KDP Select: Experiment Results Are In
The results are in! My first experience with KDP Select wraps up today. Let’s establish some baseline data:
Pariah
Standalone Urban Fantasy released in 2014
Published on Amazon and Smashwords at the same time
Hired a virtual book tour company for a one month tour
The Lords of Valdeon
Book One in an Epic Fantasy Series released in 2015 and ebook in 2016
Published on Amazon KDP Select in January and signed up for Kindle Unlimited
Hired publicist for a three month marketing campaign
Let’s Talk Sales
Looking at sales over the first three months of both books, the results are very clear. The Lords of Valdeon outsold Pariah by a significant amount. Was it KDP Select or the stellar efforts of my publicist? Let’s take a closer look:
Foreign sales for The Lords of Valdeon outpaced the non-existent sales for Pariah in the overseas market. Thank you France and Denmark! (One point for KDP Select)
Domestic sales are a little more unclear. The Lords of Valdeon did pretty well in its first three months, but sales for Pariah shot right up there too during this time period. I believe this is the result of my publicist’s promotion of all of my books during the campaign. (Point goes to Sami at Roger Charlie)
Special Features
Let’s review the compelling reasons most people try KDP Select:
Kindle Unlimited – I know there’s controversy about how authors are paid for signing their books up for this lending library. However – enrolling my book resulted in a shocking number (in a good way) of daily pages read. The Lords of Valdeon is the first book in a series. Kindle Unlimited helped me to build up readership.
Promotional Deals – Countdown Deals and free promotions are critical to getting your book noticed in the Amazon universe. BUT – you have to be signed up for Kindle Select to play.
Bottom Line
I will definitely sign my next book up for one 90 day term in KDP Select. Why am I not signing up for another 90 days this time around? Reader interest for my book in Kindle Unlimited dwindled drastically after a few months as the virtual shelves made way for new releases. It might be worth remaining in the KDP Select program if you are writing a series and are able to publish the next book within say six months of the last one. The promotional programs would be a big help to you. I, unfortunately, am not able to release more than a book a year at this stage of my life.
