KDP Select

[J. Strnad]

My husband's book is DRM-free at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can sell your ePub DRM-free at Barnes & Noble if you upload the book directly to them using PubIt. They give you that choice when you publish there, same as Amazon's KDP.

Thanks for the correction.

So far I've had more "borrows" from KDP Select in one week than I've had sales at B&N in 11 months. B&N seems to do much better in the romance and erotica genres than in supernatural suspense or, apparently, golf fiction.

The catch will be discovering how much we end up getting per book borrowed.

[banjobama]

I'll just say that I don't envy people trying to make a living at writing. I don't lose any respect for authors that try KDP select. Make money however you can. Of course authors love to write but they need to look out for #1 too. I knew before I bought a Sony reader that the Kindle has the advantage of being backed by Amazon and their huge ebookstore and I have no problem dealing with that. While I don't want to own a Kindle and become heavily reliant on Amazon I still buy ebooks from them occasionally and will continue to do so. No point boycotting excellent writers, especially ones who participate here on MobileRead and obviously care what their readers think. That's just how I feel about it. Rant over.

[plumboz]

Originally Posted by banjobama

Rant over.

Not a rant at all. The whole publishing industry is a bit of a bewildering place and likely always will be for one reason or another. As a writer I truly appreciate every reader who comes my way, who takes the time to check out what I have to offer. And I'm not about to do anything that can get in the way of making that connection.

Lord knows I appreciate being able to distribute through Amazon. I sell more books (both ebook and paperback) through them than all other venues combined. I've been offering my paperback autographed, for four dollars less than Amazon and with free shipping and the sales on Amazon are still better than the ones I get direct. Just shows the power they wield, the amount of exposure they can offer even a little guy like me.

So I understand how many writers can be persuaded to opt into the Select program. But I do think they are taking one heck of a risk. That one reader who finds you on B&N or Sony or Apple or Kobo or wherever just might be that one vocal champion who tells the world what a discovery he or she has just made, who gets the word of mouth campaign up and running. Why would you not want a chance to reach that reader?

[theolightfoot]

I plan to go Select when I publish my novel in 2012. I have 2 illustrated kid's books now, so I need to keep them on iPad and Nook color. Amazon is just getting into the color game. Exposure is #1 priority and should be for all authors, so if Select gets you there, do it.

[J. Strnad]

That one reader who finds you on B&N or Sony or Apple or Kobo or wherever just might be that one vocal champion who tells the world what a discovery he or she has just made, who gets the word of mouth campaign up and running. Why would you not want a chance to reach that reader?

But what if reaching that one reader means losing three others, any one of whom may be that "vocal champion"?

I know that some people take it personally when you stop supporting their chosen format. I understand that. But rather than spending all of their ire on the author, they might save some for the retailers whose poor marketing has allowed Amazon to achieve this level of prominence.

The other retailers offer a second- or third-rate shopping experience, poor marketing, and me-too devices, while Amazon was busy for years creating the ereader market and honing their online shopping experience and marketing. They established the Kindle as the brand name to beat, almost synonymous with "ereader," as Kleenex is to facial tissue. The other retailers also squandered their only advantage...an open standard...with their own, incompatible DRM schemes.

There's plenty of blame to go around.

[morriss003]

It's not that there is anything particularly wrong with what Amazon is doing. It's just that this company is making me feel uneasy in the same way I felt uneasy when Microsoft began distributing Internet Explorer. I wonder what Amazon will do next? I made a point to purchase online at Walmart this Christmas instead of Amazon, my usual online store. I understand the irony in doing that, but I'm starting to feel like a lemming headed toward a cliff. Whoaaa!