OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Should you self-publish exclusively on Amazon? That is the question many authors consider whenever they put a book out.
The benefits of exclusivity
Here are my thoughts as to why you should consider exclusivity with Amazon, which basically means that you cannot publish a particular work anywhere else BUT Amazon for a 90 day period when you opt in with the checkbox on the KDP publishing page.
KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited
The KDP Select help page describes the benefits to opting in as:
- Earn your share of the KDP Select Global Fund amount when readers choose and read more than 10% of your book from Kindle Unlimited, or borrow your book from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Plus, earn 70% royalty for sales to customers in Japan, India, Brazil and Mexico.
- Choose between two great promotional tools: Kindle Countdown Deals, time-bound promotional discounting for your book while earning royalties; or scheduled Free Book Promotion where readers worldwide can get your book free for a limited time. [Note: you can still make your book permafree if you publish on multiple platforms, pricing free and then reporting the cheaper price to Amazon.]
- Help readers discover your books by making them available through Kindle Unlimited in the U.S. and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL) in the U.S, U.K., Germany, France, and Japan. Kindle Unlimited is a subscription program for readers that allows them to read as many books as they want. The Kindle Owners' Lending Library is a collection of books that Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle can choose one book from each month with no due dates. When you enroll in KDP Select, your books are automatically included in both programs.
Ease of changes
One of the big pains when you go direct to all platforms is the timing of price changes for sales. You can schedule a price change on Kobo and iBooks, but Nook can take a few days and Amazon's speed of change vary between 4 – 72 hours. Similarly, if you want to change back matter or fix a typo, you have to do it multiple times. Of course, you can use services like Smashwords, BookBaby or Draft2Digital and update once for all platforms, but I prefer to publish directly for the extra metadata fields I get on the various platforms.
If you are exclusive to Amazon, you only have to manage one site and one set of changes.
The drawbacks to exclusivity
There are several reasons why you shouldn't be exclusive to Amazon.
Global growth of digital markets. Don't miss out!
Amazon may be the biggest player in the US and the UK, but there are other retail stores and devices that dominate in other countries.
Germany, for example, is possibly the next big market for ebooks, and Amazon has 40% of the market. Apple iBooks and Tolino, an ebook reader and associated stores that are run by a group of German publishers, have the rest. I have found that my sales on the other German platforms match Amazon almost exactly.
My sales in Canada primarily come from Kobo, and both Kobo and iBooks break sales down into 50+ countries. We haven't even got started in the massive Asian markets yet!
The Compound Effect
I've found that by going direct to iBooks, Kobo and Nook, I have started to grow an audience there, and my income ticks up every month as their ecosystems discover my books. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy is a fantastic book that describes how little actions taken every day can add up over time to massive change, or massive impact over years. You can't expect to load your books up on Kobo and expect them to sell straight away, you need time in that market.
Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, says in his post on exclusivity that,
“It can take years to build readership at a retailer. Authors who cycle their books in and out of KDP Select will have a more difficult time building readership at Amazon's competitors.”
I have seen the Compound Effect on my blog, my online platform and my book sales over the last six years. I know things take time to build, and a few hundred dollars a month now may grow if I stay my course.
Independence and possibility of disruption
I'm an independent author, so I don't want to be dependent on any single income stream.
I love Amazon as much as the next indie author, as much as the next Amazon Prime junkie and happy customer, but in early 2008, I was laid off, along with 400 other people in one day from my department.
My one source of income disappeared very fast.
Few people saw the Global Financial Crisis coming, and we all had to adapt. Change is inevitable, so I choose to spread my bets amongst the retailers as well as selling directly from my own site.
In Jeff Bezos' interview with Charlie Rose in Dec 2013, Jeff said that at some point, Amazon itself would be disrupted. He just hopes it happens after he is dead!
I think about the future of this business a lot.
I'm 39, and I am not just building for the next year, I'm building for the rest of my life and hopefully leaving something for my family when I'm gone. As Amazon continues to rise and rise, we see the push back of many different industries against their domination. Who knows what the next 5 years will hold?
Conclusion: My personal choices around exclusivity
One of the best things about being an indie is personal choice, but of course, this can make it harder as well. I can't tell you what to do with your books, I can only say what I do myself.
