There’s been a lot of buzz around the Kindle publishing game ever since the pandemic hit, with many hopeful entrepreneurs wondering if self-publishing on Amazon could be a profitable venture. If you’re one of those folks, you may have heard of Karla Marie’s Fiction Profits Academy – a course that claims to provide a proven blueprint for success that’s easy to replicate.
But hold up – is Karla Marie the real deal, or just another scam artist looking to make a quick buck off course sales? It’s a fair question, and one I’m looking to answer in my upcoming review.
Just so we’re clear, I’m not affiliated with Karla Marie in any way, nor am I being paid to write this article. I’ll be diving into the nitty-gritty details of the course, including its content and overall effectiveness. Stick around to find out if this course is worth the investment!
Table of Contents
- What is Fiction Profits Academy?
- Who is Karla Marie?
- How does Fiction Profits Academy help you make money?
- Who is Fiction Profits Academy for?
- How is the training structured?
- Are Fiction Profits Academy students getting results?
- How much does Fiction Profits Academy cost?
- Fiction Profits Academy Discount?
- Refund Policy
- Does Karla Marie have a good reputation?
- Praise for Fiction Profits Academy
- Criticism of Fiction Profits Academy
- Is Fiction Profits Academy a scam or legit?
- 5 Challenges of Self-Publishing on Amazon
- Is there a better way to make money online?
What is Fiction Profits Academy?
Self-publishing on Amazon has become increasingly popular, and for good reason. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform provides a simple, accessible, and flexible way for authors to enter the literary world. In addition, authors can set their own prices, earn royalties, and choose from various payment options.
Fiction Profits Academy claims to teach you everything you need to know about self-publishing with KDP. However, the course outline is not provided on the official website. There are some testimonials, but they don’t offer much detail about the business model. To learn more, Karla Marie asks you to attend her workshop.
In my research, I found that Karla’s approach involves hiring freelancers to help with the self-publishing process. This can include putting the books together, uploading them to Amazon, and promoting them with paid ads. While this approach might be helpful for some, others might prefer to do everything themselves.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Who is Karla Marie?
Karla Marie is the founder of Fiction Profits Academy. She claims to have made over six figures from self-publishing books on Amazon.
While there isn’t much information available about Karla Marie to verify her earnings, it’s clear that she’s skilled at online marketing.
In fact, I have a hunch that Karla Marie makes more money from selling her online course than from publishing ebooks.
Like many online marketers, Karla Marie uses free webinars to attract potential customers and follow-up emails to convert them.
She also has a YouTube channel under the name Fiction Profits Academy, which has around 5.68K subscribers as of this writing. However, it looks like the channel hasn’t been updated in about six months.
How does Fiction Profits Academy help you make money?
Fiction Profits Academy claims to help you make money from Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), a service that can help you get your book in front of millions of readers without needing a traditional publisher.
Here are some things you need to know about KDP:
KDP is a self-publishing platform that allows authors to create and sell both ebooks and paperbacks without any upfront costs. Unlike traditional publishers, KDP gives authors full ownership of their books.
If you choose to publish a paperback, Amazon will handle the printing and shipping to your customer. And if you list your ebook for sale on Amazon, KDP is free, but Amazon will share the revenue with you based on the royalty option you choose and the size of your ebook file.
KDP allows you to publish as many ebooks or paperbacks as you want under one account, even using different pseudonyms. According to the KDP help page, KDP typically publishes novels, book series, children’s books, comics, cookbooks, journals, poetry, and textbooks.
When it comes to royalty rates, KDP offers two options: 35% and 70%. To qualify for the 70% rate, your e-book must be priced between $2.99 and $9.99, and you will need to pay a distribution fee, or “delivery fee,” for each purchase.
However, keep in mind that as a new author, you can’t expect to make a lot of money from KDP, as self-published authors on Kindle typically earn only about $150 per month at the low end. This is because you also need to pay for expensive advertising costs to promote your book.
- Learn more about how to make money on Amazon KDP.
Who is Fiction Profits Academy for?
This online program is designed to help authors market and sell their books on Amazon. It’s also a great resource for those who want to self-publish but don’t know where to begin.
However, if you’re simply looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, this program may not be for you. Self-publishing takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and there are no guarantees of financial success.
It’s also important to keep in mind that self-publishing can be expensive, especially when it comes to marketing and advertising. And with the Amazon marketplace being as competitive as it is, there’s no guarantee that your book will sell well.
How is the training structured?
Fiction Profits Academy is a course that teaches you how to create, market, and sell your ebook on Amazon. The course has 10 modules.
