TGIF, WG2E-Land!
As many of you know, I’ve decided not to go Amazon’s KDP Select route (where you go Exclusive with them for a three-month period). And yes, overall my sales on Amazon are down when compared to the pre-Select period.
That said, my sales across all the other platforms I’m on (because I didn’t go Exclusive) are skyrocketing! Which means, cheers all-around to Nook, Kobo, Sony, iTunes, Smashwords and more! I’ve even hit Baker & Taylor’s Blio for the first time via Smashwords, which I believe is one of their library feeders.
The Real Numbers: Amazon now makes up only 40% of my monthly sales. A little over 60% of my sales come from all the other channels combined, with Nook alone beating Amazon almost every month.
Even though Nook is huge for me, I also chose not to use their KDP Select equivalent – Nook First, a one-month exclusive gig.
Here’s my reasoning…
Besides the advantage of staying on all platforms to continue to build readerships from every retailer readers use, I also don’t have to worry about telling a reader “oops…sorry…you can’t read that one on your Nook or Sony or Kobo for another three months” or “on your Kindle for a month (if using Nook First).”
In addition, just yesterday, while catching up on reading a few blogs, I realized another very important downside to Exclusivity.
When you’re Exclusive to a platform, potential readers have to find/discover you not just once, but at least twice!
Here’s what I mean by that…
Yesterday I read a fabulous blog series (three blogs) on an author I’d love to try. BUT…he’s exclusive on Nook till November 1st. Mind you, by the time I read about him and his book, I’ve only got about three weeks to wait. BUT…there are too many other books that I can one-click-buy now, and I’ll basically forget about this one.
I no longer keep a To Be Read List because with Ebooks there’s just sooo much to choose from that I don’t worry anymore about running out of books to read. And even if I did, I’m not going to take the time to record when a book is going to be available for my Kindle.
That author lost me as a reader…UNLESS…he gets my attention at least a second time, after his book is on Kindle.
It’s hard enough to get readers to find/discover you once…let alone twice or more!!! 
When making these kinds of decisions, I always try to think like a reader. If they win, you’ve got a higher shot at winning too!
Maybe I am losing potential money (because of the huge sales you can get during these exclusive periods), but I’m not losing readers across all other platforms. My goal is to get as many readers as I can across as many platforms as I can.
It’s Your Turn, WG2E-Land: What are your thoughts on this? What do you do, as a reader, when a book you want by an author you’ve been wanting to try isn’t available for your chosen Ereading Platform? Do you keep track of that product and when it will be available or do you move on to another book and author, only to go back to the former if you find/discover them again? Do you think this is a big deal when it comes to Discoverability?
The Best of Discoverability Wishes — D. D. Scott
D. D. Scott is an Amazon and Barnes and Noble Top 100 Bestselling Romantic Comedy and Humorous Mystery Author. She’s also a Writer’s Go-To-Gal for Muse Therapy and Indie Epublishing, the Co-Founder of The WG2E – The Writer’s Guide to E-Publishing, and the Founder of The RG2E – The Reader’s Guide to E-publishing. You can get all the scoop on her, her books, her Online Classes and Live Workshops, plus juicy tidbits too from her new cyber home…D. D. Scott-ville.
The idea of exclusivity has always bothered me; as a reader with a Sony Reader, these are never available for me, and as a writer I don’t like the idea of telling readers they have to wait to read my book. That said, The Nook’s one-month period isn’t nearly as bad as Kindle’s 90 days, but my sales are still trickling in on Nook and are often below $100 a month, so why bother? For me, it’s best to tell readers my book is available for all devices.
At the heart of it for me too, Bettye, is not having to tell a reader that they have to wait (x amount of time) before they can read me on the device of their choosing. Once I’ve got their attention, I don’t want to have to get it again.
All at once, my sales are soaring on Sony, and I’m thrilled about that!
I’m glad that from the beginning I’ve been available on every platform.
Good thinking and reasoning D.D.!
Thanks sooo much, Jeanne!
Every decision I make as a writer/business owner comes down to what is best for my readers/customers. If my readers are happy, they’ll keep on comin’ back for more.
Hi DD,
Thanks for this interesting post. Can you help clarify something for me? If I post by Ebook on Smashwords, it automaticaly posts to B&N and a few other on-line sites (supposedly). Do the sales on those ‘feeder’ sites show up on the Smashwords sales report or do I have to go directly to B&N to find out if I’ve had any sales on B&N, etc.?
