avatarHazel Paradise

Summary

The author discusses the benefits of distributing ebooks widely across various platforms rather than exclusively through Amazon's Kindle Unlimited (KU) program, based on personal experience with both strategies.

Abstract

The author of the web content has experimented with both exclusive and wide distribution strategies for their ebooks, encompassing both fiction and non-fiction genres. Initially, swayed by income reports from other authors, the author opted for exclusivity with Amazon KDP Select, which proved lucrative, especially for romance genre ebooks. However, the author later realized the limitations of relying solely on one marketplace and the potential of other platforms such as Kobo, Nook, Google Playbooks, Odilo, and Scribd. The article advises new authors to start with exclusivity to test the waters but ultimately suggests that going wide offers more freedom, market reach, and peace of mind, allowing authors to tap into diverse audiences and reduce dependency on a single retailer.

Opinions

  • The author initially favored Amazon KDP Select exclusivity due to perceived benefits and success stories from other authors.
  • Kindle Unlimited (KU) was advantageous for the author's romance fiction, generating significant income.
  • The author experienced a downside to exclusivity, becoming fully dependent on Amazon KDP's policies and changes.
  • Non-fiction ebooks did not perform well under KU, leading the author to conclude that non-fiction content is better suited for wide distribution.
  • The author emphasizes the importance of not missing out on other markets and the potential sales they can offer.
  • After trying both approaches, the author advocates for wide distribution as a means to achieve greater freedom and stability in ebook sales.
  • The author suggests that new writers experiment with KDP Select for an initial period before considering a wider distribution strategy.

HOW TO EARN MONEY FROM EBOOKS

Why I Prefer Wide Over Exclusivity for My Ebooks

Amazon KDP is one among many marketplaces

Photo by Ellie Ellien on Unsplash

I have been on both — exclusive and wide for both brands fiction and non-fiction and I think I can answer this well.

When I started, I didn’t know much about being wide and exclusive to a single program. This was when I saw the first video of Joanna Penn talking about it.

So, after seeing many income reports from various authors, I went exclusive without thinking much. Before that, I was writing widely but exclusivity never came to mind, and I was excited to see the results.

My KU Experience

  1. Exclusivity means enrolling your book in the Kindle Unlimited Program but isn’t allowed to publish your ebook anywhere else. It means only KU readers will discover your ebook. Other formats can be published widely.
  2. My first genre was romance so KU worked for me. Romance works well on the Kindle Unlimited Program! I made a good income out of it for many years.
  3. Any drawback? Definitely. Everything comes with pros and cons. If there are no pros, then cons wouldn’t exist as well. Here, you are fully at the mercy of one marketplace; I was making good money but dependent on Amazon KDP.
  4. I also published my nonfiction books on the KU program but there were rarely any sales. (I used an SEO tool later to increase sales.). Non-fiction works better wide.
  5. I was missing out on the markets like — Kobo, Nook, Google Playbooks, Odilo, Scribd, etc.

Conclusion

If you are confused then I advise you to go for exclusivity first to check whether it fits your needs or not. Then after 90 days, you can pull your books out of KU. Simple. You don’t have to be in exclusivity forever!

I had ups and downs with exclusivity. Some days were really good where I made money without much effort (Keywords play a very important role. I hit the right one!) But wide was something that gave me freedom and peace.

If you want to know more about making money writing ebooks, then you can check out my book “My Mistakes in Self-Publishing”. Happy Writing Journey!

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