If you’re a seasoned author already racking up sales and new readers, or just dipping your feet into the vast waters of the desktop publishing industry, the idea of ​​making your books available through Kindle Unlimited (KU) has no meaning. Doubts. crossed your mind.

The real question is, should I or shouldn’t I?

Is there a clear advantage for you, the author, in using this service? Because let’s be honest, your main goals is it so to gain exposure for your work and earn a living doing it.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at how you can effectively market your books by leveraging the Kindle Unlimited platform, along with the pros and cons of using KU versus a broader distribution strategy.

What is Kindle Unlimited?

If you don’t already know, Kindle Unlimited is a subscription-based service offered by Amazon that allows readers (Prime and others) to access their entire inventory of KU books for one low monthly fee.

For less than $ 10 a month, it’s easy to see why Kindle Unlimited has earned a reputation as the “Netflix” of books.

But wait a minute … $ 10 a month for unlimited access to everybody of your books? If you wonder who makes money from this arrangement other Than Amazon, you’d be in good company.

Authors around the world have been scratching their heads and tiptoeing over subscribing to Kindle Unlimited because they are unsure of its long-term benefits or potential drawbacks.

The pros and cons of using KU vs. Use a wider layout

There are several pros and cons that go along with using KU vs. wider distribution options, or by doing the exact opposite.

Pros

  • Improve the reach of your books. – Amazon has a market share of at least fifty percent in the US and UK when it comes to digital book sales. That is VERY significant. Its best-selling Kindle e-readers, tablets and apps, as well as Amazon’s incredible e-commerce platform and its ability to turn browsers into buyers are driving this phenomenon. And it is increasing every year.

The bottom line? The fact that your books appear on Amazon increases the likelihood that many people will find and read them.

  • You get access to Amazon’s e-commerce tools – The Amazon team is masterful at getting consumers to buy, and it’s no different when they market digital books.

Through its KU program, you get access to unique promotional tools like its Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotion, which help grow your readership and launch your new titles to success.

  • You get royalties for every page you read – Unlike traditional book sales where a customer buys your book and you receive a one-time payment, with KU authors receive a small royalty for each page of each book read.

Yes, I probably won’t make millions, but every penny adds up.

Cons

  • Exclusivity of your book title with KU – You read that right. If you decide to promote a book with Kindle Unlimited, you cannot promote that title anywhere else.

Your title is tied to Amazon’s KU for periods of 90 days, after which, you have the option to renew your contract.

  • Potentially low earnings – Unless you’re in the top percentile of book publishers in the Kindle Unlimited program, you shouldn’t expect to get big royalty checks.

The vast majority of self-published authors find that the profit potential per book is much higher on other platforms compared to KU.

There seems to be more to love about the show than to hate it.

But is it wise to put all your eggs in one basket and have exclusive Kindle Unlimited titles from Amazon? Does it even make sense to register if the chances of getting significant royalties are slim?

The answer: Yes and No, depending on your marketing strategy.

How to use KU to sell more books

We already mentioned that Amazon has most of the market for digital books, but one thing you may not know is that your KY customers are not ordinary readers.

The average person who subscribes to a subscription service like Kindle Unlimited is best described in one word: Voracious!

Think about it.

Who else would sign up for a unlimited supply of books each and every month? Someone who can’t get enough of the written word and who has the potential to become a very loyal reader, given a good reason.

Marketers around the world have used the “free offer” angle to attract new users to their products and services for decades. Examples are free samples given away at wholesale clubs, free software trials, and free content given away to get new subscribers to email lists.

It’s so surprising that this strategy works incredibly well for selling e-books too, especially if you’re new to the game and haven’t made a name for yourself among readers.

If you see Kindle Unlimited as a stepping stone to launching your desktop publishing career, it can be a real advantage. The key is not that all your books are available there, but only some of the best of you.

And why your best work?

Because if a reader comes across one of your books, you want them to be so excited, spellbound, and addicted that they have no choice but to go out and buy additional titles if they want more. How is that breath?

Even a single exceptionally written and featured book offered on the KU platform has the ability to go from being completely unknown to being prominent among its target audience, literally overnight.

But what if you’re an established freelance publisher who already has a huge following?

If you’re already well known and enjoying lucrative digital book sales, Kindle Unlimited may not be an essential part of growing your readership (although it can’t hurt).

On the other hand, by not posting at least one title on the platform, you may be missing out on significant marketing potential (don’t worry, you can always use a pseudonym).

Lindsay Buroker, an author who earns full-time income from her work, attributes 85-90% of her income to using the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Kindle Unlimited platforms. In contrast, its other book titles spread across seven alternative platforms collectively contribute the remaining 10-15%.

In his case, the math is undeniable.

But the only way to know how it would work for you is to pick a few titles, sign up for your own Amazon KU account, and see what happens.

The dangers of avoiding wider distribution

No matter how you feel about Amazon, the fact is that it is one of the world’s leading book distributors. While it can be a serious mistake to leave them out of your marketing and distribution plans for self-published titles, total exclusivity could be just as problematic.

While it can be very effective, as with most things, there is a caveat about exclusively using Kindle Unlimited to market your brand.

While Amazon has the majority of readers, it is losing millions of readers to other platforms like Apple’s iBookstore, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and more.

For that reason alone, it is never recommended to use a single distribution and promotion strategy. Instead, focus on using KU to promote some of your best books to get the exposure and new readers that only Amazon can offer and put the rest of your books for sale on any platform and in any format that produces sales and profits. for your work.

While Kindle Unlimited isn’t a good fit for all authors, it’s worth investigating as part of a multi-strategy book marketing plan.

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