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By Michele Ulriksen 

We all know how difficult it can be to sell books, and make money doing it. A bad economy, a cavalcade of genres and titles being published every week, and low author royalties can make a writer's dream of quitting his or her day job daunting at best. I've heard many authors and musicians complain about how much of a profit Amazon.com takes. I've complained about it myself. So where is the silver lining?

I discovered that my profit earned on one book can be increased dramatically by posting my book on Amazon.com with me as the seller. And when you are the seller of your own book, you can sign that book before you ship it out. Some people may be more inclined to click on the link that says "New and Signed by the Author!"

Amazon takes 55% of your profit if they take care of the shipping and handling, and if they are listed as the main seller. But if you list as the seller, they only take around $2.00 per item sold regardless of the price of the book. So, on a book with a list price of $16.00, if Amazon.com is listed as the seller, you are giving away over half, but with you as the seller, Amazon only gets two bucks. Sweet!

So how do you list as the seller? It's quite simple. When you click on the Amazon link to go to where your book is listed, to the right of the page there should be an additional link that says, "Do you have a copy to sell?" or "Sell yours here." Click on that link and follow the simple directions to list your book. It's very easy.

I have sold a few books this way. Amazon will collect the money from the person buying your book and then transfer that money into your checking account, or send you a paper check if you prefer. I have them deposit the money right into my checking account. It's quick and easy and I don't have to go to the bank for any reason. They will send you an email letting you know when someone has bought your book, how they paid, and they will let you know when the money has been deposited into your bank account. It's very efficient. They also reimburse you for the shipping. The buyer pays extra for shipping in addition to the price of the book.

So, all you do is wait for the stock to run out with Amazon, don't give them any more books, or instruct the publisher not to, and start selling it yourself with YOU as the seller, as long as you have your own copies to sell. If the Amazon link on the top of the page shows "Out of Stock" the buyer will automatically see a link under that one that says, "New and Signed by the Author." And you have a sale!

–Michele Ulriksen's first book, a memoir entitled Reform at Victory: A Survivor's Story, was published by Pizan Media in 2008.

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