KDP Select - What do you think? Showing 1,001-1,050 of 1,056

[Simon (Highwayman)]

I think gifting in the UK will give indies a real boost when it starts.

[[deleted user]]

Simon (Highwayman) wrote: "I think gifting in the UK will give indies a real boost when it starts."

Definately, we'll be buying our favourite indie books to give to friends and family!!

:0)

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

After reading some recent success stories with KDP Select promos, I thought I'd give it another go. Perhaps Amazon have changed the algorithms again.

Here's my experience and results of the actual campaign:
http://www.writers-and-publishers.com...

I'm sitting on the beginning of the 3rd day now since that campaign ended. My thoughts? Well, it has certainly improved sales, borrows and ranking (though it lay dead in the water for a good half day after the campaign ended). However, I've seen no sign yet of the massive success I had last March with about the same number of free downloads, despite doing better in this last campaign in terms of rank achieved.

I remember easily getting into the top 500 paid ranks last March, but so far this time I'm only in the 5000s - and this despite getting to #7 on Amazon for ALL free ebooks at the peak of the campaign.

It will be interesting to see where I stand as we go into Easter. It could still improve. Watch this space.

And, on another matter, I still get little traction from the UK market. I've just checked, and in this month thus far my .COM sales are outdoing .CO.UK sales by a ratio of 11:1

How does one get to be popular in the UK???

[Katie]

To be honest, I think the free runs have had their day. My theory is that Amazon want to get rid of KDP Select, but because they don't have an alternative to placate authors, they've changed the algorithms so it doesn't give us as much of a boost and made it so that promotion sites can't push free books. I've pulled one book out already and the other comes out tomorrow. Time for new tactics.


....if only I knew what they were.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Well, a lot of sites are focusing on deals or bargains now - books where the normal price has been lowered or, in some cases, books selling at 99 cents or less.

Perhaps these will begin to replace the freebies?

[Natasha]

I pulled out of KDP Select in September. I love the freedom, but now that people aren't downloading my book by the hundreds my reviews have slowed right down—on Amazon as well as on Goodreads.

[M.T.]

Natasha (Diarist) wrote: "I pulled out of KDP Select in September. I love the freedom, but now that people aren't downloading my book by the hundreds my reviews have slowed right down—on Amazon as well as on Goodreads."

Wow, before Select I tried the freebie route, I got over a thousand downloads and only two reviews. I think if I do free again, I'll price match.

[D.D. Chant]

I sell about the same on .com and .co.uk. I have a short story in select but I've not really noticed it has boosted my sales at all. I sell consistently well at the beginning and end of each month, but sales are very slow in the middle.

[Tim]

I've been looking at reasons to join select, but not found anything compelling. Seems to me the advantages are more or less zero - you just give away your only (in my case) asset for a brief blip in rankings that doesn't translate into sales (= food) or reviews (= ?)

Strikes me, outside select, I can discount to much the same effect, but still eat lunch, plus sell into multiple channels, which must be worth a brownie or two...

Or am I wrong?

[Katie]

When it first started, it did wonderful things to sales, but now, no, for me there is no longer any advantage to it.

[Jim]

I've never taken part in Select, but having read a lot of things written by people whose commonsense and experience mean I tend to trust their opinions, I'd say it probably isn't all that successful any more

[Jean]

It's good to share experiences - thanks for all the input.I went KDP Select at Christmas with one book (out of 11) after a year not wanting to get into bed with amazon. I had 2,500 DLs from my free days so that was well worth while. From my own and other writers experiences, I think that KDP Select, and free days, are now falling flat for new writers with nothing extra to make them stand out, but are still working for writers whose books are already rolling. Amazon is clearly pulling back in promoting free books and the middleman promotion sites are being picky - and the best ones are charging for the publicity.

My feeling is that it's good to try and get some readers first. How, is of course the question!

[Lance]

I wonder if at some point soon, Amazon will unbundle KOLL from KDP Select and allow authors to sign up for the lending library without being tied to an exclusive relationship with KDP. That was the main reason I signed up with Select to begin with (I wasn't planning to do a giveaway), but after just three KOLL lends, it wasn't worth passing up the Nook and Kobo sales to stay on.

It would enhance the value of Amazon Prime -- more choice in the library -- but then, they may not want to encourge more authors to jump into the compensation pool.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

The borrows are a great extra source of income. I had 380 borrows in December. Those borrows are also factored into your ranking so help you become more visible. You don't have to use those 5 free promotion days if you sign up, though I think it'd be wise to do it even though the impact of doing so is not as great as it once was.

