Role at Kindlepreneur

As Founder and CEO of Kindlepreneur, Dave sets the long-term vision for the platform and focuses on helping authors make informed decisions using data, systems, and practical publishing insights.

His role centers on:

• Defining the strategic direction of Kindlepreneur
  Including which problems the platform prioritizes and how resources are built to solve them.

• Designing and overseeing publishing tools and frameworks
  Especially those related to discoverability, keywords, royalties, and long-term author income.

• Analyzing platform changes and publishing trends
  To ensure tools and guidance reflect how Amazon KDP and related ecosystems actually operate.

• Contributing to high-impact guides and resources
  Particularly where tools, data, or system-level decisions play a central role.

Tools & Frameworks Created

Dave has created several widely used publishing tools and frameworks designed to help authors make clearer decisions using real data rather than guesswork.

His work includes:

• Publisher Rocket
  A keyword and category research tool designed to help authors understand Amazon search behavior, evaluate competition, and make more informed decisions about discoverability, pricing, and launch strategy.

• Atticus
  An all-in-one writing and formatting platform that allows authors to create professional print books and ebooks from a single workspace, without needing separate tools or technical setup.

• Amazon sales and royalty calculators
  Tools that estimate book sales, revenue, and Kindle Unlimited earnings using publicly available ranking data and transparent assumptions.

These tools are built to reflect how publishing platforms actually work in practice, and are updated as Amazon policies, algorithms, and monetization models change.

Topics Dave Focuses On

Dave’s work centers on the systems and mechanics that shape how books are discovered, sold, and monetized, particularly on platforms like Amazon KDP.

His primary areas of focus include:

• Amazon KDP and platform mechanics
  How ranking, visibility, pricing, and policy changes affect author outcomes.

• Keywords, categories, and discoverability
  Helping authors understand how readers find books and how competition actually works.

• Author income models and royalties
  Including print, ebook, and Kindle Unlimited earnings.

• Publishing tools and workflows
  Designing systems that simplify writing, formatting, and launch preparation.

• Data-driven publishing decisions
  Using transparent assumptions and real inputs instead of guesswork or hype.

Background

Dave Chesson’s work helping authors began long before Kindlepreneur existed. A “military brat” who lived around the world, he later served as a nuclear engineer and military diplomat in the U.S. Navy.

While deployed overseas and separated from his family, Dave turned to writing and self-publishing as a way to build income and regain control over his time. Through hands-on experimentation, he began studying how Amazon’s systems actually worked — from search behavior and pricing to category placement and visibility.

As his books gained traction, Dave shifted his focus from individual tactics to understanding the mechanics that drive discoverability and sales. That work ultimately led to the creation of Kindlepreneur in 2015, a platform built to help authors make publishing decisions using data, real-world testing, and a clearer view of how major platforms operate.

Today, that same systems-first approach shapes Kindlepreneur’s tools, frameworks, and long-term direction.

You can find Dave on X/Twitter and LinkedIn.

How Advice is Evaluated

At Kindlepreneur, advice is shaped by how publishing platforms actually behave in practice, not by theory or one-off success stories.

Dave’s approach emphasizes:

• Data and observable platform behavior
  Using ranking patterns, search results, and competitive analysis to understand what’s happening beneath the surface.

• Tool-based testing and repeatability
  Favoring methods and insights that can be tested, measured, and applied consistently by other authors.

• Platform realities over assumptions
  Accounting for how Amazon KDP, keywords, categories, pricing, and algorithms change over time.

• Long-term outcomes, not short-term wins
  Prioritizing decisions that support sustainable visibility and income rather than temporary spikes.

As publishing platforms evolve, guidance and tools are updated to reflect those changes so authors aren’t relying on outdated assumptions.