Authors unhappy with Kindle Unlimited

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But how does Amazon know you've read at least 10%? Do they track ALL the pages turned in a book? Do they just track the last paged turned to in a book? Do they track the highest pages turned to in a book?

How they do this matters because if we want the author to get payed, then we need to know how to leave the book once it's exited. Do we just go to the end? Do we have to turn at least 10% of the pages? Do we not leave it sitting anyplace less then 10% in? For all we know, we could end up depriving an author of money without knowing.

Jeez, Jon, if you're losing sleep about it, you'd better ask Amazon.

But wait, I forgot - you don't have a Kindle, do you?

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Because if the authors you like don't get paid, then they may try to get out of KU.

So? If they're not happy with it, they don't have to participate.

I don't care what kinds of deals authors make with publishers or booksellers. Not my problem.

[Atunah]

I guess I give Amazon more credit that they have some way of tracking read, even if one reads the whole book with no wifi on. They can place a little file on the kindle that gets pulled when wifi is turned on at some point for each book. I can't leave on wifi on my ereaders as its eats the battery. I just turn it on when I charge, or when I need to sync purchases.

I give them credit that they figured that out before they started the program. I also give them credit for knowing that the majority of readers just go read the books and don't worry about any of these other things.

I personally don't really care, or think much about how much or if an author gets paid. I do my part, which is buy the book, or do a proper borrow, be it through the library or through KU and Scribd. At that point I am done doing my part. I paid my money. What the other end looks like, does not concern me.
I start worrying about what goes into authors pockets when they start worrying about what comes out of mine.

I am not going to try jumping through hoops, I should't have to as a honest consumer. I let the services figure it out. Its not my responsibility as a customer.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Catlady

So? If they're not happy with it, they don't have to participate.

I don't care what kinds of deals authors make with publishers or booksellers. Not my problem.

I agree. As long as I am reading it on a Kindle device or app, my responsibility has been fulfilled.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I personally don't really care, or think much about how much or if an author gets paid. I do my part, which is buy the book, or do a proper borrow, be it through the library or through KU and Scribd. At that point I am done doing my part. I paid my money. What the other end looks like, does not concern me.

Again, well said. I totally agree. It's a non-issue for me.

[latepaul]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

How on earth is this turning into another "Amazon is screwing authors" scenario for some? Are they forcing participation on KDP uploaders? I've heard at least one indie author (in this thread) say they're not participating, so I don't think that's the case. Was it a surprise "opt-out" situation that KDP author's didn't have time to react to?

The complaint I've seen raised is that Amazon changed their algorithms at about the same time as they launched KU and that it hurts your visibility on the site not to be in KU.

How true this is who knows?

What does seem to be true is that it varies from author to author, genre to genre, book to book as to whether KU is a positive or negative thing.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I think it's this 10% rule that makes the difference. Simplicity states that if a book is borrowed/purchase, the author gets paid. Period. That's how purchasing or borrowing a book works. Amazon have changed the rules. Add to this that some authors are reporting a drop in revenues AND the 10% rule seems to favor Amazon (i.e. because of it, they pay out less), then it is natural to scrutinize this change.

The ten percent rule isn't really the issue. The real issue is that many authors were able to sell and price books at 2.99 and up. With the KU program, they only make 1.35 per sale--instead of 2, 3 or 4 dollars. There are many popular authors who were making more per sale.

Not only does KU somewhat constrain some book buyers to a smaller selection (meaning, it hurts those of us not in KU because many readers will stick with the KU selection, certainly at first) those authors who are borrowed cannot benefit from their popularity--ie they can't raise prices or see additional income.

Keep in mind that when I say "can't raise prices" most of us are still pricing below 5 dollars. We aren't gouging or greedily attempting to make millions. It's that many of these authors had an income of X--and suddenly with KU, they no longer have that income. Like anyone else, we need a fairly steady income just to meet bills.

