KDP Select - What do you think? Showing 551-600 of 1,056

[Patti (baconater)]

Wow, Mel! Only two? That must be hard for them! I'm sure you've told them about our lovely, supportative forum, eh?

[Steve]

Mel (Lorne's creator, Pete's murderer) wrote: "... as a lady I glow when I write. ;-)"

Of course you do, Mel. 'blood, glow and tears' it is. Doesn't have quite the same ring to it, though.

You got me thinking about our perceived happiness as writers. We were all delighted to sell our first book to someone we didn't know, weren't we? If I only sold 2 books this month, as long as I'd only sold 1 last month, I'd be happy. 100% growth! Yippee!

I think KDP select might work like a drug in that you go free and when you come off free you get a big high, and then your book gradually comes back down to where it was - the drug wears off. But you got used to that high and want it to be the status quo, but unless you've got big advertising bringing people to your product page from numerous other sources, it's not really sustainable. So you feel down.

I'm not going to give my book away when I try Select - certainly not until I have more books out there anyway. I'm more interested to see what the lends will do in terms of extra readership and sales. I prefer the 'steady climb as readership builds' approach, largely because I don't think I could handle the emotional journey that such highs and lows might take me on. For instance, I'm a bit down today. Why? Because my Kindle book in France is at number 47 in the Kindle store and it's been in the top 20 all week. I'm thinking, maybe the Disneyland ride in France is over. It's a pathetic reason to feel down about. Most writers would love to be at No.47 in a foreign market, but because I've been to number 8 this month, I WANT THAT FIX AGAIN!

[Steve]

Wow, can't I waffle! :o))

[Nell]

I don't think we should stress too much about freebies - after all readers have been lending and passing on books for ever, libraries lend millions daily, and charity shops sell them for pence. The thing is to get the work out there - hopefully if it's any good the word will get around. And don't forget that most conventionally published authors don't give up the day job - it's just the best-sellers who are able to do that.

[Nell]

Steve, we were posting at the same time, so I didn't see yours. Yes, it's certainly a fix to see all those books being downloaded and the bump in sales when it's over. If only we knew how many of the free ones were actually read...!

[M.A.]

Patti (Mango Mad) wrote: "Wow, Mel! Only two? That must be hard for them! I'm sure you've told them about our lovely, supportative forum, eh?"

One of them...actually both of them are in the group, Patti, but they work full-time and find it hard to keep everything balanced.


Steve, the thing with the borrows is that unless your book features prominently in the chart, you won't get many borrows. Saying that I'm sure you book will do well. ;-)

Chin up, mate, to be #47 in any country must be a great feeling, oh wait, yes I remember the feeling well. ;-)

As writers we've just got to think of different ways of getting people to notice our books. I can't help thinking that the trad publishers are laughing at us a little. ;-)

I've set myself a target and thankfully every month I'm reaching and surpassing that target, therefore I'm happy... kind of...LOL

[Rosen]

One downside of free downloads, is that people with no interest in the genre will grab a copy, and then write negative reviews, whereas people paying for books usually seek out ones they know they'll like. I've also had problems with people not even reading the opening line of my books' synopses, and then writing bad reviews because they didn't know they would be getting a short story. This would happen less if people had to part with cash to get a book.

And yes, KDP Select is like an addiction. I would be embarrassed if anybody knew how often I check my rankings.

[Steve]

I don't like the idea of 'free' for that very reason, Rosen. I much prefer a reader to have made a selection based on what they like and invest a little in their purchase. Traditionally that's what you do in a book shop. I hate the idea of getting a bad review just because a reader got it free and it wasn't their usual cup of tea, but I can see how that happens. But maybe the good reviews a book might not otherwise have garnered outweigh the odd bad one.

Mel, I don't know about trad publishers having a laugh at us. Seeing any indie book above the big selling trad books in the charts puts a big smile on my face and it must be a worry for them to see noname books doing as well as some do. It puts the message out that 'if they can go it alone, so can I' and we know where that might lead. And #47 does feel good, of course - just not as good as #8. Mind you, I've just seen the paperback is at #32 in the books chart now. There's my 'fix'. Now I'm smiling again :o))

[M.A.]

I just meant the trad publishers are laughing at Indies (some) have to resort to giving their books away. You very rarely see them do it. ;-)

Congrats on the paperbacks! ;-)

[Rosen]

Steve wrote: "Seeing any indie book above the big selling trad books in the charts puts a big smile on my face."

Overtaking Jeremy Clarkeson was a particularly satisfying milestone for me!

[Katie]

Rosen wrote: "Steve wrote: "Seeing any indie book above the big selling trad books in the charts puts a big smile on my face."

Overtaking Jeremy Clarkeson was a particularly satisfying milestone for me!"

What were you driving? ;)

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[Patti (baconater)]

Rosen wrote: "Steve wrote: "Seeing any indie book above the big selling trad books in the charts puts a big smile on my face."