Sure thing, Sheri…
First, it does not automatically go to all channels via Smashwords. You use their Distribution Manager section to choose which channels you want them to send to. For example, right now, I only have them send to Sony, iTunes, Diesel, and all of the Baker & Taylor entities because I have no other way to get in those stores. I get to Nook and Kobo and Kindle by uploading directly on their own platforms.
And yes, the sales from the channels that Smashwords does distribute to for you will show up on your Smashwords Sales Reports. They will not show up on the channels themselves. I think I did a post on how to use the Smashwords reports…let me see if I can find it (look in the comments from the post below too):
http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/theres-money-to-be-made-indie-epublishing-on-smashwords
Does this help a bit?
Hi again DD.
Thanks for clarifying the Smashwords/reports stuff for me. And for the link sharing your Smashword sales data, I really appreciate seeing that kind of info. I ‘m just at the ‘going live’ juncture of my Indie Epub journey – I’ve had Finding Round up on Amazon and Smashwords for 30 days. I need to double check what distribution channels I checked off (if any) on the Smashwords site. I am going to post direct to B&N over the weekend based on what you said above. :0)
FYI – I started a local writers group a couple months ago and mentioned how great the WG2E site is, I used it as a poster child example of how to make the most of a blog/website!
You are awesome for making the time and effort that you put into this valuable site! I hope it makes you tons of sales, cuz you deserve every one of them!
Thanks sooo very much, Sheri! You and are entire group are Welcome here at The WG2E each and every day to share your journeys with us! And we’ll help you any way we can!
Cheers to Writers Helping Writers Reach Readers!!!
D. D., do you see a difference between allowing Smashwords make your books available on Kobo and uploading them direct to Kobo yourself? I’m in the former camp and am pondering whether I should change it.
DD – I’m still feeling my way, one year later, and think it’s all a crap shoot. You have found your way, readers have found you, and you’re doing the right thing to keep yourself on every platform. My sales at Nook are dismal, Kobo a little better, but I decided not to go Select with my latest book because it’s the 3rd in a series but I may go that route again. It did pay big but I’m not sure if that’s the case anymore. Time will tell!
Time does indeed tell, Patrice! And a bunch of time that is…
Keep in mind, it’s taken me two entire years to finally be making any sort of headway on Kobo and Sony! Two years!!! But if I had taken my books out of those places to play the Select and Nook First periods, who knows how long that would have set me back, because I’d have lost any progress I’d already made.
It took me about 15 months to begin to see progress on iTunes. So two years for Sony and Kobo and 15 months for iTunes. Definitely not overnight successes. Nook took me about a year to break into.
I’m still up in the air over Select, and I’ve got two books on it right now. One is not doing anything despite the free promotion days. The other is the second book in a series and hasn’t had the free promotion days yet. The first one however, did remarkably well when I had it in Select.
Made it to number one in western historical category. Of course once it came off the freebie promotion it spiraled down.
While it may have it’s good points – the one sticking point with me is the 90 day period you have to sell it no where else, not to mention the fact that the book is tied up and at their mercy for 90 days.
I haven’t tried Nooks version an at this point have no intention of doing so. Once my two come out of Select, I’m taking a break from it – a good long break!
Great points, Jamie! I’m not one who wants my books “tied up” either…so it’s definitely a tough call.
I am with you, DD. I intend to get my ebooks to all ereaders, so I can find as many readers as I can. If there was an ebook that was only available on one platform eg Nook that I really really wanted to buy, then I’d wait for it to become available on Kindle. But then if I saw an ebook similar to that author’s that was on Kindle at that time, I would be inclined to buy that one. I think with so many ebooks out there now, it would be harder still to promote your ebook once let alone twice.
Exactly what you said here, Julie:
“I think with so many ebooks out there now, it would be harder still to promote your ebook once let alone twice.”
As a reader our habits have changed. Where we used to keep these TBR Lists (To Be Read Lists) so that we could make a monthly trip so to speak to a store to buy just a few at the top of our lists, NOW, we can download 7 books or more for the price of that one book on the old lists and buy ‘em while in our jammies at home. That’s a HUGE difference!
Now, it’s about the Instant Gratification that a book can give you once you’ve Discovered it. If you make your reader wait these days, you’ve lost ‘em for that point in time.
