Indie Author's Marketplace discussion
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Will Kindle Unlimited be the game changer?
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And you're still telling anyone who uses a non-Kindle reader that you don't want them in your audience.
This is simply what I intend to do, what works for me how I will promote other mystery writers, and lastly, my opinion.
R.P., you make some good points about the benefits of Kindle Unlimited to authors, but there are drawbacks as well, as Sharon pointed out. The most important is that Amazon is using this program to maintain its dominance in the market and keeping authors off of other platforms. Since Amazon is the largest online ebook retailor, I think a lot of authors will be willing to give up their Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, Scribd, etc... accounts, but this is, in essence, putting all their eggs in one basket. Books in the Kindle Unlimited Program are at the mercy of the royalty Amazon chooses to give them each month, which could fluctuate. They are also at the mercy of any general sales royalty changes that Amazon could make. It makes me uneasy to think about distributing my book through only a single retailer, but I realize that I could be giving up a portion of sales. Sharon, as you said, each author has to make his or her down decision about what is best for her catalog of books. I'm glad you're seeing increased downloads through Kindle Unlimited.
R.P. wrote: "This is simply what I intend to do, what works for me how I will promote other mystery writers, and lastly, my opinion."Certainly. Each person may choose to run his or her business in any way they please. I'm glad your method is working for you at this time.
My metrics demonstrate a 5:1 ratio in favor of ePub v. mobi/Kindle sales, and I am completely unwilling to even *imply* that 80 percent of my audience is unwanted.
Statistically speaking, it is true that Kindle is the most popular eReader in the US. However, that honor in the rest of the world goes to Kobo -- an ePub device. I take an international view of the matter.
To J's point, about putting all of your eggs in one basket, I would say this: that kind of exclusivity is, IMO, shortsighted. You're taking the short-term view that having no presence outside Amazon may be profitable. But, the truth is, it likewise might not be. You cannot be purchased if you cannot be discovered ... and those without Kindles, or who choose not to have the Kindle app (for whatever reason ... including not having a device that can support it), cannot discover you if you've gone exclusive.
That is, of course, my opinion.
HiKindle Unlimited does seem to have great potential. However, the problem is that Amazon does not pay the retail price royalty. It only pays a portion of the global fund that differs every month.
You don't need to be exclusive with Amazon to be eligible for Kindle Unlimited downloads. None of my books are enrolled, and I've had KU downloads.
Lawrence wrote: "You don't need to be exclusive with Amazon to be eligible for Kindle Unlimited downloads. None of my books are enrolled, and I've had KU downloads."Good to know!
Interesting that H.M Ward has just enrolled The Arrangement long running e-serials. That is a good endorsement.
Does anyone find they are getting significantly more downloads from the kindle unlimited program?
Helen wrote: "Lawrence wrote: "You don't need to be exclusive with Amazon to be eligible for Kindle Unlimited downloads. None of my books are enrolled, and I've had KU downloads."Good to know!"
Well, on second thought, it looks like I'm wrong. Amazon is simply making a mistake with my account, I guess. They do that from time to time.
I've come very late to the party so I'm not really entitled to much of an opinion. My six novels sold ZIP until I purchased the rights from my publisher and became an indie last fall. I've spent the time since trying to figure out what marketing looks like, and I finally stuck my toe in the water by running my first-ever free-book promotion through KDP Select in August. I got 54,798 downloads. (Yeah, I meant to put a five and a four on the left side of the comma and some other numbers on the right.) That seems like a phenomenal run to me, but since I'm such a newbie, it's hard to know. I do know that I'd have called the promo a smash hit with 10,000 downloads. Now all my books are actually selling. (See Ninie do the happy dance.)Here's my point, and I do have one. Perhaps this is because all my sales were sparked by a spectacular FREE run, but the KU/KOLL numbers (the little blue dots and line) have been waaaay higher than the number of books I've actually sold--since the very beginning. And I'm watching the gap between the two widen as my actual sales begin to taper off and the KU/KOLL numbers continue to head north. I have no "history of sales" to compare it to so I'd be interested to know if other authors have substantially more KU/KOLL than actual sales.
Ninie wrote: "I've come very late to the party so I'm not really entitled to much of an opinion. My six novels sold ZIP until I purchased the rights from my publisher and became an indie last fall. I've spent th..."For me, the KU numbers seem to be inching into parity with regular sales.
I'm not sure why it's different with you. I'm guessing it's the hair? :) (I happen to be a fan of red hair!)
I have only a handful of memories of my grandfather that he wasn't under the hood of some car, greasy and content, listening to the engine cough and sputter. He told me then his secret for getting a car to run smoothly: "You got to hold yer mouth right." Maybe I'm not holding my mouth right.
And many things in my life have been blamed on my red hair. Most of them rightfully so. But I don't think book sales/borrows number among them.
Lol. I've spent many hours greasy and discontent under various vehicles. It never occurred to me that my embouchure might be faulty. :)
Yes, this is Amazon scooping Oyster and Scribd and any other subscription site, but it's also giving authors another incentive to stay with Amazon.
It also makes me think that Amazon may have finally found a way around the "free" ebook giveaways. I don't have a crystal ball on this, but look at how this deal vastly improves your options.
For Readers: A subscription deal @ $10.00 a month and they can download as many books as are listed in the program. Hundreds of thousands of books!
For Authors: get paid the FULL royalty for each of the books that a subscriber picks up. How cool is that? What does that mean to you? It means that readers can chose the retail price and the Kindle Unlimited price. Gee, lemme think. FREE or full retail?
Note: I will be interested in seeing how the FREE Kindle Unlimited will affect ranking.
I'm already tweeting this for my books adding #KindleU or #KindleUnlimited with #FREE on it. Here's a sample:
#asmsg #mystery, #FREE ON #KINDLEUNLIMITED 20yr old secrets threaten this flying family in A DEAD RED CADILLAC, http://amzn.to/x5qSDD
So how does this change your strategy for marketing? Marketing your books is STILL going to be important, but now we have an option to NOT do FREE giveaway books on Amazon.
Note: Giveaways can be done on Blog hops, Library Thing, GoodReads, etc. I'll be doing more of these!
Starting August 1, 2014, the author form at DIRT CHEAP MYSTERY READS will look a bit different:
1) I will still accept Kindle FREE, and Kindle countdown, and regular priced books up to $2.99.
2) I will now accept retail prices OVER $2.99 ($3.99-$5.99) as long as your book is in Kindle Unlimited. *there will be a box for this, and "FREE on Kindle Unlimited " will now be part of the promotion
**Talk about an incentive to readers! Buy the book for $5.99 or get it for free anytime.
Yes, there are naysayers for this new program, but not from this author/promoter!
I'm going to be advertising my books now more than ever, and I don't have to advertise them at FREE or even 99cents!
Advertise your book with Dirt Cheap Mystery Reads.
I can accept your book once a month. Boxed sets, multiple author boxed sets, short stories, Y/A, children's books--as long as it's mystery/suspense/thrillers--my readers what to hear about it.
Author information page: http://www.allmysteryenewsletter.com/...