What is Digital Text Platform (DTP)?

Digital Text Platform (DTP) is Amazon.com's self-publishing service. Any United States citizen can sign up for an account, upload and sell eBooks through Amazon. Amazon developed DTP to work in conjunction with the Kindle eBook reader. The iPhone can also display Amazon eBooks.

Here's how it works:

1. Register for a DTP account or log into your existing Amazon account.
2. Add details for your account, such as mailing address and banking information.
3. In the dashboard, go to "My shelf" and click "Add new item."
4. Enter a title and description for your content.
5. Enter relevant categories and keywords to make it easier for people to find your eBook.
6. Upload your content. The field accepts plain text, PDF and Word documents as well as HTML but HTML is said to convert most successfully.
7. Review the results. If necessary, you can download your file, reformat and upload it again.
8. Enter the price you'd like to charge, any figure between 99 cents and $200.

eBooks are listed in Amazon's Kindle section and are also included in Amazon search results. An author receives 35 percent of the proceeds, paid automatically through electronic fund transfer (EFT) once a balance of $10 has accrued. Amazon pays royalties 60 days after the end of the month in which a sale occurred.

Learn More About IT:
> There's more information on Amazon's DTP pages.
> April L. Hamilton offers the IndieAuthor Guide to using DTP.
> RadarFarms.com maintains blogs, news and articles about DTP.

09 Mar 2009