Do You KU?

That’s Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program, of course. For about $10 a month, you have an all-you-can-read option, choosing to borrow from 700,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks.

Even though there’s a 30-day free trial, I still haven’t done it. The Scotswoman in me is reluctant to stand the expense, although I can see the benefit. If you read more than three or four books a month, the membership would certainly pay for itself. On the other hand, not all authors participate in the program, so a reader’s choices are curtailed. Do you KU? If so, how do you like your membership so far?

As an author, I like the idea, and I’ve enrolled all my private label titles in the program. Many bestselling authors don’t believe they are compensated appropriately for their work, however, and I can see their point. Certainly, if an author can command $9.99 for one of his or her books, said author wouldn’t be happy being compensated little over a dollar for a KU borrow. Therefore, many authors choose not to participate, or curtail their participation to one three-month cycle.

For an author at my level, it’s not a bad deal, especially since I have several novellas on my list. For example, the royalty on a 99 cent novella is about 34 cents, so I’d rather someone borrow the title than buy it. In addition, I believe readers are more willing to give new authors a chance if their books are included in the membership. Some of my full-length titles are in the program, too. Perhaps I would earn more selling those books than lending them out, but I’d rather have them read than not.

I’d love to hear your comments. As a reader, do you KU or are you considering it? As an author, do you feel the program has helped or hindered your career? Let’s talk amongst ourselves. ~ S.G. Rogers

Tagged: Amazon Kindle Unlimited program