If anyone wants to know what I did to get over 10,000 downloads in 24 hours with a non-mainstream book, then just go to this page on my blog: http://www.writers-and-publishers.com...

[Jim]

Just as an aside, I went to your block and clicked through, I liked the 'Dreamwalkers' story at http://www.wattpad.com/story/4696482-...

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Thanks so much! Email me if you want the document! ;)

[Simon (Highwayman)]

All very interesting. I'm glad this thread got resurrected. It seems kindle owners go through a phase of downloading free books and then go back to buying. I wonder if it is human nature in action. If you have to work for something (or pay) you value it higher. I always read books I have paid for but my kindle is littered with unread freebies.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

I'm sure that's true, Simon, but exposure is sometimes seeing something so that it becomes familiar, then people may buy or read it when they see it again. What is more, those free downloads improve your ranking which allows more future buyers (not downloaders) to see your book.

I'm on day 5 since my campaign ended and my ranking is ten times (literally) higher than just before the campaign. I've easily made enough sales to cover the advertising I took out. One of my other books has done a little better, which I can only put down to a ripple effect. I've picked up 6 reviews (4 at 5 star, 1 at 4 star, and 1 at 3 star, iirc).

Maybe it will all sink again soon, but I made an increase.

And I've learned some stuff and honed up my resources.

I also discovered something else unrelated that just shot another book up to within the top 2000 on Amazon overnight. Something that, at this early stage, I think may be more effective than KDP Select campaigns - or perhaps could be used alongside them...

[Linda]

Hmmm...sounds intriguing Darren. I know that you always put 100% into your promotions and I wish I had half your energy! As you know, I've just put my new book into the KDP Select programme and am currently on a 3-day promotion. I wish I could do more - I know for a fact that I should be doing more, but it's finding the time and having that drive that usually scuppers my plans. For me, a download means at the very least, that someone has 'seen' my book, even if it is only the cover. Hopefully it will stand out among all the others they may have in their 'unread' Kindle list and they will be curious enough to read it!

[M.A.]

Congrats Darren. I'm just in the process of pulling all my books out of Select as I've heard a lot of talk from other authors that sales have increased considerably on the other sites over the past year or so.

I was looking around FB the other day and went on a NY Times bestseller's page, she was asking her readers what ereader device they all had, I was very surprised to see that only 1 in 15 had a Kindle.

We'll see what happens, I'm with Katie though, I think Select is dead. :-)

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Dying perhaps, but still effective if you can get enough downloads.

1 in 15 is surprising. I only have 2 books tied up with Select (out of 5) so that my name gets out there on other platforms.

I must admit, I'm not eager to let my main novel leave KDP Select - it gets me too many borrows. I've had 100 borrows or so this month, and had nearly 400 in December on that book. That's a lot of money to say goodbye to.

I have a feeling that things are changing though. I think bargain books may become the new trend. It will be interesting to see what Amazon does in the next few months....

p.s. Linda, thanks! Btw, my document I'm offering (see above) shows you a way you can very cheaply get all the freebie-submission notification sites submitted to without any work ;)

[Jim]

The document is worth reading Linda, so grab a copy.

DM, On the issue of borrows, it seems to be very variable for people,the fact you have good sales in the US may make that side of things important for you

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Probably that is a factor - my sales (and borrows) are always bad in the UK. I mean the contrast is huge. The ratio was 11:1 at one point this month. And I've had ZERO borrows in the UK this month for The Serpent in the Glass, yet 135 borrows via Amazon.com

I can't explain the lack of traction in the UK.

[Jim]

D.M. Andrews (GoodReads Author) wrote: "I can't explain the lack of traction in the UK. ..."

Trust me, with sales like yours in the US, I'd not even bother trying to explain my lack of traction in the UK :-)

[M.T.]