Here are what you get:
- Module 1: Million Dollar Mindset
- Module 2: The Basics
- Module 3: Build Your Books
- Module 4: The Perfect Cover
- Module 5: Blurbs And Formatting
- Module 6: All Things KDP
- Module 7: The Perfect Launch Strategy
- Module 8: Facebook Ads Mastery Course
- Module 9: Creating Raving Fans
- Module 10: Scaling Your Business
In addition to the core training, you will also have access to a private Facebook group where you can ask questions there.
Last but not least, Karla Marie offers weekly group coaching sessions.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Are Fiction Profits Academy students getting results?
Karla Marie states on the sales page that her program has resulted in over $15 million in student earnings.
However, it’s hard to verify these claims as there is no concrete evidence to back them up. While some reviews may feature screenshots of student success stories, there’s no way to know if these results are genuine.
It’s worth noting that Kindle Direct Publishing is available to anyone, meaning there are millions of books available on Amazon. As a result, it takes a significant investment in marketing to stand out from the crowd and attract readers.
How much does Fiction Profits Academy cost?
It’s listed at $1995, but if that’s a bit steep for you, don’t worry. You can opt for the installment plan and pay $999 per installment over the course of 3 payments.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that there may be some additional expenses required to follow certain parts of the training. We wish we could give you more details on this, but unfortunately, we don’t have all the information.
Fiction Profits Academy Discount?
Unfortunately, it looks like there aren’t any current discounts available for Fiction Profits Academy.
Refund Policy
If you contact Karla’s team within 24 hours of joining FPA and request a refund, you’ll receive your money back without any questions asked. If you don’t request a refund within this timeframe, there’s still a 6-month guarantee based on your actions.
However, to qualify for the refund, you’ll need to fulfill a few requirements as stated in FPA’s Terms of Use. These requirements are:
- You must watch all videos within the first 8 modules completely.
- You must attend four one-on-one coaching calls with FPA.
- You must produce and publish one lead magnet and one eBook following FPA standards.
- You must launch your eBook on Amazon in accordance with FPA.
- You must give it an honest and fair try.
By meeting these requirements, you can receive a refund if you feel like FPA didn’t meet your expectations.
Does Karla Marie have a good reputation?
Karla Marie seems to be a legit online marketer though I can’t verify her track record.
There is little evidence that her self-published novels have been successful. If she could provide proof of their publication, it would go a long way in bolstering her authority and credibility for this online course.
Overall, I’d like to believe that she is a legitimate coach. However, based on a customer review I found on Trustpilot, it seems that Karla has used some misleading marketing tactics.
The customer claims that the program’s webinar is misleading and that people should not buy it. They argue that the program costs much more than the advertised $500 for two books, as there are many additional expenses, such as writers, book covers, Facebook ads, mailing, editors, and more.
He says that to complete the program, one needs to have at least $5k, with $2k going towards paying for the program and the rest towards book expenses.
He does not believe they will see their money back because the program’s money-back policy requires them to have a free book and an ebook published on Amazon.
Finally, he advises people to be careful and to learn for free on YouTube instead of paying for online courses.
Praise for Fiction Profits Academy
1. Legit business model
KDP is a legitimate business model that enables you to earn money through self-publishing. With Fiction Profits Academy, you can learn how to navigate the publishing world, including formatting and editing your manuscript, designing your book cover, and marketing your book to the appropriate audience. Additionally, you’ll discover how to utilize KDP’s features and tools to their fullest potential.
Criticism of Fiction Profits Academy
1. Overpriced and Not Special
Let’s face it: the course is expensive. And while it promises to teach you everything you need to know about making money online and creating ebooks, the truth is that you don’t have to spend so much to learn these skills. There are plenty of better and cheaper alternatives out there that offer just as much value (if not more).
Moreover, the training provided by Karla Marie is not special at all. In fact, it’s pretty average. So, if you’re looking for a unique or innovative approach to self-publishing on Amazon, you might be disappointed with what you get.
2. Making Money is Not Guaranteed
According to Karla Marie, everyone can make money using her Fiction Profits Academy course. But that’s not entirely true. Making money from self-publishing on Amazon is not easy. Because of the low entry barrier, the competition is incredibly fierce. So, even if you follow all of the advice and strategies provided in the course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to make a significant profit.
3. Difficult Refund Policy
While the course offers a 6-month refund policy, it’s not as straightforward as you might think. There are a lot of conditions that you need to meet in order to qualify for a refund. As a result, most customers are unable to get their money back, even if they’re not satisfied with the course.
