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Readers Shouldn't Feel Guilty About Using Kindle Unlimited
Readers shouldn’t feel guilty about using Kindle Unlimited. I say that as an author whose sales went from 30 a day to 15 a day three days after KU was released. (They have since picked up, it took a new release, extremely competitive pricing, and a BookBub ad to recover. I’d probably be making more if it hadn’t come out, but them’s the breaks. It’s a reminder that nothing in this business stays the same, and I’d better remember it or I’ll get my butt kicked.)
I know some writers are painting KU as the devil, but it’s not. It’s a great way for unknown authors to get their foot in the door. KU titles released in my genre by people who’ve NEVER published before hang up near the top of the rankings for weeks—which means KU readers are seeing a new title, downloading it, and giving it a chance on a whim. That’s good for new authors. Kindle Unlimited is also great for authors of short serial novellas.
All that said, for more established writers with longer works, KU is not the way to go. It requires exclusivity; and if you’ve already worked your tail off to build a presence on B&N, Kobo, iBooks, GooglePlay, etc., losing the fanbase you’ve nurtured in those places probably is going to hurt. (Amazon is the biggest ocean for ebook authors to swim in, but I know of some authors who make more on B&N, Kobo, iBooks, or even GooglePlay. Sometimes you fall into a niche on another retailer and take off.)
Also, KU borrows pay a flat rate—lately around $1.35—that’s less than an author would make on an ebook priced at $2.99. KU “All Stars” get a special bonus at the end of every month if they sell 5,000 titles or so. I’ve never sold that many books in a month … doubt KU is going to get me there.
It should be mentioned that traditionally published authors in KU get completely different rates. You probably don’t have to worry about picking J.K. Rowling’s pocket if you read Harry Potter on KU.
If there are books you want to read in KU, get it. You can quit at anytime if you don’t like the selection, and if there is a book you particularly want to get, but you’re on a budget, you can always get it through your library via Overdrive for free. (I would LOVE it if every library stocked I Bring the Fire on their virtual shelves!)
About the Author:
C. Gockel is author of the I Bring the Fire series, featuring Loki, Norse God of Mischief and Chaos. The first installment is FREE on Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, GooglePlay and Smashwords. And the whole series is free to subscribers of Oyster and Scribd.
All ebooks in the series are truly free if checked out via the library on Overdrive.
