Kindle Unlimited, boycotts, and the challenges of trying to live ethically in the modern era

I got a call from a friend the other day who’s trying to navigate the ethical minefield that is life in modern American at this uniquely terrible moment. She was debating cancelling her Kindle Unlimited subscription. She doesn’t want to support the billionaires, but many of her favorite authors are only found on KU. Including me!

No one wants to support the oligarchs… so why is Monster of the Dagger Mountains in KU?

First, no matter what you decide, I support you!

If you’re swearing off Amazon, more power to you. If you’re sticking with KU to read all the books, that’s fantastic. And if you’re buying books directly from authors, that’s freaking amazing too. (Someday I’ll set up a direct sales shop, I promise!)

Here’s why I’m doing what I’m doing.

Kindle Unlimited, or KU, offers indie authors a Faustian bargain. If your ebook joins KU, Amazon gives it a little nudge toward readers in your genre. In return, you can’t sell your ebook anywhere else. Paperbacks and hardbacks, sure, you can sell those anywhere. But, once you sign on KU’s digital dotted line, your ebooks can only be offered through Amazon.

It’s a bargain that’s worked out pretty well for me, so far.

At this point, KU page reads make up about 75% of my income. I’d love to move that needle down, and I’d love to start selling paperbacks directly to readers, but I don’t have the bandwidth to set that up at this moment.

However. Like a lot of authors, I’ve seen a huge shift in readers’ habits over the past two months.

So, let’s say I’m not jumping the KU ship yet, but I can see something else on the horizon. Maybe I’m just getting into my swim suit…