4. Lack of Verified Success Stories
If you’re thinking of enrolling in the course, you might be looking for some success stories or case studies to help convince you that it’s worth the investment. Unfortunately, the Fiction Profits Academy sales page doesn’t provide any verified success stories. There are only some vague testimonials on how the program has helped people, but these could be easily fabricated or hired by the course creators to say good things about the program.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Is Fiction Profits Academy a scam or legit?
Fiction Profits Academy isn’t a scam. It is a legit program that teaches you how to publish and sell ebooks on Amazon.
However, some customers are complaining about various aspects of the program, including the 6-month refund policy that does not allow for a refund, misleading information in the webinar, and hidden expenses that are not disclosed upfront.
Issue 1: Refund Policy
One customer of Fiction Profits Academy complains that despite spending a fortune on Facebook ads, they have not earned a dime from their 15 non-fiction eBooks published through the program. When they tried to request a refund, they were refused, as the program’s refund policy does not allow for refunds under any circumstance. The customer is frustrated that they complied with the policy, but the lack of integrity shown by the program has led them to question its legality.
Issue 2: False Promise of Payment
Another customer states that they were almost sold on the program until they realized that the promise of $500 if you stay until the end of the program is false. The customer believes that if the program lied about this, they cannot be trusted to deliver on any of their promises.
Issue 3: Hidden Expenses
One customer also warns against buying the program, as they found the webinar to be misleading. While the program claims that you only need to spend $500 on two books to get started, the reality is that there are many hidden expenses involved, such as book covers, writers, editors, Facebook ads, mailing, booksprout, and subscriptions for mailing lists and reviewers’ page ads.
The customer estimates that to complete the program, you would need to have at least $5,000, including the $2,000 cost of the program itself. They believe that the program should be more upfront about the true cost and time commitment involved.
Overall, while I think Fiction Profits Academy is legitimate, you should be wary of their refund policy, promises and hidden expenses.
5 Challenges of Self-Publishing on Amazon
1. Lack of an Integrated Marketing Strategy
One of the biggest challenges of self-publishing on Amazon is the lack of an integrated marketing strategy. Unlike working with a traditional publisher, you won’t have access to the same level of support in developing a marketing and press strategy prior to publication. This means that even if you’re able to get your book published, you’ll still need to work hard to convince readers to buy it.
2. Difficulty with Reviews
In today’s literary landscape, reviews are incredibly important for getting your book noticed. Unfortunately, Amazon only allows paid customers to leave reviews. This means that even if you give away your book for free, readers won’t be able to leave an honest review on the site. Since reviews are used by Amazon’s algorithm to determine which books will be most visible to readers, this can be a serious setback.
3. Exclusivity Clause
Another potential drawback of self-publishing on Amazon is the exclusivity clause. If you sign up for KDP Select, which is one of Amazon’s publishing options, your book will only be available in digital form through KDP. This means that if a digital version of your book is already available elsewhere, you’ll need to remove it before publishing through KDP Select.
4. Algorithm Changes
Amazon’s algorithm has changed recently, making it more difficult for self-published authors to get noticed unless they’re willing to pay for ads. This can make it challenging to succeed with Kindle Publishing, and it’s important to be aware of these changes before diving in.
5. Lack of Control over Pricing
Finally, it’s worth noting that self-publishing on Amazon means giving up control over the pricing of your eBook. While you’ll still receive a 70% royalty rate, you won’t be able to control the retail pricing. This can lead to situations where you’re only earning a few cents per sale, which can be discouraging.
Is there a better way to make money online?
If you really want to make a stable and secure stream of passive income, I would suggest you start an affiliate marketing business online instead.
Affiliate marketing is perfect for anyone who is new to online business.
In fact, of all the online business models I’ve tried, affiliate marketing is the easiest and most rewarding so far.
In affiliate marketing, you can actually run your business almost with zero cost and achieve a steady and sustainable passive income to pay for your bills. You don’t need any initial capital and can even do it as a side hustle.
And if you really want to learn affiliate marketing and build a business from scratch, I’d recommend you to get started with the most reputable platform for affiliate marketing: Wealthy Affiliate.
Wealthy Affiliate is an all-in-one platform for building your affiliate marketing business from scratch. It offers you a free account (including a free website) with comprehensive training on SEO (free traffic methods), which enables you to get started with affiliate marketing right away without paying a penny.
But How Much Can You Earn with Wealthy Affiliate?
A 21-year old student from Wealthy Affiliate was able to earn $7,395 in just 1 week, which means he made more than $1k a day…all while using free traffic methods.
For more information, you can check out my full review of Wealthy Affiliate.
Where to Join Wealthy Affiliate?
Wealthy Affiliate has a very simple pricing scheme. It has a free and premium membership.
