It's a whole new year ahead and time for me to really think through one of THE big dilemmas faced by self-published authors: Ebooks - which of the many platforms (and formats) to use?
Many readers now prefer to buy and read books in digital format.
"It's much better than having another book catching dust on the book shelf," they say, or "Let's save the trees! " or "Ebook reader' are so portable and ... if you're reading in public, no one knows what you're reading" I never thought of that!
Like most authors, I want as many people to read my book as possible - wherever in the world they live, and in whichever format suits them best. And there in lies my dilemma.
Let me explain.
The Dilemma in a Nutshell
I've produced an ebook of Walking on Ice and it's available on almost all ebook sites including ibooks, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Kobo etc. This means readers can use a variety of devices to read the book and can buy it where they like, and in the format they prefer.
Many successful writers believe that Amazon's KDP Select is the best platform because this gives them the ability to offer books free or at a discount for periods of time. This is supposed to boost sales.
"It's what we all do!" my writing friends tell me.
There's a drawback though. By signing up to KDP select you must agree NOT to have your ebook available on any other site. So your book is therefore only available through Amazon.
I wonder about all the readers who don't want to buy through Amazon or want to buy their books in a format not available through Amazon.
Many successful writers believe that Amazon's KDP Select is the best platform because this gives them the ability to offer books free or at a discount for periods of time. This is supposed to boost sales.
"It's what we all do!" my writing friends tell me.
There's a drawback though. By signing up to KDP select you must agree NOT to have your ebook available on any other site. So your book is therefore only available through Amazon.
I wonder about all the readers who don't want to buy through Amazon or want to buy their books in a format not available through Amazon.
So Here's What I've Decided ...
I've decided to forget about KDP Select for the moment and make my ebooks available (in Mobi and ePub format) from my own website while keeping them available on all the other eBook platforms too, that won't change.
It's something of an experiment and I may have to reconsider in the future but I want to see if I can work outside the constraints imposed by KDP Select and still manage to sell well.
I'm hoping that happy readers will come back to my site after they've read the book and leave a review which will in turn encourage other readers.
What do you feel about this? Whether you are a writer or a reader I'd be very interested in hearing your comments.
It's something of an experiment and I may have to reconsider in the future but I want to see if I can work outside the constraints imposed by KDP Select and still manage to sell well.
I'm hoping that happy readers will come back to my site after they've read the book and leave a review which will in turn encourage other readers.
What do you feel about this? Whether you are a writer or a reader I'd be very interested in hearing your comments.
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