P.J. Sharon writes:
I’ve come to the end of my ninety days of exclusivity with Amazon’s KDP Select program. That means that I’m now able to upload and distribute SAVAGE CINDERELLA on other sales channels, such as B&N, Smashwords, and coming soon, Kobo. I thought I would give you my final analysis on my experience.
PROS:
1) All sales on one distribution channel. Easier accounting and focused marketing plan.
2) Cross promotion opportunities with other KDP Select participants.
3) Five days to offer the book FREE in an effort to gain exposure and readership.
4) Participation in the Prime Lending program (approximately $2 per borrow).
CONS:
1) Narrows your readership to Kindle owners, and may alienate Nook or I-pad owners.
2) Contributes to Amazon’s attempt to monopolize the e-reader market.
3) Unable to post excerpts for advertising purposes.
All in all, I’m very pleased with the outcome of my KDP Select experience. I’m not sure if I will do it again, only because I think it’s generally bad for the publishing industry for any one entity to have exclusive rights to our work, but I can’t deny the short term benefits are very enticing.Read the rest here: The End of Select
Although it seems P.J. won't be re-enrolling in Amazon's KDP Select anytime soon, I'd say her experience makes the program seem attractive.
The problem is it's devilishly hard to decide if a book would have done better if it hadn't been placed in the KDP Select program. From what I've seen, when authors report their sales, generally over 60% come through Amazon.
Are Amazon's promotional efforts worth losing up to 40 percent of your sales? I don't know. I'm very interested to read what authors say about their sales (thanks P.J.!) after the changes Amazon made to its all-important ranking algorithm.
Stay tuned and keep writing!
Hi Karen, thanks for reposting my blog about my Select experience. i wouldn't have been so eager to jump on board if 98% of my sales weren't through Amazon. I know this isn't the case for all authors. Some sell very well through other channels, but I haven't figured out how to tap into that for some reason. Until B&N and Smashwords sales start competing with sales at Amazon, I think authors have little to lose by doing the three month stint with KDP. It was a worthwhile experiment for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment PJ, I appreciate you sharing your KDP Select experiences. Since Amazon changed its algorithm in April/May it feels like we're all scrambling for information.
DeleteIt's interesting, just today I was chatting with another Select author who said the same thing, that over 99% of his sales have been through Amazon, and he is listed over at Barnes & Noble. I took a look at his Amazon rankings and his books are selling like hotcakes, so I doubt he needs anyone else.
Again, thanks for your comment, I loved your blog article. Best of luck!