If you want to feel about Wealthy Affiliate, you can sign up for the free starter membership here (no credit card required). You can select to be a free member with no time limit.
And as a starter member, you can get instant access to the community, live chat, over 500 training modules, 2 classrooms, networking, commenting, 1 free website, access to the keyword tool.
You can enjoy all these values without paying a penny.
So I strongly recommend you to register a free account and see it yourself.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Jeff Smith, Founder of High Income Source, is an online business coach with a BBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania. His online business coaching program is so popular that more than 100 students have benefited and started successful online businesses under his guidance.
Jeff started dabbling in online business while he was in college, where he began with dropshipping. After college, Jeff worked at a marketing agency and freelanced as a writer. His breakthrough came when he realized the potential of blogging, leading to a $100,000 sale of a dog-focused website. His expertise includes SEO, affiliate marketing, Amazon FBA, blogging and dropshipping.
I bought her course. The marketing training is decent. However, I have a screenshot of a promise of a checklist to start with ZERO startup costs. That hasn’t been true for a single person I’ve talked to. And now in her ads, which are still following me, she is claiming that there’s a new Amazon device called Fiona that the course leverages. Fiona is the name of Amazon’s upper management building. It’s leaning more and more toward Scam in my perspective.
Please do a review on Toyin Crandell coaching, Money Mindset SHIFT!!! She charges 8k+ for her courses. Claims on her book to be a Dave Ramsey master class coach but gets you to take out a credit loan to pay for her course.
Don’t do it! I actually worked for her. My moral compass led me to quitting. She uses God to push people into giving her money, and most of these people who do really can’t afford it.
I sat through the one hour sales “workshop” just two weeks after you wrote this blog. The “sale price” I was quoted for the course was over $2500 (or four payments of $748) -but only if I joined right then and there. I would like to learn how to do Kindle publishing, but it felt scammy. Also feels like she’s really taking advantage of the ghostwriters (who give up all right to their work?!) and graphic designers.
I feel the same! I would like to learn but not at that cost and with boisterous claims like that
I self-published a book many years ago and put it on Amazon. I created a Kindle version, a soft copy version, and even an audio version of my book. Unfortunately, I did not get a lot of sales. This woman makes it sound like all you have to do is put a book up on Kindle, and it will make you a lot of money. Even with these key words they talk about, I can’t believe these people are making the amount of money that they claim. Unless you’re a celebrity of some sort, you have to Market your book. Perhaps once you sign up, they tell you you have to sign up for a marketing program. But that’s just a guess. I just can’t see putting a Kindle book up on Amazon and making, hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a month. It just doesn’t work that way. There’s too much competition already. Over a million books are published every single year. So you are competing with millions of people to get them to buy your Kindle book. I just don’t see how that can happen.
Thank you for the write up. I have been listening to KM, but have not pulled the trigger. I am looking to make passive income online, but don’t want to waste time or money. I found your write up very insightful. I’ll look into checking out the AM course you recommended. Thank you.
Thanks for this review. It slowed me down. I’m going to finish my first book and then look for help n
Fiction Profits Academy has a 6-month refund policy that does not allow for a refund. I have 15 non-fiction ebooks published,have spent a fortune on Facebook ads as they recommend and have not earned a dime. When I got to the place in the course when they teach Facebook ads, I knew my almost two thousand investment was gone. I have requested a refund and was refused. I have complied with their refund policy but should have become aware of their dishonesty when I reread the contract that says “The following will not be considered as reasons for a refund: •You don’t know how to use Facebook, You are not good with technology, You don’t have money (over an additional thousand dollars), Family emergency of any kind, You’ve lost your motivation, You found the content confusing, Personal and emotional issues of any kind, Health and financial issues of any kind, You change our mind, You don’t have time, Any reason irrelevant to the action required in the program. In other words, they DO NOT ISSUE A REFUND UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Isn’t that illegal?
I am enrolled in the Fiction Profit Academy and not a happy camper. For one year FPA will receive 5/10 % of the income that each book sells for one year. I agree with the comments regarding their business practice: sad story of what she was going through in her life; her partner who only has a high school education, quit his job because he could not get ahead and made three million in his first several years. Others who claim they have incomes of 2-10,000 dollars every month showing receipts supposedly,after having 100-300 plus books selling, earning royalties. I am a Combat Disabled Veteran and I thought this would help my family and I keep our heads above water. No, my 6 months will be up at the end of this month. I want my $$ back. I think that people who want to help other people should be honest and up front. I don’t think we have all that money to give to someone when things are not what they are suppose to be. Thank you for this space. Oh yes FPA charges $10,000 for Boot Camp- How to formulate/sell your books.