Kindle Select

ralphkern

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Today my grand experiment has started... using Kindle select in relation to my SP novel.

It is something that is explained IMO very badly to authors about the possible advantages to them but after a bit of research I can now see the potential benefits.

Simplest way of viewing it is that Amazon will demand exclusivity from you in return you go onto their lending library. Users pay a subscription to use that library and then that total subscription pot is divided up on a per unit basis (as long as they read at least 10% of the book) to the authors who publish on it. (Oh, and Amazon have taken their cut)

I'm sure people will have a view on the exclusivity clause, and I respect that but I will be very interested to see what the results are from it as it should open up a whole new customer base who never buy books outright, but only borrow them. (Much like me as a teenager at the local library!)
 
Yes the end result of the exclusivity deal is that anyone with any reader other than a Kindle cannot read your book unless they break the law by stripping the DRM and converting it. This is so obviously Amazon's intent in order to monopolise the market. I'm not blaming you but I would not sign such a deal on principle.
 
I get that... But then 95% plus of my sales come from Amazon anyway.

Principle is principle. Your ethical stand is to be admired. As far as I'm concerned I've given the reader the chance to source from alternatives to Amazon for three months and they, by and large, simply haven't to any great extent.
 
Well that's why I said I can't blame you. Amazon are really only a whisker away from achieving that monopoly in ebooks though somewhat further in printed.
 
How much are you likely to receive per "loan"? Any idea? And how easy is it to withdraw from Select?
 
It depends. They put a pool of money aside and this month I think it's around the $3 million mark. The research suggests $1 to $2 is the average.

You enroll for a three month period. Also they provide a selection of further marketing tools such as being able to list the book for free for up to 5 days which is little use to me now but something I will consider when the second book comes out to jump start sales.
 
So far on the first day Kindle select has accounted for 14% of sales.

Two factors to bear in mind though.

1. My bought sales seem to run from around 8 am to 8 am, which makes sense due to the market being mostly in the US. Kindle select seems to run on GMT and the figures reset at midnight.

2. It is impossible to tell how many of those borrows would have sold if that was the only option available to them. I would suggest not many though. I think people would be either borrowers or buyers.
 
Interesting. As I have an aversion to lock-in deals, I go through Smashwords as well as Amazon. Most of my sales have come through iTunes and Smashwords itself, rather than Amazon.
 
That is interesting. I had some success on iTunes but trivial in comparison to Amazon. I've already had more in a day on select than I've had in a month on iTunes, B&N, kobo combined. Although I never used smashwords.

It's not a lock-in. You can pull at any time and go back to non exclusivity.
 
Well... at the end of every ninety day period.
 
I thought you could opt out when you wanted but the exclusivity remained in effect till the 90 days was up?
 
Certainly doesn't seem the case according to the FAQs. I'll have another read through the T&Cs but seems quite clear.
 
34% of total sales were select yesterday.

Sales do seem a little down in comparison to usual but overall units moved seem a little higher.

Ill take that as overall selling rank is lowering (getting better) and view the loss of revenue as a price to move me up the sales rankings, and therefore closer to page one of search results.
 
On other forums I've seen writers say that the first promotion on Kindle Select gives a big sales boost, the second not so much, and after that it doesn't seem to be worth it. I haven't seen anyone comment on the long-term advantages/disadvantages of the lending library, and of course it's too soon to say about Kindle Unlimited.
 
One of the reasons I wanted to try myself and post on here is that there is a hell of a lot of hearsay and not a lot of facts.

My immediate impressions are that it's a jolt for selling rank with a corresponding increase in visibility. The key issues are - will that transform into sales and just what will the royalty pot look like.
 
It will be dependent on just how many sales there are across the select library. At the moment there is $3 million in the pot for sept.
 
46% of units yesterday. I suspect a higher weighting is going to kindle select due to it being newer on there combined with a relatively high sales rank as a starting position
 

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