I’m on the fence myself about KDP. The worst thing was I released my first book with DRM, so even if people want to go to Amazon, they can’t convert it. Amazon doesn’t let you fix this afterwards (I’m about to re-release an ‘illustrated edition’ with pen-and-ink line drawings and an altered cover just so I can fix this boo-boo!) I was disappointed with both my sales, and also how many free downloads I was getting, but the minute I pulled it off KDP, sales tanked, so I put it back on.
I’m about to release Book 2 in the series. Right now, I’m looking at the big Christmas season push with e-readers and wondering which platform will give me the most free downloads because Amazon emails people who’ve downloaded the free e-book when you release the next book. Book 1 … the lost leader. To KDP? Or not to KDP? It all comes down to which e-reader will people get under the Christmas tree this year…
Excellent points, Anna, and because of what you said right here:
“It all comes down to which e-reader will people get under the Christmas tree this year…”
Why not be available on all platforms so you can be there for every new Ereader owner this holiday season?!
That’s when it’s most important to be everywhere!
I found this great article about the sales cycle of ebooks last year being -after- Christmas (Jan-Feb-Mar) because people get them under the Christmas Tree and then need to go hunting for books to fill them. If you don’t mind my posting it, here’s the link:
http://www.livewritethrive.com/2012/10/08/the-cycles-of-book-sales/
Just some food for thought for marketing for the Christmas season. Don’t know if the same will be true this year, but that is what I will be experimenting with. Perhaps -you- have some Christmas marketing experience you could share, DD???
I’m planning to publish my first novel through KDP to see if that will help with initial visibility, being an unknown author I think gaining visibility is important. I plan to release future books across all platforms. We’ll see how that works for me. I think the effectiveness really depends on whether or not Amazon or Nook picks your title up for promo.
Very valid point, Ansha, and thank you sooo much for raising it!
I do think, like you, that perhaps when you are a debut author, perhaps a single exclusive period can work, especially if KDP Select is then emailing readers who downloaded you for FREE that your next book is now available. I did not know they were doing that.
But, that said, it does put you three months behind beginning to build your base on the other platforms, and what if, like Anna mentioned, The Kindle isn’t the main Ereader gifted this holiday season?
Gosh, it’s just a tough call isn’t it, my friend? But how great is it that we have the freedom and opportunity to make the decision?! That’s worth celebrating itself!
I tried Select once, but don’t see any plans to try it again in the near future. The first week it was on there I had a reader comment on my blog that they wished it was available for Nook. I live by the philosophy that if one person took the time to mention this, 99 other people felt the same way but didn’t voice their opinion. That means 100 potential readers were lost.
I saw no great benefit to Select, but I had tried it after the algorithms, or whatever it is called, changed. I’ve read several blogs where writers complained about that. To me, it only made sense. Why should a book given away to 10,000 readers be judged the same as 5,000 books sold?
My goal is the same as yours: to get my book on as many platforms as possible. It is the best way to be seen.
Would I make a note of a book that is not sold at the store I purchase from? Only if it was a darn good book. Otherwise, I move on to find something else.
We need more writers to think like you do, DD. I see so many that think Kindle Select is the ‘only’ way to go. I admit I start thinking of trying it again because of all these voices, but then I read a blog like yours and know I’m on the better track, the long term track, not just a 90-day hiatus of very highs and very lows.
What you said right here is brilliant, Diane:
“The first week it was on there I had a reader comment on my blog that they wished it was available for Nook. I live by the philosophy that if one person took the time to mention this, 99 other people felt the same way but didn’t voice their opinion. That means 100 potential readers were lost.”
Sooo many times we’ve had readers comment on our sister site – The RG2E – how they wished such-and-such a book was available for a certain device. And I feel sooo bad telling ‘em it isn’t.
I knew if I said “no” to Select that I’d probably take a hit in visibility on Amazon, and that has been the case. But, gosh have I made up for it on all other platforms.
Heck, my fans have a hard enough time waiting the half day it takes for each new book to go live on the platform they buy from. I can’t imagine telling ‘em it will be a month to three months! LOL!!!
I’m with you on this one, DD. Too many writers don’t have enough patience to wait the one or two years to build an audience. One writer blogged about pulling her books out of Kindle Select as an experiment but, when the sales weren’t made up by the other platforms in one month, she panicked and put them back in. One month is hardly enough time for readers to discover you.
