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WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFIE?
Amazon launched KINDLE UNLIMITED last Friday ...
Where for a fixed fee of $9.99 a month
readers can read as many books as they want from a certain subset of the ebooks sold by Amazon.
It also includes a limited number of audio books from Audible.com.
Here is how the numbers break down:
– 645,790 books in Kindle Unlimited (about 23%)
– 2,157 audio books (about 0.3% of the Kindle Unlimited Books
– 2,773 books in KU are free (even if the reader isn’t subscribed to Kindle Unlimited)
At $9.99 a month, Kindle Unlimited is the most expensive of the three services.
Scribd is $8.99 and Oyster is $9.95.
The Kindle Unlimited platform will feature such blockbuster titles as
The Harry Potter series, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Hunger Games trilogy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, and Flash Boys.
Several of these big titles aren’t available on Scribd or Oyster, which have around 400,000 and 500,000 ebooks to choose from, respectively.
BUT HOW DOES THIS AFFECT US AS AUTHORS?
The fee we will get is about $2 when 10% of our book is read.
If your book is in Kindle Direct Select, it is automatically entered into Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon is allowing you a chance to withdraw your books now.
Amazon is also GIVING A FREE ONE MONTH TRIAL.
Free. I would suggest you see what Kindle Unlimited does for you in the next month before you withdraw any books.
Unless you are a best selling Indie author like Hugh Howey, your book must be EXCLUSIVE WITH AMAZON.
It's REAL LIFE folks:
If your books make lots of money for Amazon, you will be accorded special treatment. Life is what it is.
But protests howled when Kindle Direct Select first came out ...
and then, the Indies discovered that those first who entered, got the best rewards.
I suggest trying Kindle Unlimited as an author. You can always withdraw.
Check out my books. Many of them are in KINDLE UNLIMITED.
And for those of you who do not want to spend $10 a month --
FOR A LIMITED TIME --
THE LEGEND OF VICTOR STANDISH
http://www.amazon.com/LEGEND-VICTOR-STANDISH-Roland-Yeomans-ebook/dp/B005NCUTAG/
and
RITES OF PASSAGE
http://www.amazon.com/RITES-PASSAGE-Roland-Yeomans-ebook/dp/B004XQVPYM/
ARE FREE!
Hmm. I suspect that Amazon expects to do very well out of Kindle Unlimited.
ReplyDeleteGood luck. I hope there are benefits for the authors as well.
I don't think I would have the chance to read as much as I would like for that price.
ReplyDeleteIt's like going to a buffet, and only eating a salad. I like to get my moneys worth, even if I have to adjust my belt.
"The fee we will get is about $2 when 10% of our book is read."
ReplyDeleteI am not so sure this is an accurate statement. Unless you're one of the selected special authors or among traditionally published authors with one of the big houses, you'll get a slice of the pool of money earned by Amazon through the $9.99 fee charged to readers. I don't know what % of that fee Amazon will make available to Indie authors(70%? 40%? or something else and will it remain stable?), after traditional publishers and bestselling self-pubbed authors have been paid. Whatever is left will be split among all of those authors, based on how many of their books have been downloaded and read at least 10% of the way through.
I am sure it will become more apparent by November, after the free month and readers decide upon the service, and self-pubbed authors opt in or out.
In the end, it may be a good thing for avid readers, depending on the titles that are included, and remain included. It may or may not be such a good thing for self-published and small press authors. There are still too many unknown variables to know for sure.
I just read another post about it saying there are no big publisher's books in it though.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I just don't read fast enough to use the service.
I'm not a kindler. Reading books on my computer when I edit them is enough for me. The rest of the time, I want a real book. They're not as hard on my eyes. I wish you well with your books and I hope thousands of people choose them with the new reading package.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Elephant's Child:
ReplyDeleteAmazon wouldn't be doing this unless they expected big profits down the line. Authors? Not so much.
David:
UNLIMITED also includes many audiobooks which usually retail at $15 a PIECE! So listening to ten audiobooks a month would be a savings of $140!
Terry:
Like most Americans, I just know what I read. :-) Hugh Howry who is in the know of such things says that $2 is the average we could expect. Even those who are against Unlimited agree about the $2.
For me it is about the possibility of increased exposure. If half of your backlist is on Unlimited, it whets the appetite for your books not on Unlimited and for your next new book.
The audiobook section of Unlimited is appealing. As for what it does to smaller authors like me, I have no clue only questions!
Alex:
There are no Big 5 publishers in Unlimited but then there are THE HUNGER GAMES, HARRY POTTER, LOTR, THE HOBBIT and some other large titles.
Janie:
I am the best kept secret among authors! If I were not so stubborn, I would have given up long ago. You can read kindle books on your computer -- but if it hurts your eyes I understand. :-(
I often have to cut short my editing sessions because my eyes get so tired from the light. Congratulations on being stubborn. It's a good character trait. It got me a college degree and a good divorce settlement, among other things.
ReplyDeleteJanie:
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the college degree. Hate to hear your marriage turned sour. :-(
My stubborness got me two degrees and more emotional bruises than I want to remember! Cross your fingers for me, all right? :-)