In my video of the untold truth of the Kindle best seller,
I seemingly painted the KDP Select program
as a go-to resource for scam artists
and self-publishing hacks.
That's why I want to share the Amazon KDP Select
pros and cons in today's video, stay tuned.
(soft instrumental music)
Welcome to self-publishing with Dale,
and if you want practical strategies and solutions
for do it yourself publishing mastery,
then subscribe and the bell icon next to it
to get notifications on all my latest videos.
What is KDP Select?
KDP Select is a program offered
by Kindle Direct Publishing where a book enrolled
in the program is offered through the Kindle Unlimited
and Kindle Owners' Lending Library subscription programs.
The catch, eBooks enrolled in KDP Select are exclusive
to Amazon, meaning these publications can not appear
on other similar platforms
like iBooks, Nook, Kobo, among others.
However, the KDP Select books' content
has no restrictions on print or audio book.
Find out more about it in my previous video
on Kindle publishing distribution rights.
(spring snaps)
Why exactly would you want
to enroll your book in KDP Select?
Well, the payouts and the ranking.
The earnings can be quite lucrative,
and if you are in the fiction business,
KDP Select might be tailor-made for you.
KDP Select enrolled books earn higher royalties.
According to Amazon, you earn your share
of the KDP Select Global Fund
when customers read your books from Kindle Unlimited
and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.
Plus, earn 70% royalty for sales to customers
in Japan, India, Brazil, and Mexico.
That's right, you're already at a disadvantage
not being enrolled in KDP Select.
You lose out on the larger royalty percentage
in overseas Amazon sites.
The other big money offer comes by way
of the KDP Select Global Fund, a pool
of international membership dues
collected from the Kindle Unlimited
and Kindle Owners' Lending Library subscribers.
At the end of every month, Amazon figures out
how to divi the global fund based on total number
of pages read, and in what region it was read in.
It should be noted that not all page reads
throughout the world are created equal.
And that's not all.
If you enroll in KDP Select, Amazon allows you one
of two options to choose from in promotion.
One is Kindle Countdown Deals,
a timebound promotional discount for your book
while it still earns full royalties.
The other is the free book promotion
where readers can get your book for free for a limited time.
I'll cover both promotional tools in a later video,
but for now you should know
that both options are an incredible opportunity
to get your book into more hands.
And that's still not all.
Amazon currently offers a rewards program
called the KDP Select All-Stars Bonus.
Any top performing books in the KDP Select program
will be awarded large payouts and a special badge.
The bonuses range from about $250 to $25,000,
and the bonuses is significantly dropped
in regions outside the U.S.
Let's get to the pros and cons of the KDP Select program.
The pros of the LDP Select program include:
potentially larger payouts for your book,
more exposure on the Amazon site,
greater promotional opportunities,
and the ability to rank a book without getting any sales.
The cons of KDP Select include:
meager earnings based on pages flipped,
no ability to publish off Amazon for 90 days,
should your book to poorly in the KDP Select program,
and the ability to rank without getting any sales?
You may have noticed, I noticed the ability
to rank without getting any sales as both a pro and a con.
Hear more about this lunacy in my video,
The Untold Truth of the Kindle Best Seller.
(spring snaps)
My final verdict on the KDP Select program
is that it's good for the fiction writer,
and a choice few nonfiction writers.
I've found far greater success
by spreading my content out onto multiple platforms,
such as the ones I discussed
in my Kindle publishing alternative videos.
(spring snaps)
What do you think?
I'd love to hear if you use
the KDP Select program, if not, why?
Don't be afraid to share your open criticism
or praise for KDP Select enrollment in the comments below.
Remember, if you liked this video then click the thumbs up.
Until later, this has been self-publishing
with Dale, and I'll see you guys soon.