It's strange isn't it? The two markets read in English but they're incredibly diverse. I do think that once you have a certain amount of traction, in either one, you're set but the difficulty is achieving that. If I do any offers on my books I think I'll be price matching. When the final book is done defintely...

cheers

MTM

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Maybe that's it - some initial traction in the US that kept it up there, but I want Old Blighty to read me stuff, too ;)

[Katie]

Strangely, even though - being an Aussie - my market is Amazon US, I tend to sell more in the UK than in the US. Nowhere near DM's numbers (I'll PM you about that document!), but definitely more than I'd expect. I know I don't sell many in Australia simply because ereaders are not quite the huge thing here yet that they are everywhere else, but the US just don't seem to like my books - unless they're free, in which case they download four times what the UK does.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

My downloads were a ratio of 36:1 for US/UK. My fellow countrymen (and women) clearly are not impressed! :(

;)

[Terry]

Mel, I've seen better numbers elsewhere when it comes to readers' hardware preferences. Also consider that many people like myself who own tablets, (I own an Ipad and two Android tablets) read from the kindle app. The app plays a huge part. It was posted elsewhere (I'll look for the link that this is the trend. People reading on iPads and tablets but prefer to use the kindle app.)

Here are some stats.
Ereader Stats from 2012

As for KDP Select, I think genre matters. My fantasy books did o.k at first when I pulled them, but not well enough on the other platforms to make up for what I lost in borrows from Select, but I keep them there because it has gotten me one permafree book, which helps visibility on Amazon. And me taking them out of Select also killed their ranking, which may have cost me more sales on Amazon.

My latest book, I placed in Select, and sales and borrows have been amazing. It makes me want to pull my others (except the perma free and put them in Select) Here's Konrath on what he did recently.

Konrath puts all his books in KDP Select and makes 100k in 6 weeks

[A.L.]

WOW!

I have just pulled my book from Select and have had better sales this month than earlier in the year but that is on the back of a promo anyway. I am yet to see much happen with Smashwords and considering the formatting there is a right pain in the arse it may or may not be worth it.

I wasn't getting many borrows but I was getting a few. I think for book 2 of the series I may do Select for 3-6 months and then see how SW and the other platforms are doing and decide on that.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Terry, thanks for that link! Interesting.

As promised, here are the results of the post-promo period for my past KDP Select campaign...

http://www.writers-and-publishers.com...

[Tim]

Another consideration is the change in the affiliate programme - which appears to be hamstringing the promotion of free books through free book sites. I know it's early days yet, but has anyone in Select found any issues promoting a free period?

[A.L.]

I didn't but I didn't use the official sites, just here and g plus and facebook.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Yes, a number of sites are no longer offering free-promo listings because of that change. The emphasis is now on bargain ebooks. However, as of March, still a good number are offering listings for free ebooks. (In my document on offer (see link) I've filtered out the ones no longer listing or advertising freebies).

[Patti (baconater)]

What link Darren?

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

The one in message #1100 on the previous page :)

[Patti (baconater)]

You expect me to scroll back???

You really don't know how lazy I am, do you?

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Almost as lazy as me, it would seem! ;)

Link (for Patti)...

http://www.writers-and-publishers.com...

[Patti (baconater)]

Thank you Darren. :)

Now could you just click it for me?

And a cup of tea would be lovely, thanks.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

slice o' cake?

[Patti (baconater)]

Oh yes please.

Here at my elbow please. Don't make me reach for it.

[Tim]

Darren, I think she'd like you to drink it for her too...

[Patti (baconater)]

No, no. I'll drink it.

Just hold the cup to my lips.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

ha!

[Jim]

Oh DM, here's the cloth to dab her lips with

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

Whatever next? A bunch of grapes?

[Jim]

D.M. Andrews (GoodReads Author) wrote: "Whatever next? A bunch of grapes?"

ready peeled, here you are.

[A.L.]

D.M. Andrews (GoodReads Author) wrote: "slice o' cake?"

Cake please unless you greedy bggrs scoffed it all when I was away.

[[deleted user]]

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but thought this might be a good place to make the same suggestion.

Since amazon have made those changes to free book emailing sites, please make fuller use of our monthly free book thread on this site. It's going to be so much harder to find stuff that interests us now. I've just gone on one of the sites and set the filters for historical novels and romance - there were 27 pages of the stuff! I quickly backed off! I especially like to support indie authors but unless you tell us about your books, we will never find them in the crowd! Also, us readers, please post any goodies that we find.

For those who haven't discovered the thread yet, here is the link. Someone will start a new thread each month, but here is Aprils..

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

As of today, 3rd May 2013, The Serpent in the Glass has dropped to its pre-KDP-Select-promo ranking. That's about 5 weeks of extra sales and borrows that I'd not have otherwise received. Sales averaged about seven times higher than pre-promo (normal) sales for April (and a lot higher at the end of March), borrows about the same.

Amazon.com now has 82 reviews for this book, it being at 48 reviews prior to the promo.