Overtaking Jeremy Clarkeson was a particularly satisfying milestone for me!"

Okay, Rosen. That has got to be the best pun filled sentence EVER. Round of applause here.

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

Oh nice one!!

[Rosen]

Hee hee.

[Emma]

Teehee!

[M.T.]

When I get book two out I will drop the price of book 1 on Smashwords and see what happens. I gave my short away in December and I experienced the same cut off as JAC mentions happening to hers in January.

I still think word of mouth is the best way especially for what I write (humorous fantasy) because a lot of people who download my book for free will may never get round to reading it. The thing about word of mouth though is it's a very slow burn.

I discovered very early on that you get about two purchases for every 100 freebies if you're doing a loss leader, in my case, a prequel short that ties in. I'm becoming more and more convinced that freebie and low prices don't work for me, even if they clearly do work for others.

Cheers

MTM

[Ali]

The kindle select scheme is nothing about borrowing and everything about controlling free books.

When I looked more closely at amazon prime, I learned members may borrow 1 book per month. Big deal! Customers are hardly likely to borrow an indie book which would cost them 99c to buy when they can borrow a mainstream which would otherwise cost them $20.

And as for the free hysteria, there is absolutely no doubt that books have been seriously devalued due to free and cheapest pricing. Customers are admitting they only log onto the forum to see what's free that day.

In addition to all this, it's clear there is much greatly exaggerated bragging about sales and download figures. You don't need a degree in maths to glance at the rankings and see that they don't match the boasting by many authors.

IMO books that are benefitting IN THE LONG TERM from free or cheap pricing would have succeeded anyway - probably with a higher revenue for the author. Anyone using this strategy is doing themselves and other authors a great disservice.

[Stuart]

I agree with much of what you say, Ali - but your comment about authors 'exaggerating' and 'bragging' is a little harsh - particularly as the rankings aren't sales rankings as such but a complicated algorithm where actual sales in one of the components.

And Karl, you are right - and I have come round to your way of thinking. Set a price that seems reasonable and stick with it!

[Steve]

I don't think Amazon's 'popularity' algorithm is all that complicated. It's simply a list based on the most popular books and is derived from the number of downloads - paid and free. This is where the big hit of free downloads comes into play and instantly boosts a titles popularity. So many downloads in such a short space of time while a book is free send it rocketing up the popularity chart. There may be a few other small factors in there, but this is the main reason as far can see. The more free downloads a title gets the greater it's discoverability when it goes back to paid.

[Rosen]

I haven't noticed anybody boasting about sales and downloads. When people in forums report high figures, I see it as a tip for those of us who might not know about KDP Select.

Also, I have noticed lasting positive effects following free promotional days. More on that later. Off to the beach.

[Stuart]

Me and you are very alike Karl I think! I'm sticking with the 70% now and will resist all temptation to reduce it - although I am rubbish at resisting temptation...

[Kath]

And we readers who have read and appreciated your work, Karl and Stuart, will continue to sing your praises in the forums as and when a suitable thread comes up. I know many people buy a book after reader recommendations so I don't think we readers should be mean with our praise, when it's due.

[Kath]

I believe in encouragement. What's the point in being negative?

PS, If there is one, don't tell me. I'm happier in my ignorance!

[P.A.]

WARNING: I am about to embark on some rambling and hypothesising with very little editing or forethought.

I have to wonder about Amazon's motivation for all of this. Some people have said Select is all about dominating the ebook reader market. I'm not so sure about that -- everything I've read suggests the margins on Kindles is razor-thin, which means they're relying on content to deliver profit.

So with Select, they have this scheme which suggests to authors: we think you're special, and we want you all to ourselves. The cynical part of me (which admittedly is most of me) sees the free promo days as a bit of a gimmick, something to match the Smashwords coupons; but the real motivator in the scheme is the lending library, which has a big fund counter on KDP, like a telethon, and authors telling each other, wow, I'm getting £1.40 per lend. So indie author thinks, how can I get more lends, my sales aren't worth squat? I know, I'll raise my price! The people will borrow instead of buy.

And there's the obvious commission difference, 35% for less than £2.99, and 70% for £2.99 or more. Clearly Amazon want us charging more, because the content is where they need the money to come from.

Where is this going to go? I guess that depends on whether Amazon needs to increase profits to make Kindle viable. They might decide to increase the floor price, effectively a net book agreement for ebooks. Maybe just on Select initially, but maybe then across the board. Would that be a bad thing? Sales volumes would drop, sure, but the whole thing would be more representative of a traditional book market.

If I had a salient point to get to, it has long since left me. Soz.

