Any authors in the KDP Select Program? Showing 251-300 of 1,505

[Lanie]

It's a start though! Sometimes we have to cling desperately to any positive we can find. This is a tough business.

[Lee]

For what it's worth, I and some others have found that weekdays work better for KS giveaways than weekends. I had hundreds of downloads on a two day weekend and thousands on the first day of a three day weekday event.

[Merri]

I don't receive the large numbers I used to (15,000 and 17,000 respectively). When I offer a freebie now it's generally between 500 and 2,000 downloads. Big difference.

[Kalen]

I just signed up for KDP Select today. Haven't decided about when the free days will be for certain, although think July 15th will be one of them, since I'm connected with a group promoting that day.

My biggest hesitation (and the ebook has only been available 5 days anyway, so not much of one) was the C word - Commitment! It isn't up elsewhere yet anyway, so that shouldn't be an issue. Just the way this guy's mind works, lol.

[Kim]

I have a question I'm hoping one of you fellow authors know the answer to. My book is enrolled in KDP Select. I have a personal accout here to review books I've read. I then upgraded to an author account, filled in my bio and uploaded my book cover only. I didn't upload the book because I'm confused if I can do that with Goodreads? My assumption was that I would get more readers if I posted it here and it would send them to Amazon to buy. Is that the case, that this is a book review site? Or is it considered a third party reseller? If so, I'd have to cancel my author account and keep just the personal one. Sorry to be so technoplegic. This is all new to me.

[Nan]

Technoplegic--is that a real word? If not it should be.

From other entries I've read, you can sell your book on GR (check the thread on that). I don't, as I want buyers to go to Amazon and see/post reviews. That's why I put the Amazon link in my own author review of the book. But it's up to you.

[Lee]

Kim,

You should list your books (not just covers) on your author profile page. This doesn't authorize GR to sell them and won't cause any problem with KDP Select. Listing the book allows GR members to read your book description and post ratings and reviews of your books on GR - a very good thing that many GR readers look at in selecting books to read (and buy).

You can check out my page to see how it looks. I have one book in KDP Select and two not. Just click on my name or picture. Good luck.

[Kim]

Lee--Thank you. I have my book listed with the product description. I had to manually add it to the Goodreads system. I used the ASIN# from Amazon and added the book cover. The only thing I didn't do was upload the book because then I was confused, thinking I don't wanna screw up my KDP Select. If you get a chance, can you look at mine and see if I'm doing it right? Or if I need to add anything?

Nan--Technoplegic is word computer techs call regular people behind their backs! My husband works in IT and says they all do it. :)

[Lee]

Kim, your page looks fine.

[Paul]

Jaq - same here. I did two 2-day promotions of a nonfiction religious book. I was pleased with downloads of 800 and 600, which has resulted in current sales of 2 per day. Obviously, I can't buy lunch on that. Yesterday I used my last free day and was fortunate to have been place onto Ereader News Today, which listed my book later in the day. At 7:30 p.m. I had only 440 downloads. When I got up this morning, there were 3,350 downloads. What that will do for sales is questionable, but now a lot of people have the book - and I just put my second book out (which is promoting the first book, too). Time and more books in people's hands can only help future sales.
My second day of free for "In Living Color: The Lord's Prayer" is today - http://amzn.to/J96FBL

[Kim]

Hi guys. I asked so many questions, I forgot to describe my KDP experiment. I put my short story collection up and sold a bunch to friends and family the first day. After that, I only sold 3 books each week for a few weeks (I was also tweeting/facebooking,etc.) Then I did two free days and had 1,900 downloads. After the free days, I was averaging 5 sales per day for a whole week, had one sale in France,and two KOLL borrows, and one return. All in all I've sold 70 books in 6 weeks. It's now the second week after the free promo, and I'm back to selling one book per day and thinking of more low-cost ways to market. I'll use my free days again soon and see if it helps.

[Richard]

Lee wrote: "Kim,

You should list your books (not just covers) on your author profile page. This doesn't authorize GR to sell them and won't cause any problem with KDP Select. Listing the book allows GR member..."

Good info. I'm lost as to where on the site an author goes to place his book on sale at Goodreads or do they only sell paper books? Secondly ,I can't get an answer as to why people here collect hundreds of friends. You can't communicate with them as a group to inform them of a sale or free day. What is the point?

