Ebook Publishing Without Illusions

Thinking about publishing an ebook? Read the numbers first.

Every new author asks the same four questions. Does self-publishing still make money? What kind of books actually sell? Do books sell because of their content - or because of advertising? And will my book even be seen without ads?

Most answers online come from people selling courses or from burned-out authors selling despair. This book answers with data: fact-checked figures from the major author income surveys, market research firms, Bowker's title-output counts, and Amazon's own published royalty and Kindle Unlimited numbers - all current as of mid-2026, all sourced, and all reproduced in a full data appendix.

Inside you'll find:

• Why 44% of indie authors earn under $100 a month while 8% clear $10,000 - and the one behavior that separates the tiers
• The genres that actually sell, and why romance takes 44% of the top income tier
• The $2.99-$9.99 royalty sweet spot that doubles your per-copy earnings
• Kindle Unlimited's $750M-a-year payout pool, and when exclusivity pays
• Real Amazon Ads cost benchmarks by genre - and the break-even math to run before spending a dollar
• How books get discovered: Amazon's algorithm, BookTok's 50-million-book effect, and what works without paid ads
• The AI title flood (3.5 million new books in 2025 alone) and how to compete with what can't be mass-produced
• Three realistic business scenarios, with budgets, timelines, and the incomes the data says to expect

Thirteen chapters, twelve charts, a glossary, and zero illusions. If you're going to bet your writing time, bet it with your eyes open.