Everybody has a different starting situation when they begin to publish books on Amazon KDP. That's why it's complicated to say how much realistically is “normal” to earn with self-publishing. Tim and I (Andrey) are extreme examples. Our situations are not normal, so we can speak from our perspective, but never be fully objective. Nevertheless, we know at least 100 publishers from all around the world, spoke with them, and have, in our opinion, a good feeling about what is possible with KDP. That's why we thought this might be an interesting video for you all. Enjoy.

🎉 Check out our software PublishFlow:
https://publishflow.ai/?utm_source=PC4

In this episode we share our biggest mistakes and challenges we faced in the last 1-2 years of doing Amazon KDP. We cover multiple important self-publishing-related topics in this video and hope that with this input you can learn from our mistakes instead of making them yourself.

#amazonkdp #kindledirectpublishing #bookpublishing

Disclaimer:
I cannot promise any specific financial outcomes as a result of applying the strategies and ideas discussed in this video. This content does not constitute financial or investment advice. It's crucial that you conduct your own research and make well-informed decisions. Your success will rely on your commitment, effort, experience, and knowledge. Although I aim to provide accurate information, I cannot ensure that all websites or resources mentioned in this video are without errors. By viewing this video, you acknowledge that you will not solely rely on the information provided here.**

In this episode of the Publishing Playbook, Andrey Bernhart ($500K+ on Amazon KDP) and Tim Gebhard ($250K in 9 months) sit down for a listener Q&A. We answer your most asked questions about self-publishing, Amazon KDP, AI-powered book creation, PublishFlow, and what it really takes to scale.

Topics covered:

- Why Andrey gives away his publishing workflow through PublishFlow instead of gatekeeping it

- How public accountability on YouTube drives Tim's performance

- The impact of being around other successful publishers

- Andrey's top 5 books out of 50 (and why)

- How design skills give you an unfair advantage in KDP

- PublishFlow's biggest weakness right now (and the long-term vision)

- Is AI ruining book publishing? Our honest take on fiction vs. non-fiction

- Tim's aggressive Amazon Ads strategy explained

- When KDP started feeling like a real business for Andrey

About us:

Andrey Bernhardt — Self-publisher for 2 years, $500K+ lifetime royalties on Amazon KDP, co-founder of PublishFlow (publishflow.ai)

Tim Gebhardt — Publishing since May 2025, ~$200K lifetime royalties in 9 months, documenting the journey on Peter Holmquist's channel

Try PublishFlow: https://publishflow.ai/?utm_source=PodEP3

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## Timestamps

0:00 — Cold open teaser

0:32 — Welcome & what's this episode about (Q&A format)

1:15 — Who are we? Introductions

2:02 — Why does Andrey give away his workflow through PublishFlow?

3:10 — The vision: raising the quality bar on Amazon KDP with AI

7:00 — Will the public perception of AI books change?

8:05 — Does documenting the journey on YouTube pressure Tim to perform?

9:27 — Tim's goal: $100K month by end of March, $1M month by Q4

10:46 — Has being around successful publishers changed how you think?

12:30 — Two brains are better than one — how collaboration sparks ideas

14:25 — Tim's SuperTIM AI agent origin story (brain dump in the car)

15:11 — If you could only keep 5 of your 50 books, which ones and why?

17:30 — The $19.40 royalty book & the $33K seasonal monster

18:57 — How did design & Photoshop skills help Tim start with KDP?

20:30 — Design skills > writing skills in the AI era?

22:31 — What's PublishFlow's biggest weakness right now?

24:00 — The long-term vision: InDesign-level quality inside PublishFlow

25:45 — Is AI ruining book publishing? Fiction vs. non-fiction debate

28:35 — Could AI write the next Game of Thrones?

30:00 — The future: custom AI-generated novel series made just for you

30:53 — Tim's aggressive Amazon Ads strategy — why spend so much?

33:00 — Andrey's defensive ad strategy vs. Tim's aggressive approach

35:47 — When did KDP start feeling like a main hustle? (Andrey's growth curve)

38:30 — Tim's insane growth curve: $150 → $55K months

40:15 — What's "normal" on KDP? We want to have that real conversation

41:06 — PublishFlow launch announcement

43:30 — Drop "SuperTim" in the comments if you watched until here!

44:24 — Outro