There's lots of information on the web about how to publish on the Kindle, including a wealth of knowledge at Amazon.com, of course. No need to get bogged down in all the minutiae just yet, though. Let's take a look at a few high points. Then, if you're interested in pursuing it, google-away.
- Write something. Something good, if possible.
- Consider buying a Kindle. Having access to a Kindle is not strictly necessary, but you will get quite a thrill when you download your writing to the device and get to look at it.
- Go to http://dtp.amazon.com. There you will find information on how to publish on the Kindle. You don't need an account to get access to much of the information posted there, so you might want to root around in it for a while before proceeding. If you have an existing Amazon.com account (which you will, if you've ever bought anything from them), you can use that account to login there.
- Fork over some private information. Maybe you don't like the idea of doing this, but without your social security number (or other tax payer ID), Amazon won't be able to report your massive earnings.
- Upload your story, following the directions on the dtp site. When I last checked, you could upload HTML, Microsoft Word (.doc) format or plain text. See the site for the current rules on what formats are acceptable.
- Set your price. The minimum is one dollar, which is the price I set for Waitomo Caves - Wonderland or WeirdoLand.
- Verify your story properly uploaded. If you have a Kindle, you can get a sample of your work sent to your Kindle for free. Be patient: it can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or so for your work to show up on the Amazon web site.
- Check your sales! This can be done from the dtp web site.
- Wait anxiously for your royalty checks. Amazon won't pay you any royalties until you've reached a minimum of $10.00.
- Sit back and bask in the knowledge that you are now officially published.
Easy, huh?