Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
Amazon hasn't stopped samples nor free days under KDP.
Those definitely appeal to a different customer base than KU.
KU is really a different creature from everything else, targetting a very specific audience, which is something the anti-amazon axis doesn't get.
Check this mis-read:
http://www.mhpbooks.com/you-dont-get...ted-royalties/
They "conveniently" forget KU titles are also available for sale in the Kindle store.
Or that since Amazon is not licensing your IP, they don't pay royalties; they *charge* a distribution fee or pay a share of a funding pool.
Or that under the old model, people who read 9% and stopped didn't generate payouts so it was possible for people to "read your book" without paying. 
(Do you remember the flaps when Amazon introduced "look inside" and samples?)
They keep pretending Amazon is a publisher when (by and large) it isn't. |
Most subscription models are based on "not being used" as part of their success. Even the buying model is based on habitual buyers--they buy but don't read a lot. It took me a few years of selling books to learn this. You want habitual buyers--you don't need them to read! Now honestly we all want to be read, but an author can't really make it without those who just buy on impulse or out of habit. The subscription model is a way to cater to people who "shop" a lot--whether they read or not is irrelevant. But they do have to feel it is a good value...somehow or they will cancel.
Amazon will package, repackage, and package again--to hit all the "buyers." They don't care at all whether the books are read. But by restructuring the deal the way they just did, it's going to give them a very, very good idea of which books are read all the way through--and if they want to add that book to their publishing arm, they may make an offer.
Best sellers don't mean they are the most read book out there. They are just the most bought book. People buy for a plethora of reasons: To be in the in crowd, because they've heard of the book, because they want to read it, etc.