When you publish with Amazon, 30-65% is in "processing" fees. Similar with Apple, BN, Kobo, etc. Self distribution can be a lot cheaper if you already have the

When you publish with Amazon, 30-65% is in "processing" fees. Similar with Apple, BN, Kobo, etc. Self distribution can be a lot cheaper if you already have the marketing platform built it, which apparently @jstorimer has. From my own experience writing, it would have been a better investment of my time to do side consulting jobs. But like @jstorimer, once I had the itch, I needed to scratch it (along with writing my own tooling for ebook production). But the goal is to get a passive income. From the "indie" publishing crowd, (which has a fiction bias), the following are needed to make a living: 1. Luck 2. Good reviews 3. More books The first two cover the quality of your book, the last is supposedly a multiplier (at least in fiction and I assume in non-fiction as well). I would need to write a bunch more books to write for a living. But there have been other benefits to writing as well.