[Marty]

I've just completed my 3 month trial with KDP Select for my novel By A Thread. If you're interested, these are my results: 1644 free books downloaded (69 in UK, 9 in Deutschland); 33 books sold; 4 borrowed. Net income: US$75.

[[deleted user]]

I'm with KDP select.
My sales more than quadrupled after I posted various free promos (one at a time).

I'm not happy that I can't go through Nook and company, and may not renew, but since I started my sales have more than quintupled.

Of course, I'm doing other things (including not spamming boards that ask that authors not push their writing there...)

Is it a good thing? Well, the sales tell one story. So I'm thinking...

[[deleted user]]

Richard wrote: "Why purchase a book for 2.99 when you can find a book just as enticing for free?..."

There are plenty of people who are willing to try something free and then say "hey, this is pretty good!"

And only a fool puts a book up free five days in a row. You pick and choose when you post a freebie...

[Eric]

I have 2 novels on the KDP select and have run a free giveaway twice, 2 weeks ago and today. And both times there has been an Amazon glitch! It does not come up free. Have any of you had that problem? My novel for today is The Lightning File.

[[deleted user]]

Kim wrote: "I didn't upload the book because I'm confused if I can do that with Goodreads? ..."

You can't sell your book here (as you know) nor can you give it away. You can, however, post a preview. My books are uploaded to GR, but I have only given permission for a 20% preview. It seems to be working well.

[Nan]

Eric wrote: "I have 2 novels on the KDP select and have run a free giveaway twice, 2 weeks ago and today. And both times there has been an Amazon glitch! It does not come up free. Have any of you had that probl..."

Yes, that happened to me for the first time on Mother's Day--luckily, Amazon also screwed up a bunch of other writers' Promo days then, too. So we all got an extra free day and an apologetic email from KDP. Which helped a bit. Infuriating, I agree.

[Michael]

Diana wrote: "Kim wrote: "I didn't upload the book because I'm confused if I can do that with Goodreads? ..."

You can't sell your book here (as you know) nor can you give it away. You can, however, post a prev..."


Hi Kim

I think you can sell a book on Goodreads - correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't done it yet but I did inquire about it. As far as I know, once you have accumulated $50 of book sales Goodreads will reimburse you.

Michael Ward

[Don]

possibly so, but if you are in the KDP select program aren't you exclusive to Amazon? If so that would mean you can not sell it here I would think.

[[deleted user]]

Michael wrote: "I think you can sell a book on Goodreads - correct me if I'm wrong...."

You're wrong. While eBooks can be - and are - sold on Goodreads, Kim can't sell her book on Goodreads or anywhere other than Amazon while she has it enrolled in the KDP select program. She also can't give copies away through Goodreads - Amazon has exclusive distribution rights at whatever price for the term of the contract (90 days). That is part of the contract she entered with Amazon. She can non-renew after 90 days (Note, Kim: un-check the box for auto-renew if you're thinking of non-renewing).'

[Kim]

Hi, I am going to stick with Amazon for another 90 days even though I have my book programmed for Nook, too. I want to get more readers. I also had an Amazon "glitch" on my first promo, which was Mother's Day weekend. They goofed it up and it was supposed to be free, but it wasn't. I had even paid Kindle Nation Daily for the FBH service and had to contact them and straighten everything out. It turned out okay in the end, but it was a bummer because I facebooked/twittered a ton of people that it was free. I hope my next free day goes smoothly.

[Michael]

Diana wrote: "Michael wrote: "I think you can sell a book on Goodreads - correct me if I'm wrong...."

You're wrong. While eBooks can be - and are - sold on Goodreads, Kim can't sell her book on Goodreads or ..."

Okay - I missed the bit about her being in KDP select.

Michael Ward

[Eric]

I gather from comments that quite a few had glitches with free promos on KDP Select. The real problem with me is this has happened twice and after sending emails all over the place it is really harmful to credibility. Have any of you survived these glitches and gone on to sell books through Amazaon?

[[deleted user]]

I never had a glitch. I am now running away as fast as I can. (Note: I did check to see if the pricing was valid before making an announcement.)

I did that today, too, by the way,for my promo.

[Michael]

Hello

I’m Michael Ward from Jacksonville in Florida. I am a writer and reader of Scandinavian crime fiction. I have had a fascination for Scandinavia for years and would love to just spend a year travelling round all the Scandinavian countries – someday perhaps. My favorite Scandinavian author is Stieg Larsson. My Scandinavian crime novel is set in Stockholm and I have a couple of short stories set in Europe about the Swedish female assassin, Lisa Molin from my novel. I would welcome suggestions about good crime authors to read from any of the Scandinavian countries including Iceland.

