration is a fundamental requirement for enrollment now, so this action must be taken.
• Filing the application for trademark registration now. This process typically takes at least 6-7 months, and Amazon’s requirement that your mark be registered means you should start the registration process sooner rather than later. The longer you wait to file, the longer it will take before you can enroll.
• Registering a word mark version of your mark, if you only have a design or composite mark registered. The word mark will not only be definitely eligible for enrollment in the Amazon Brand Registry, but it typically offers the best and broadest protection for you trademark in the larger marketplace.
• Does the way you use your trademark on listings, products, and packaging match the registered trademark? Different spelling, spacing, hyphenation, or other variations can limit your ability to use, or potentially even enroll, in the Amazon Brand Registry.
• Failure to enroll in the Amazon Brand Registry does not mean you cannot report alleged trademark infringement on Amazon, it just means you won’t have all of Amazon’s potential tools available to you for finding and combating that infringement. Typically, clients find it difficult and cumbersome to monitor and remove trademark infringement.
• If your trademark is on the Supplemental Register, consider moving it to the Principal Register. Not all marks are eligible for this and so attempting the move requires careful analysis together with a use and filing strategy.
• If you were enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry before April 2017, you will not be automatically re-enrolled. You have to manually re-enroll.

OK, you’ve finally written your eBook! Great, now what do you do with it? As an author who focuses on the web, instead of print, you have many options. Many independent writers today are using Amazon and Lulu to publish print on books (PDF versions) or do their own DIY publishing. So, which approach should you take? It doesn’t matter, they both are good choices.

If you are just getting started, it’s best that you list your eBook for sale on both Lulu.com and the Amazon Kindle Store. The primary reason for this is that by placing your eBooks on multiple sites you can target a wider audience and maximize your earnings. But the questions still beg, which one should I use? Is it better to market my books more on Amazon than with Lulu? Which site can I make more money? Don’t stop reading; the answer is just a few paragraphs away.

Lulu Books

It’s not difficult at all to list your eBooks on Amazon or Lulu; the process is about the same for both. The biggest difference is that Lulu.com requires you to create an account before you can log in, but don’t worry, it’s free. Once you are done, you can begin a new project. Pick from the two project options presented; you want to select the eBook option. Next you want to describe the e-book and provide a summary; this is what buyers see so make sure it is informative and captivating. After you have done that, you’ll want to upload your formatted eBook and an eye-catching cover. The last thing you need to do is set a selling price and review your listing to make sure you are good with everything.

Amazon Kindle KDP

To sell your eBook on Amazon, go to kdp.amazon.com. Follow the steps on the site to create your account, which is also free. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the link titled “Self-Publish with Us.” Select ‘Amazon Kindle’ on the next page; this will take you to Amazon’s digital book platform. In order for people to read your eBooks on any of the Kindle devices, you have to format your book to digital text, there are a number of tools available to accomplish this task. Once you upload a properly formatted file, it will be converted automatically into an eBook to be downloaded to an eReader. If there are no issues, all you have to do next is provide a description and set a price for your book.

Conclusion

The fact that it is so easy to list your book on Amazon’s Kindle KDP or Lulu books, you can go with whichever one you want first. My recommendation is Lulu for your print on demand books and Amazon for your eBooks. Either way, the whole process should take no more than an hour to complete. In fact, spend a day and do one right after the other. You can upload as many books as you want if time permits; this will allow you to have multiple books on the two different sites.

As it pertains to marketing, you don’t have to worry. Amazon and Lulu’s brand are well-known, and their marketing dominates their respective industries. But you should still spend time marketing your eBooks as well. For example, you can do so with a catchy sales page, links to your eBook pages, message boards and more. Promote on both Amazon and Lulu, but focus your efforts more on Lulu. Lulu lets you keep a greater percentage of the profits compared to Amazon.

As previously stated; the Kindle is one of the top eBook readers on the market. Even though it is widely used, not everyone owns a Kindle. Thus, your market will only target this section of buyers; this doesn’t mean you don’t need to promote your Amazon Kindle Book, you do. But you don’t want to leave your PDF e-book on Lulu.com without any sales either. Since many people can download eBooks to their tablets and smartphones, you stand to earn more money publishing your eBook on Lulu.

Simply speaking, if you wish to sell an e-book, then make sure you maximize your profits by employing different selling options. Lulu and Amazon are two examples, but there are other sites that allow you to do the same. Don’t dismiss other means of marketing your eBooks. Building a landing page and using social media are just as helpful, but Lulu and Amazon are two well-known and preferred self-publishing programs.