I have only one title able to enrol in Kindle Select, as with my own books I thought it best to go wide since Aussies love their iOS devices (iBooks), however, most new authors who have no platform to sell from yet are inclined to go for the narrower Kindle Select distribution option. Let’s look into why.
About Kindle Select (from Amazon KDP)
When you choose to enrol your book in KDP Select, you’re committing to make the digital format of that book available exclusively through KDP. During the period of exclusivity (90 days), you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, iBooks, Google Play, etc.
It is important that you heed the notices and act if you want to OPT OUT of the program after 90 days. If you don’t want to renew, simply go to the book’s “Edit book details” page and uncheck the box next to “Automatically renew this book’s enrolment in KDP Select for another 90 days”. You do this before the end of the term.
What is KDP? It is Kindle Direct Publishing, where authors list ebooks or print books to sell at Amazon. Found at KDP.com.
Why Enrol in KDP Select?
- Earn higher royalties
Earn your share of the KDP Select Global Fund amount when readers choose and read more than 10% of your book from Kindle Unlimited, or borrow your book from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Plus, earn 70% royalty for sales to customers in Japan, India, Brazil and Mexico.
Australians can price their book between $2.99 – $9.99 to achieve 70% royalty, or 0.99 – $2.98 for 35% royalty.
- Maximise your book’s sales potential if enrolled
Choose between two promotional tools: Kindle Countdown Deals, time-bound promotional discounting for your book while earning royalties; or Free Book Promotion where readers worldwide can get your book free for a limited time.
You can now access Daily Deals via the ‘Marketing’ tab once logged into KDP. You can nominate to make a print book available to Prime customers too.
What should I do before enrolling?
Gather all the information of your book (author bio, sales blurb, subtitle, keywords) and research book categories. A lesser-used category may result in a higher ranking with fewer competitors. Choose a relevant niche. It also helps to use a keyword research tool, not only for finding out how many search for certain words – but also for setting up for all launch aspects like Blurb writing, Advertising, Category hunting, Keyword hunting, etc.
Try our partners: Publisher Rocket – How to Find Keywords (article) and buy the paid tool (lifetime access) if desired.
Selling Print Books via Amazon.com.au
Selling via Amazon for print books has one overlooked benefit: the number of days to print and ship your book via Amazon changes. Didn’t realise this years ago, as I went full into IngramSpark print on demand.
On occasion, luck plays your way and I have now seen Creative Ways with Money (via Ingram still) with Instant Prime shipping… woohoo! Although, my retail price for this is $23.50, so Amazon’s price-matching algorithm has been under-par here.
Incidentally, when I launched this book, Book Depository had a minor sale on it, meaning I got some good sales there since I already had a link to it from my book sales page. However, retailers don’t tell you they are discounting your book (or making it higher, either), so you must go to all the main ones to check your print book prices. For ebooks, they are sold at the price you set.
With Draft2Digital, the eBook aggregator, you can also set promotional prices from their author dashboard.
Tip! With every eBook distribution platform, there is a way to offer a ‘preview’ widget for your website use, so no need to buy one.
ISBNs with Kindle?
I advise to use ISBNs from your home country with your usual books, but at Kindle it seems like a waste–they don’t show your ISBN at all. So, if loading directly at KDP, I elect to use theirs (it’s really an ASIN, like a product number).
For Australians with both print and ebook version, it is best to buy your own ISBNs at MyIdentifiers (Thorpe-Bowker).
If you think this is needlessly time-consuming, try buying them via a self-publishing support company, where they will do all your ebook conversion, administration (US tax forms) and uploading. I only preference these companies:
- Publicious – based on Gold Coast – if both print and ebook
- Indie Mosh Publishing – national (now takes 15% of net eBook receipts) – print & eBook
- Australian eBook Publisher – based in Brisbane (takes 15% of net eBook receipts but widest eBook aggregation service)
If you do choose one of these competing sites, please don’t forget my editing and publishing support services. Book in below with the discount code “CONVERT” to get half price for the first hour only.
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