The World is Wide: Leaving Kindle Unlimited

Why I'm pulling my books from Amazon's subscription program - and why that's a good thing.

Do you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited (KU)? If so, today’s the last day you can get Peril on the Peninsula and Revenge in the Rockies through Amazon’s subscription service.

I’ve decided to pull my books from KDP Select, which is the program that enables authors to place their books in KU. As a member, it’s a great program for readers. As an author–at least, for this one–not so much.

To be in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon requires exclusivity. That means authors can’t publish their e-books anywhere else. I can’t have them on my website. I can’t do giveaways. Since I can’t share more than 10% of the story, I can’t even post excerpts.

I knew this going into it, but because my novels are cozy mysteries and I was a new novelist, I decided this would be the best way to go.

There are benefits to enrolling books with KDP Select. Authors can do one five-day countdown deal or five days of free promotions per 90-day period. During my last free promotion, I had over 3,000 “purchases.” 

When people read books in Kindle Unlimited, the author is paid per page read. Even if the reader doesn’t finish the book, the author makes money.

How much money? At the last accounting: $0.003989 per page.

A third of a penny per page. That means if someone reads every page of one of my novels, I make less than a dollar.

You’d need a LOT of page reads to make money at this game.

That’s one reason I decided to pull my books. Even though I’ve written three novels, I’m still a relative newbie. I haven’t done a ton of marketing; I’ve primarily focused on my existing audience, who knows me for nonfiction travel writing.

But as I dig into writing my fourth novel and know this is a lifelong avocation and vocation, I don’t want to be limited by Unlimited.

The thing I value most, and always have, is my audience. My readers. I value the connections we have. So many people who’ve signed up to my list have become friends. And I can’t have that if I put all my fiction eggs in Amazon’s basket.

I want to do giveaways whenever I want. I want people who don’t like Amazon or don’t want to pay for yet another subscription to be able to read my books. I want to be able to control my own intellectual property. I put a lot of heart and soul and effort into my writing, and it’s antithetical to my entrepreneurial spirit to say, “Here. Tell me what I can–and can’t–do with my own work.”

My desire, my need to direct my author career is why I’m an independent publisher. I’m a creative. A creator. I’m always coming up with new ideas. Even the knowledge that I’m not allowed to do what I want with something I’ve created is restrictive. It’s anathema. I’ve bristled at it from the start, but I mistakenly thought that’s what I needed to do.

Now I’m more confident. I’ve got enough reviews to let me know I’m pretty good at this stuff. I’ve learned more about the publishing and bookselling industry, and I’m figuring out where I want to fit in.

Joanna Penn, who’s one of my absolute favorite podcasters for writing, publishing, and being a creative entrepreneur, said something that resonated in my core:

We are independent authors. We can do what we want.

I’ve always been fiercely independent. Just ask my mom. Ask my husband. I don’t do well when someone tries to tell me what to do.

But this decision is about more than my desires to own my work. It’s about my readers. It’s about reaching more readers, and that’s hard to do if I’m restricted to one ecosystem.

I choose freedom. I choose, as we call it in the biz, to go wide.

I know I sound pretty doom-and-gloom and irritated, but the truth is, I’m thrilled! I’m joyful! I’m excited! I’m glad I chose to participate in KU because it enabled me to reach thousands of readers. 

The only downside is that I have to wait until November to pull Betrayed at the Beach. But the upside is that I can give it away for free for five days, and I’ll be doing just that from September 27-October 1. Also starting tomorrow, Peril on the Peninsula will be available directly from me, for free. 

HOW COOL IS THAT?!

Being an author is, to use a well-worn cliche, a marathon. I’m in it for the long haul. I heard Becca Syme, another podcaster I respect and enjoy, say she wants to be in the middle of writing a story when she dies.

Me, too.

This is my passion. My drive. It brings me joy.

I hope I bring you joy, too, and now I can do so any way I choose.

Happy Reading!

Theresa

p.s. The timing is entirely coincidental, but the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a suit against Amazon today because of its monopolistic practices. FTC Chair Lina Khan said, “Amazon is now exploiting that monopoly power to harm its customers, both the tens of millions of families that shop on Amazon's platform and the hundreds of thousands of sellers that use Amazon to reach them.”

As one of those sellers who’s been restricted by Amazon’s practices, I’ll be following this case closely.