- For anyone with one book and no platform, exclusivity seems to be the best way to get your book moving, at least in the initial period. I helped my Dad self-publish his historical thriller, Nada, last year, and put that in KDP Select. There was no point in going with the other platforms when the majority of his sales would be Amazon, and he had no intention of doing any ongoing marketing for the book. Free books allowed us to get the sales started and get some reviews.
- For translations, in a new market, with little ability to do other forms of marketing, exclusivity is also a good idea. I'm using KDP Select for my Spanish and Italian books, and the free promo days have enabled us to get the algorithms moving and get some reviews.
- For an established series that you are building over time, using more than one site is my personal choice. The compound effect will mean that over time, as I add books onto the platforms, and reach readers one by one, my sales will grow on the other sites. I also like spreading my income streams so I am not dependent on one platform for my livelihood. That's why the vast majority of my English language fiction and non-fiction is on all the major platforms.
- Trying new things is important! For this year's NaNoWriMo, I'll be writing a stand-alone novella that I will put on KDP Select in order to try out Kindle Unlimited. As a reader, I love the idea of KU. I already utilize borrows on Prime and I consume a lot of books. I also love to play with the available options we have.
So basically, when you have multiple books, you can adopt multiple strategies. Fantastic!
What are your feelings around exclusivity? Do you keep all your books on Amazon only, or do you spread your books on multiple sites? Have you started selling direct, and why? Please leave a comment and join the conversation below.
Top image: Flickr Creative Commons fence by John Curley, solving the GFC by Cathrin Idsoe
Dianne Fairweather says
I have just self published my first children’s book of 2,300 words.
“Poppy’s Beach Box”. It is suitable for 6 to 8 year old readers and of course is a great bedtime read for younger children or a feel good read for adults.
My husband has illustrated the book and we have had it printed by our local printer. It is selling for $10 posted via facebook contact or $8 personal pick up.
We are looking at putting it online as an ebook.
I am quite confused by pricing in the agreement and now not sure which way to go. Any help will be very much appreciated.
Love says
not sure what you are confused about.
If you price your book in a range from $1.99 to $9.99 then you will be eligible to earn 70% in royalties. Any other price will earn you 35% in royalties.
Ross Clark says
Ross Clark
Thank you for offering advice to wannabe author such as myself. I have been sick mentally and physically. I have completed ten children books which no one has ever seen accept friends and family.
I have one book on addiction which has been rejected from 2 publishing companies.
The book is the only one I offer that offers ways to understand and recover from addiction.
The book is called: THE TWO DOLLAR MAN about addiction to slot machines.
Exclusivity with KDP Select is an opinion I will try out as you suggested above.
Getting some reviews is something I want.
I also need help getting my book out there because I have no money to promote my books. I am green to getting my book out there. Money is the key to all my problems so free type of system is my only hope to getting to a better place.
I presume Kindle can help if they don’t ask for money, and taking a percentage seems like a good way to get started for a super green author such as myself……….. THANKS……will try to read the Author 2.0
Jada Lorez says
I’m a upcoming writer and I’m not sure if I should enrolled in the KPD select or just promote it, I’m so confused. I also wanted to know once you do enroll in KPD after 90 days, can u promote ur book anywhere else? Need answers
Elizabeth Carr says
If you apply for Kindle Select you must ensure that you untick the box stated ‘automatic renewal’.
This way after 90 days you can choose to opt out of KDP Select and your book will be removed from the programme and you can sell or promote your book/ebook anywhere else.
If you leave this box ticked Amazon will automatically sign you up for another 90 days and you will not be able to promote and sell your book on other platforms.
Hope this helps
Debra Rufini says
I’m really sorry if I’m being absolutely thick, but despite reading over & over again, I’m obviously not understanding the concept of KDP Select, which I’m currently with.
My 5 free day book promotion is up, so I’m still way within the 90 day period. So, what are the other 85 days all about?! If it’s only 5 days that you can either promote the book for free, or use the countdown deal, why is the enrolment for 90 days? Am I missing something, or is it really not clear?
There’s a huge listing of these book promotion sites, but I’m not sure if I can use them or not, because I don’t know what these remaining days are all about.