[Michael]

Sorry - ignore that last post - I meant to post it to a different thread on "Introduce yourself Scandinavian and Nordic Crime Fiction". I reposted it there.

[[deleted user]]

@Michael -
Welcome anyhow! (Did you know you can delete your posts? Look in the lower R corner of your post You have the option to reply, edit, delete or flag your post.)

[Michael]

Diana wrote: "@Michael -
Welcome anyhow! (Did you know you can delete your posts? Look in the lower R corner of your post You have the option to reply, edit, delete or flag your post.)"

Thanks Diana I didn't know you could delete a post. The motto of this post is that if you are going to write your post on word first then don't have two separate windows open in two separate Goodreads threads or you have a 50/50 chance of putting it on the wrong one if you do it too quickly.

Thanks for the welcome - I appreciate it.

Michael

[Marina]

So far I'm not doing bad in KDP select. I did my free promo and had over 2000 downloads. Sales are picking up, and so far I've had one five star review. I understand about having to give Amazon an exclusive, but my experience is that Amazon already has the lion's share of the market. I'll go on Smashwords later.

[Paul]

I did my last day of free a week ago. The first two times of 2-days free I gave away 800 & 600 ebooks. The resulting sales averaged 2 per day. I received two five star reviews which helped me get my last free day picked up by Ereader News Today. That brought in 3400 downloads, and I have 90 books sold/borrowed in the last six days. I know that won't hold up, but the exposure has been great. No glitches on any of my days. I'll be moving to Smashwords to spread out now because I want to get into B & N territory.

[Jenn]

I thought folks here might find this article interesting-- http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-...

It's about a recent algorithm change in how Amazon promotes books (including freebies) in the system, and why folks in the KDPSelect program may not be seeing the big bump in sales they were after the free time.

[Kim]

Jenn--Thanks so much for the attached article. It's always an effort to keep up with the changes.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks, Jenn. It got me thinking.

[Jenn]

Happy to help. I'd been trying to find the answers to a clear shift I noticed since the beginning of May. I think that article may explain it.

[D.M. Andrews (author)]

My sales have been slow since the end of March. In March I earned a LOT more than April and May combined...probably about ten times more!

Algorithms kill!

[Kim]

I published with KDP in April and did my first free promo in May, so I can't say for sure. Seems like the consensus is Select was better before. It's still helping me get the book out to more than my friends and family, so I'm thankful right now.

[Reneé]

Jenn wrote: "I thought folks here might find this article interesting-- http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-...

It's about a recent algorithm change in how Amazon pr..."

Yes, thanks for the article link.

I, too, saw a change in sales in March even with the release of a new title. May was worse. I may opt out of the Select program, but that doesn't mean I'll be going back to B&N - who still owe me money from last year.

I am published by an indie & so far they've done well for me, but they raised the prices of my e-books about a month ago. I didn't agree with it at first, but they pointed out to me Amazon's boards' strong contingency of "low price=bad book" posters who were steering readers to more traditionally published books and trashing anything else.

I should not have been surprised, but I was. The level of animosity on some boards towards anything not of the "Big Six" was incredible. It even led me to wonder if some of the more vehement posters were employees of selected companies or else self-promoting "editors" trolling for authors.

Either way, I agreed to the price change and have seen an increase in sales. But, the bottom line is still this (and is whether you're with the "Big Six" or not, perhaps especially if you're a small author with them) - you have to market your book in every way you can.

The Select program worked for me when I signed on before the Holidays and it was new. It led readers to my books in both the US & Europe, readers who might not have found me otherwise; however, I don't know if that exclusivity is still worth the price of keeping my books from other online venues, including my own site.

It's something authors need to consider individually for each of us have our own needs. What worked once, may not work now.

[Jaye]

Diana wrote: "Michael wrote: "I think you can sell a book on Goodreads - correct me if I'm wrong...."

You're wrong. While eBooks can be - and are - sold on Goodreads, Kim can't sell her book on Goodreads or ..."

I'm pretty sure you can sell a paperback version of your book elsewhere. KDP exclusions would only apply to the eBook version.

[Jaye]

Jenn wrote: "I thought folks here might find this article interesting-- http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-...

It's about a recent algorithm change in how Amazon pr..."

