r/KDP

I know it’s a competitive market out there and nearly impossible to get noticed anymore, but I don’t know what to do. I have my first book out. I’m almost done with the 2nd. It’s going to be a 5 book series. My book is in libraries, checked out twice ( but one person never returned it) I just finished a 5 day free promotion. That got me 13 downloads and 42 KEMP, but that’s it. I’ve asked for suggestions on Nextdoor, on Reddit, but basically nothing. I can’t afford ads. Is it always this way? Are those numbers any good for a 5 day free promotion? One day the number was 13 KENP. The next morning it was 42. Since then, nothing. Something must be good about it because when it is face out at the library it is taken within a couple of weeks. I also need feedback on it and my new one but no one gives me any. They promise to but never do. They promise Amazon reviews but never do. I’ve given copies to friends and relatives but only a couple have even read it. The rest promise to. I don’t think the price would be an issue. It’s $2.99 w-book and 9.99 soft cover. So what am I saying or doing wrong, or is nothing wrong, this is just the way it is. AI, which I know you can’t trust, says to just give it time. Most who downloaded it probably never even opened it yet. However, it also tried to make me feel better by saying there’s a good chance the book was never returned to the library because someone lived it so much they couldn’t part with it. It is a very emotional realistic story that exposes the truth about teen love. Anyway, any suggestions or advice or anything would help. It’s only on Amazon and a couple of libraries. It’s called, “All the Love I’ll Ever Need” Thanks for listening…

I have two separate Amazon accounts I've had for years. One for almost all my purchasing, the other I use for gifts and whatnot. They are under two completely separate email addresses, separate credit cards, etc.

I want to use the second one for creating a KDP account.

Does having two separate Amazon purchasing accounts violate the Kindle "only one KDP account" rule?

Anyone here making decent money from KDP print on demand?

Curious what the experience is actually like once a book is live.
Is the print quality decent?
Are the margins worthwhile?
How easy is it to get sales without already having an audience?
Any issues with returns, formatting or Amazon support?
Do you use Amazon only, or also sell through your own website/other platforms?

Interested in hearing from people actually doing it, especially smaller publishers/self-publishers rather than just success-story videos.

I know that there can be a delay with paper books. I have 6 pre-orders on Kindle and my book shot to number #17 in new releases in the Christian forgiveness and mercy category so I KNOW I’ve had a lot of sales.

I have several friends who have shown me their shipped Amazon confirmation, too.

What gives? I want to see how many paperbacks I’ve sold! This is annoying!

I have a series of cozy mystery/thrillers that got dinged a few months back because out of the three categories available, I picked YA Mystery as one of them. Apparently you cannot have ANYTHING in a YA category if your book is not labeled with a maximum age of 18, which seems ridiculous to me. The books are appropriate for both YA and Adult. Is there any way for me to keep at least one category YA? Since I've changed it, my rankings have tanked. Any help or advice would be appreciated!