[Katie]

I don't know how long the effects of KDP select will last or what it will do to future sales. All I know is that before December I was averaging about 6 sales a month over two books. I'd been published 8 months and still hadn't earned the $100 I needed to get a cheque. Since KDP Select (with 3 books) I figure I've earned 3 of those cheques - though of course, I won't get them for a couple more months. I'm still not selling huge numbers, but it's rare that a day goes by without a sale. I'm even getting sales on the book that isn't enrolled in KDP Select. It will be interesting to see how the next month unfolds.

[Kath]

If I had a salient point to get to, it has long since left me. Soz.

What a very Paul remark! Nice to see you again!

[P.A.]

Every now and then I hit a lull in work and life in general. So I come here!

[Kath]

Thanks. I think. It's nice to know we're the pits! Did I just say that out loud?

Edit - to put my apostrophe in the right place. It was chaffing.

[P.A.]

Work and life in general are the pits, believe me. This and coffee are my two high points.

[Kath]

Ah, kissy kissy!

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

I think I like you Paul.

[Kath]

He's lovely - he just thinks he isn't - cynical brat! Have you tried his books?
Punchline
Cellar Door

He's brilliant at dark humour - well you can tell from his posts.

[P.A.]

Careful, I'll take off the bear head. Then you'll be sorry.

[Kath]

I'm scared.

[P.A.]

So was the bear.

[Kath]

Shoulda had something on my head eh?

[Rachel]

I read Paul's comment above with interest. Some of you will know that I am not a fan of the KDP Select programme, because I don't think it is in the interests of indie authors in the long run. I haven't used it, and won't. But I know people who have who have been very impressed with the results.

In terms of the hardware / software argument, I used to run an interactive media business that was ultimately bought by a hardware company, so I have experienced some of the thinking that goes on. Paul is right that Amazon isn't making much money on Kindles (as far as I understand it too) - but ultimately they will make their gains on the sale of the software (ie books) that goes onto those devices. Therefore what they have to do is wrap up the market - get a monopoly - make sure that as many people as possible have Kindles. Even if they make a loss on each Kindle, that's the battle they have to win to earn the big bucks from the sale of the software.

So I am certain this is why they are making Kindle books so very attractive to customers. Even those customers who have iPads. It will ultimately be all about the software sales and that's where they will make their money - but first they have to establish the killer hardware base - even if that means making a loss.

Am I making sense? If not, please tell me and I'll have another go (or maybe you would prefer it if I didn't!).

[Kath]

Makes sense to me Rachel and I'm a mere reader! It's in the interest of any Big Business to get a market wrapped up.

[P.A.]

A monopoly is fine, until everyone starts referring to it as a monopoly, then it becomes anti-competitive and downright naughty.

I wonder if they're using indies on Select as their loss-leading lure. Attract people to the Kindle with the promise of infinite free books, then commence upselling. It's a question of how aggressive the upselling activity will become ... they can't run the Kindle Store at a loss/small profit for too long, they have shareholder dividends to pay.

[Rachel]

I agree Ignite. They do have to start making it profitable. But I am certain you are right - Select is a loss-leading lure. I think it is potentially quite damaging particularly to indies - but as I've said, I know that I am in the minority. We'll see!!

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

It is certain, to my mind, that the KDP Select programme is not something intended to have a long life...

[Stuart]

I have already decided to come out of it. It just doesn't quite feel right.

[Ian]

Me too, Stu. Couldn't work out how to come out of it straight away, so I just unticked some sort of renew button. Hopefully it's a monthly one.

[Stuart]

I think you're in it for 90 days minimum - might be wrong though!

[Rosen]

I plan to stay in Select for now. If another store offers me a deal that will get me the same sales figures, then I'll move on.

However, I'm in a different position to other writers, because most of the books I put on Select, are short stories that I planned to give away for free when I first wrote them. Therefore Select is actually adding to their value.

[Stuart]

I agree Karl. I think the select thing encourages short termism and the sort of instant gratification that, although lovely while it lasts, serves no long term benefit for either the author or their books. It's that old 'marathon not a sprint' analogy I think!

[Stuart]

And I'm awaiting a knee operation so I guess we're both done for!

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

And I have a bad back :(

[Kath]

Maybe it's time for Nurse Ignite to come round with the medication trolley?

[David]

Bearing in mind how young the ebook market is, and how swiftly all digital media evolves, I don't think the Select programme could ever be seen as a long-term thing. In 12 months time, the ebook landscape will doubtless be different to what it is now, and we will all be adapting as best we can.

Like many indie authors struggling to even begin their careers, I've found Select absolutely invaluable so far! But its usefulness may well have expired before the end of 2012. That doesn't mean it never had value in the first place.

Part of the problem is that publishing has been one of the dinosaur industries, almost completely unchanged during the 20th Century. The internet forces any industry it touches to rapidly change, and now it's publishing's turn. Like publishers and agents, authors must also learn to think in the shorter term than they have in the past. There isn't much value in speculating on Amazon's long-term plans, because even Amazon itself won't be looking too far into the future. They're just doing what they can to grab as much of the present as possible. We should be doing that too!