How to Sell a Movie on Amazon Instant Video
By J.M. Chanel
Amazon's Instant Video service offers thousands of movies and TV shows as streaming video rentals or paid digital downloads. Filmmakers can also sell their movies through Amazon Instant Video by using the online self-publishing service CreateSpace. To sell a movie on Amazon, a filmmaker needs to sign up for a free CreateSpace account, enter information about the movie, set a price and then mail in a DVD copy of the movie. CreateSpace will then process the video for Amazon Instant Video and pay the filmmaker 50 percent of the sales revenue.
Start a CreateSpace Account
Open the Internet browser on your computer and go to the CreateSpace website.
Click on the "Create a New Account" link on the main page. Enter your user information and click on the "Create My Account" button.
Log in to your account.
Enter your Royalty Payment Information, which includes your bank's account and routing numbers, mailing address and Social Security number. A bank account is required to receive any payments from Amazon Instant Video sales.
Adding a Title to Amazon Instant Video
Click on the "Add New Title" button.
Enter the title of your movie or video.
Select the "Video Download" radio button.
Click the "Get Started" button under "Expert." If you would like CreateSpace to guide you through the process, you can use the "Get Started" button under the "Guided" heading.
Type the length of your movie in minutes in the "Duration" text box. Videos must be at least 20 minutes to be sold on Amazon Instant Watch.
Select the "CreateSpace Assigned" radio button under the heading "UPC" to create a custom UPC code for your movie's Amazon Instant Video sales. This is a required step, though you also can buy your own UPC code and enter it by selecting the "Enter Your Own" radio button.
Enter the description of your movie, language and search keywords in the appropriate text boxes.
Click the "Save Progress" button. On the next page, you will enter your information for Amazon Instant Watch, as well as set the buying price and upload an image of the poster for your movie. After that, an address will appear where you should send in your movie's master copy on DVD.
Mailing the DVD Master
Burn your movie to a DVD disc. Only include the movie and a basic menu, and label the disc with the title and your CreateSpace Title ID. This can be found under "Project Dashboard" in your CreateSpace account.
Place the disc in a DVD case and envelope or box for mailing. Make sure to use padding to ensure the disc is not broken in the mail.
Address the package to "CreateSpace Receiving." Write your Title ID on the outside of the package, under the address.
Mail the package using a traceable method for shipping, such as UPS or FedEx. CreateSpace does not recommend using the U.S. Postal Service.
Once CreateSpace receives the disc, they will inspect and process it for Amazon Instant Video. It will be for sale online within 60 days of approval.
References
Tips
- Author your DVDs at no higher than 6.5 Mbps for video and 192 kbps Dolby Digital for audio. These are the preferred formats for Amazon Instant Video.
Warnings
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- The price you set for your movie download is only what you recommend; Amazon can adjust the price however they see necessary.
Writer Bio
J.M. Chanel began writing in 2002 as a webmaster for an independent film company. He graduated from West Virginia University, earning a Bachelor of Science in journalism. Chanel has been contributing to online publications since 2010.