This was a great article, not only thorough, but backed by some facts and a well-expressed opinion of the logic behind rankings and strategy. Also some good ideas for after-promotion marketing. Thanks much for sharing the link!
Jaye Frances

[[deleted user]]

Jaye wrote: "I'm pretty sure you can sell a paperback version of your book elsewhere. KDP exclusions would only apply to the eBook version..."

Jaye:

If you go back and read the actual query and the discussion that ensued you will see that it pertained specifically to e-books (Which is all that KDP Select pertains to. KDP select specifically being sold anywhere but KDP select.

Print books were not part of the equation and all the discussion pertained to ebooks only.

***
Here's KDP Select's Information for the record:

KDP Select Option Terms and Conditions.

KDP Select is an option for KDP publishers. Through KDP Select, for an initial period of 90 days your Digital Book is exclusive to Kindle and is included in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library Program where it will earn a share of a monthly cash fund when readers borrow it. Also, you can promote your Digital Book as free for up to 5 days during these 90 days. Before including your book in KDP Select, please read these terms and conditions carefully.

1 Exclusivity. When you include a Digital Book in KDP Select, you give us the exclusive right to sell and distribute your Digital Book in Digital format while your book is in KDP Select. During this period of exclusivity, you cannot sell or distribute, or give anyone else the right to sell or distribute, your Digital Book(or a book that is substantially similar), in Digital format in any territory where you have rights.

[Paul]

I hear lots of results from fiction authors, but not many from non-fiction. I have a second non-fiction book in KDP Select now and the results compared to the first one (offered March - May) are very poor in comparison. I haven't paid anyone for advertising yet - maybe that's the new requirement. The free websites that help to promote new books require 5-10 reviews of 4.0 average. How can a "new" book have that many reviews?

[Jaye]

Diana wrote: "Jaye wrote: "I'm pretty sure you can sell a paperback version of your book elsewhere. KDP exclusions would only apply to the eBook version..."

Jaye:

If you go back and read the actual query and t..."

Of course - didn't intend to confuse the concept and ideas in this thread. And thanks for adding the details of the KDP Program.

[Steven]

I'm about to have a Kindle select giveaway next week, my first. Ive set it up for 5 days in a row thinking momentum, but then I read the post below ("only a fool"). Why is it a bad idea to do this for 5 days? Also, I plan to run some web ads and have notified some bloggers, but how else do people find out? Does Amazon promote it in any way, ie, the way Goodreads promotes its giveaways?

[Paul]

Many people have posted that they received diminishing sales on each consecutive day rather than growing momentum. Some like two day giveaways, others like one day giveaways spread out over the 90 days. 85 days is a l-o-n-g time to wait for signing up again and trying again. Maybe try two days. Then decide how to proceed based on your results. I did a two day, and got 800 downloads, fewer on the second day. A month later I did another 2-day and the results were 1/4 less than the first run. A month later I did a one day (got listed in Ereader News Today) and got 3,400 downloads. Go figure.

[Lee]

Paul, I had a similar experience with Ereader News Today. I'm troubled, however, in that they are looking for contributions. I'm afraid it's a pay for play thing. Nevertheless, getting listed on one of the big eBook websites seems to be key in having a multi-thousand download giveaway via KDP Select.

[Steven]

Well, I think I'm stuck with my 5 day listing next week - I've already sent out the announcements. I also plan to run some web ads that have done ok in the past. I'll see how it goes. Then I'll retire from marketing till I finish the sequel (marketing can be quite a distraction from actually writing!) Your answer was helpful to me, so thanks for responding.

[Lee]

Steven, would you mind being a little more specific about your experience with web ads? It's so hard to tell which sites are worth the money. Where did you place? Cost? Results? Thanks very much if you feel you can respond. If you don't, I understand.

[[deleted user]]

Lee wrote: "Steven, would you mind being a little more specific about your experience with web ads? It's so hard to tell which sites are worth the money. Where did you place? Cost? Results? Thanks very much if..."

I second the query...

[Steven]

I hired a guy who designed a web campaign across a variety of websites which has been really effective in driving traffic to my website. Sometimes it's resulted in notable sales, sometimes not, so I'm trying to gauge whether time of day plays a role in sales, or whether the variability is just coincidence. I'll tell you what - I'm going to be advertising extensively for my Kindle giveaway next week (over all 5 days) - when it's done I'll come back and post here a full report on what worked and what didn't, including specific websites, and I'll also post the name of the guy who did the campaign if he'll give me permission. At any rate, I'll be back to you soon.