06-16-2011, 12:20 AM | #1 |
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Can you make an ebook free on Amazon?
I decided to give "Little Boy Blue" out for free, but I don't know how to do that on Amazon. I listed it for $0.99 because that was the least amount possible, but I don't know if I'm going to get in trouble for that because I've got it free at Smashwords and on Goodreads.
Can I do a freebie, or is it okay to leave it $0.99? I mean, I know they have that whole "Seen It Somewhere Cheaper" thing and I hate getting yelled at |
06-16-2011, 02:14 AM | #2 |
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Is it published through KDP? Last I checked, KDP had no way to offer a freebie.
But ask Amazon support directly. Perhaps you can pull it from Amazon until Smashwords starts distributing through them? |
06-16-2011, 02:31 AM | #3 | |
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Though I think I've seen it where some people have different versions of their ebook on Amazon. How come they don't get in trouble? |
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06-16-2011, 01:39 PM | #4 | |
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Amazon watches other retailers, and price matches if your book there falls below its price on Amazon. Some people have attempted to exploit this by listing free elsewhere (through smashwords, distributing) and waiting for Amazon to spot the book free and lower the price to match.
I read at least some people have had their ebook pulled trying that though. I wouldn't exactly call it a foolproof plan. Quote:
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06-16-2011, 01:57 PM | #5 |
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There is no way to make a publication free on Amazon for small folks such as you and me. In rare instances, Amazon lowers the price to $0 on their own but that's temporary and unpredictable.
That's why I distribute free OSNOVA publications outside of Amazon: in my store, here on Mobileread and just uploading it on Google Docs with public access. Last edited by osnova; 06-16-2011 at 02:00 PM. |
06-16-2011, 02:06 PM | #6 |
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The deal with Amazon is that they operate a business and sell your book in exchange for a percentage of the retail price. How would they make a profit from giving away your book free of charge?
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06-16-2011, 03:27 PM | #7 | |
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The platform is still new, but one day Amazon will let indies like ourselves list free. And that won't convert them into a charity. |
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06-16-2011, 05:15 PM | #8 |
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So should I leave it or just pull it off Amazon? Or should I go around making it $0.99 everywhere? I'm such a wuss... I just don't want to get in trouble.
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06-16-2011, 06:16 PM | #9 |
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The same way the writer would — by selling other things they have written. Free books would also be good for Amazon as a whole, it might even sell a few extra Kindles if people know they can fill it up with free stuff to justify the price of the hardware.
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06-16-2011, 06:23 PM | #10 | |
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I hate labels!
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But Amazon is the way to go, and alienating them isn't exactly smart if you want to get anywhere with The People |
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06-16-2011, 06:40 PM | #11 |
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I'd leave it on Amazon at 99c, anything's better than pulling it completely. I'm assuming it costs nothing to list it on Amazon, if nothing else it's keeping your book(s) out there.
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06-17-2011, 07:06 AM | #12 |
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Leave it at 99 cents on Amazon, and list it free else where is the best you can do. I did that with my book, and eventually Amazon noticed and made my book free (but only on USA store, in UK it still costs money)
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06-17-2011, 02:17 PM | #13 |
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Well, I went to the Kindle boards, which were kind of hard to deal with because you ask a question and some people just kind of assume you know what they're talking about because they had a conversation about the same thing 12 months ago...
Anyways, I was thinking that I could put some extras in the Amazon version. Is there a way to replace the copy I've got up with another one or do I have to unpublish then republish? Then I can be like "This is the Super Deluxe Edition" or something. |
06-17-2011, 02:51 PM | #14 | |
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06-17-2011, 06:18 PM | #15 |
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