Any help would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.
Debra. 🙂
Joanna Penn says
The remaining days you are just in the program, and readers can borrow your book as part of Kindle Unlimited.
Maureen Heaton says
Joanna,
Just wanted to say I so appreciate your wonderful website and blogs. I am an unpublished author (as Maura Beth Brennan) with a book I want to publish. Sadly, I was all formatted and ready to go with Pronoun, and then they pulled the plug! This info was direct and honest and so helpful, as I was struggling to decide how to proceed. I most likely go with Kindle Select for 90 days and then go wider, based on this information. I don’t have an author website yet but still have my notes from a great tutorial of yours, so will be working on that next week. You are a real treasure, so thank you!
Madhusudan Sohani says
Greetings from India. Thanks a lot for your guidance. I have already published a short book (6.5 K words) on investing and put it on KDP Select. I got several ideas from your posts, and after the 90 day exclusivity period, I will launch the book outside of Amazon. I am planning my next article and put it on several platforms. I appreciate your guidance to new indie authors like me.
Best wishes,
Madhusudan Sohani
Alan Toner says
I have always agonised over whether to include in Kindle Select each new book I publish. What do you think?
Stan I.S. Law says
Thank you for your thoughts.
Question. I have 40 books on my conscience, incl. 24 novels in addition to
4 Trilogies. Can I continue to sell on Smashwords the 3 individual components (novels) while putting the Trilogy itself on KDP?
If not, any advise? I’m a reallllllly bad promoter.
Thanking you in advance,
Stan
Joanna Penn says
You can use KDP without opting into exclusivity. So you can publish wide and on KDP, but you can’t have the books wide and the trilogy on KDP Select, which is the exclusive program.
Miss Wright says
Hi Joanna, I’ve been following you on YouTube and Instagram for a little while now, and I’ve found your content really helpful … thank you! I was wondering what advice you would give to a new children’s author who is about to release Book 1 of a new middle-grade fantasy adventure series. I do have a basic platform and I’m beginning to build my email list. If this were you, would you opt for KDP select to build initial readership / reviews / rankings in one place, or look to spread the books wide and far with a long-term success strategy in mind?
Joanna Penn says
I think children’s book authors do better with print anyway, so your ebook strategy may be less important than print. Check out this interview with Karen Inglis and her book for children’s authors: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2018/08/13/how-to-self-publish-and-market-a-childrens-book-with-karen-inglis/
Lizzy says
Just clarifying that it is possible to try to sell your book from your own website first, then take it down and put it into Kindle select after you have done what you can yourself and tried to make relationships with your readers first?
Also wanted to clarify that if you go select, you don’t get to understand who is buying your book, and you cannot get their emails? Can you have a page in the book that says were to sign up to your list if the reader wants to follow that? Or KDP doesn’t allow it?
One more question, when you talk about making your book free – that just means it’s free for the reader, but not that you don’t generate any income from it? So you can benefit them without hurting yourself? Otherwise – if you can’t make relationships – and you only have one book – what would the benefit of making it free be?
Thanks for any input! The podcast is fantastic, I have been listening every day since I found it about three months ago. It’s addicting!
Joanna Penn says
1) KDP Select is exclusive so it can’t be anywhere else. If you take it down from your website, that should be fine.
2) No, you don’t get reader emails from Amazon or any vendor, so you need to ask for signup in the back of your book
3) If you make the book free to the reader, you don’t make any money as it is free – it is a marketing tactic to get reviews, people into the series etc. Hope that helps.
Robert Morse Roseth says
Let’s say I begin the launch with the book on Select and it does well enough that I’d like to broaden the audience by distribution to libraries through Draft2Digital. Is there anything prohibiting me from going back to Select at a later date? Must I cancel my agreement with Draft2Digital? Is there any penalty for doing so?
Joanna Penn says
You can just unpublish the book at D2D if you want to go back into Select. It leaves the book there in case you change your mind later.
Paul @ Sidegains says
I am new to all this and have never published. I have something in the wings ready to go but I’m not sure where to begin.
Joanna Penn says
Check out this page for more of a high level walkthrough – https://www.thecreativepenn.com/publishing/