Google Play — Should You Be Uploading Your Ebooks There?

As a self-publisher, I’ve been a big proponent of putting my ebooks in as many of the major markets as possible. Since there are already so many places where we can’t appear (such as all those thousands of physical bookstores), I wouldn’t want to leave money on the table (or miss reaching potential new fans) by ignoring a venue that’s a) easy to get books into (i.e. by checking a “distribute” box on Smashwords) or b) capable of moving a noticeable number of books (so it’s worth the effort to upload individual titles on my own). My first book, The Emperor’s Edge, even shows up in places that aren’t technically bookstores, such as Wattpad and Scribd.

So, you wonder, am I in Google Play?

I’m not. And the reason is that, as of now, other authors are reporting that Google Play arbitrarily lowers the prices of their ebooks. Aside from that being irritating, it’ll actually get you in trouble with Amazon (if your ebook is listed for a lower price somewhere else, their bots will find out, and you’ll get an email about how it’s against their ToS for you to sell books for less somewhere else).

Here are a couple of recent reports on Google Play’s pricing issue, and other user-unfriendliness, from other authors:

Google Play: an Experiment (a write-up by fellow indie author, and my beta reader, Kendra Highley)

Why I Had to Delete My Book from Google Play Books (a Kboards forum thread with lots of commentary)

In the forum thread, one author mentioned that she had made special editions just for Google Play (i.e. two-book boxed sets) that Amazon wouldn’t price match, since those editions weren’t offered on Amazon. That’s something I’ll keep in mind for the future, but I’m not sure GP is enough of a marketplace yet (i.e. that I would sell enough books there) to be worth the effort.

For those of you who have tried it, what are your thoughts?

 

 

 

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How Do You Establish a Fan Base *Before* You Launch Your Book?
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