FWIW, I have seen my sales at Amazon plummet -- but my sales at Kobo and Smashwords are the same to slightly better over the past year. BUT again, I don't know if that is a visibility problem at Amazon where they just aren't giving visibility to indies, to me in particular or if it has to do with KU.

One thing that DID change for me over the last year for certain: When you do a search on my name, WITHOUT my middle initial, which is how most people search, my author page/link no longer comes up on Amazon--someone else's page shows up. My books show up, but not my author link. Maria Schneider the jazz artist also gets much more prominent displaying than she used to (she's quite famous). She always showed up in the search, but now she is the ONLY Maria Schneider to show up UNLESS a person specifies books.

A year ago, a simple search yielded at least one of my books, the jazz stuff and a few other authors. Now it's rearranged and not to my benefit. This is what I mean when I say I am not sure KU can be blamed for all the loss of income. I have read that Amazon is much more interested in paid placement than in the past and the searches have definitely changed.

I regard it all as business decisions. They are never static. They will try new things and different searches. That's just the way it is.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Catlady

So? If they're not happy with it, they don't have to participate.

I don't care what kinds of deals authors make with publishers or booksellers. Not my problem.

It's a problem for a lot of people because their series gets cancelled. I see complaints about this all the time on reader forums. Why isn't so and so putting out another book in the such and such series? Just last week the cozy group ladies were complaining about all the cozy authors who were switching from their old series to writing paranormal cozies. At least 5 said they were "done" with trying that genre. Well, that genre was selling. Their other series were either cancelled or put on hold. That is a sales problem. Once a series is cancelled, it isn't likely to come back.

A lucky few authors may be able to write another book in the old series and self-publish, but most will move on to what the publisher requires/wants.

This is as it ever was. When someone isn't making money (or enough money), production stops--whether that is the author or the publisher, it impacts the consumer who liked that product!

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

It's a problem for a lot of people because their series gets cancelled. I see complaints about this all the time on reader forums. Why isn't so and so putting out another book in the such and such series? Just last week the cozy group ladies were complaining about all the cozy authors who were switching from their old series to writing paranormal cozies. At least 5 said they were "done" with trying that genre. Well, that genre was selling. Their other series were either cancelled or put on hold. That is a sales problem. Once a series is cancelled, it isn't likely to come back.

A lucky few authors may be able to write another book in the old series and self-publish, but most will move on to what the publisher requires/wants.

This is as it ever was. When someone isn't making money (or enough money), production stops--whether that is the author or the publisher, it impacts the consumer who liked that product!

Way back when I was in my early teens and first started buying books with my lunch money (which started me on my life long tendency to eat one big meal a day ) I didn't understand the author/publisher dynamic and was very unforgiving towards authors who didn't resolve a series. I still won't buy a solo Roland Green book because of where he left things in his Wandor Series. I suppose that one day, I ought to forgive him. . [I still say that authors shouldn't drag a series out like that. ]

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

...

I regard it all as business decisions. They are never static. They will try new things and different searches. That's just the way it is.

It kind of goes back to what several of us have been saying over the last couple of years. Amazon has their own business interests. Those interest may or may not align with the interests of the authors or readers. Amazon is no different than the publishers in this regard.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

It kind of goes back to what several of us have been saying over the last couple of years. Amazon has their own business interests. Those interest may or may not align with the interests of the authors or readers. Amazon is no different than the publishers in this regard.

This is very true. Their interests may not always align with READERS either. Yes, they need readers to keep buying, but they also need readers to buy at higher prices...so some of what Amazon does is not necessarily a positive for the end consumer. Readers forget that (just like authors forget). I see too many readers think Amazon is on their side and trying for lower prices to help them. The reality is that Amazon wants PUBLISHERS to lower the prices and give Amazon a bigger cut or allow Amazon flexibility. But that flexibility is not to help readers--it's to drive traffic, drive sales, drive HABITS that result in the reader/consumer purchasing more.

One of the reasons Amazon may be moving back to "placement" and ads is because they have milked the other methods of driving traffic and making money. So now they may be trying placements or more of it. This isn't necessarily helpful to readers either, and may in fact, drive them to more expensive products.

It's all just various business models. Sometimes an author or reader is on the right side of that. But a lot of times, we are not!

[DiapDealer]

I keep seeing mention of how Amazon isn't doing things FOR consumers. How their lower book prices are not FOR readers. How they're doing it FOR themselves. To which I say (as a consumer/reader); "I care not a fig for their motives." If, and when, the pursuit of their business objectives starts making it harder, less convenient, and more expensive for me to find, obtain/read, and purchase books I enjoy; THAT is when they will incur my wrath. Until such time, I'm perfectly fine with their selfish business plan incidentally benefitting me.

As far as I'm concerned, no etailer or publisher is going to "help" readers for altruistic reasons, so why should I as a reader even consider the motives of those who "help" me for their own benefit? I'm not paying for books out of altruism, after all. I'm not trying to "help" authors, publishers, editors, illustrators, researchers, or retailers. I buy and read books for very selfish, personal reasons. Why should those selling them be any different? If an industry can support itself on the very selfish motivations of suppliers and demanders, then... hooray! We have a market.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I keep seeing mention of how Amazon isn't doing things FOR consumers. How their lower book prices are not FOR readers. How they're doing it FOR themselves. To which I say (as a consumer/reader); "I care not a fig for their motives." If, and when, the pursuit of their business objectives starts making it harder, less convenient, and more expensive for me to find, obtain/read, and purchase books I enjoy; THAT is when they will incur my wrath. Until such time, I'm perfectly fine with their selfish business plan incidentally benefitting me.

I completely agree--and I felt that way as an author as well. I only point it out because there is some evidence that Amazon is pushing indies to raise prices (by rewarding higher prices that sell with more visibility than say, 99 cent sales). These and other changes may indicate, that just like author benefits, those lower prices won't last forever. I have seen higher prices on books that I watch and those prices are sticking. I'm seeing less sale items on certain books too.

It's the same with Kobo--for a long time they had MULTIPLE coupons out there to draw in consumers. Some were as high as 90 percent. Those benefited consumers...but they did not last forever. Their trivia contest coupons are also gradually becoming less "rewarding."

It's a business cycle. It changes constantly.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I didn't understand the author/publisher dynamic and was very unforgiving towards authors who didn't resolve a series. I still won't buy a solo Roland Green book because of where he left things in his Wandor Series. I suppose that one day, I ought to forgive him. . [I still say that authors shouldn't drag a series out like that. ]

It's really hard to decide how to do a series arc. The publishers don't care how many books are in it at first--but then once it does well, they want you to write it FOREVER. Some readers want a series resolved in 3 books; some want to read the series forever. Not all authors are good at planning out a series either. Some wander around and come by it honestly. Other authors set out to stretch a series to keep it going. Others try not to wander, but in the end, it still gets boring for some readers! Those same readers continue to demand books in the series though. They just want them written THE WAY THEY ENVISION the series...I see this all the time on my cozy group:

"The author needs to ditch so-and-so."
"The author really should just stick with mysteries in the one location. I love her characters, but when she travels I don't get to see them all."
"The author should..."


Shrug. And I can promise you there is no way we can keep everyone happy--including, sometimes, ourselves.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

As far as I'm concerned, no etailer or publisher is going to "help" readers for altruistic reasons, so why should I as a reader even consider the motives of those who "help" me for their own benefit? I'm not paying for books out of altruism, after all. I'm not trying to "help" authors, publishers, editors, illustrators, researchers, or retailers. I buy and read books for very selfish, personal reasons. Why should those selling them be any different? If an industry can support itself on the very selfish motivations of suppliers and demanders, then... hooray! We have a market.

This.