As a reader with a Nook, I’m always annoyed when an author announces a new book or freebie that’s available on Kindle only. Not only can I not buy it then, I don’t put it on any of my TBR lists (which is mostly on Goodreads at this point). Peevishly, my attitude is if they don’t want me to read their book now, I don’t want to read their books ever. Not rational, I know, but feelings aren’t rational.
As a writer, I don’t like putting all my eggs in one basket. What if Amazon changes its policies such that publishing with them becomes onerous? Or the business market changes and they suffer a collapse? Don’t say it couldn’t happen. Remember Xerox and Kodak? Companies that had a lock on their markets at one point in time, but barely exist today. I also think that Kobo is a force to be reckoned with. Who wants to eliminate themselves from the worldwide distribution that Kobo is building?
For the very reason you mention above, Elise, I did a post on the waiting game just a few days ago:
http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/ebook-sales-increases-and-strategies-are-not-get-rich-quick-wunderkinds
And yes, it is not savvy to alienate readers because of availability issues. And it’s an immediate turn-off to say “oops, you can’t read this one yet”, definitely not the great first impression you’re looking for.
I’m seeing HUGE increases on Kobo, especially international sales! I do think Kobo will dominate those markets and very soon! Amazon does not seem to be gaining traction as well in any of the foreign markets. Perhaps, it’s because they sell multiple product lines, versus just books, so the deals with each country are more complex and take more time to sort out.
I did Select once as a business tool this past spring with one of my books that’d been out awhile, and it was just the one out of 12 books. It worked well for me, but since then ALL my kindle sales have slowed way up. I’m doing Select one more time, again, with the same book so I don’t end up giving all my books away for free at some point or another, and my business reasoning is two-fold. One, I want to see the effects of the algorithms this time around, and two, I want to see if the new cover I paid extra $ for can do well. I realize it’s a bit of a gamble, but even a little bit of extra visibility on Kindle right now can only help my overall sales (I hope), and I’m only doing it with one book (out of 16 now) that isn’t selling well on ANY platforms, despite having rave reviews and having won a Readers’ award.
I hear ya, Stacey. And even though it is definitely the slow season for book sales in general (June thru August), something is definitely up with the Amazon algorithms, which seem to heavily, HEAVILY favor Select titles and FREE titles in general.
My gut is that Amazon is using FREE Ebooks as gateways to their other products and the Select books in general as the next important products.
Also, with sooo many FREE new titles every day, FREE no longer works as it used to, unless your FREE Forever on a title, across all platforms. And FREE does still work fabulously, btw, on all platforms other than Kindle.
I have a couple free through all channels but it doesn’t translate to sales for me on Kindle. On BN–yes.
In general, I don’t advocate for Select as a full-time, all-in business model. I’m using it just like any other tool out there and testing a few things. Come January, my one title will be reloaded on all platforms.
Another great post, D.D.! One question I’ve been wrestling with is the “first one’s on me” free e-book idea. I want to offer one of my books for free to drive readers to my other books, but have heard conflicting things about Amazon not letting people do this or not price-matching zero anymore. Does anyone know anything about this? I’d heard that if you list your book free on Smashwords, Amazon will then match it (free), but that you have to initially list it as a priced book on Amazon, and that the price match doesn’t always happen. I think many people might be turning to Select because it seems like a hassle-free way to get a free book out there and expose others to our work without having to try to figure out all the ins and outs of getting Amazon to price match. I don’t want to go the Select way unless I absolutely have to, though, because the exclusivity thing really bothers me. I’d love to hear your experience and/or advice in this area.
I love this website so much I’m checking it every day now!
It doesn’t appear that Amazon is matching FREE like they used to, Riley. At least not as often and definitely not as quickly. That said, I would go ahead and put it FREE everywhere you can, hoping they one day match it. Worse case, your Kindle readers can get the FREE file they need from Smashwords. Readers understand if a site won’t match your price, but what they don’t understand is you not being available on all sites, especially if you’re not on the one they use.
Does that help you?
And thanks bunches for the superfab sweet WG2E shout-out! We luuuvvv hangin’ with each of you all week long!!! Cheers to that!!!
That helps bunches, D.D.! Thank you!
Great post. I’ve been wrestling with the idea of KDP, and this helps. I don’t like the idea of readers having to discover me twice, and with the way Amazon constantly changes its algos and how free affects the charts, it makes me wonder if it’s really worth it.
I’m also interested in Amazon’s price matching, because I’m releasing a short story in a couple of weeks as a lead in to Into The Dark and trying to decide if it’s free or .99 cents.
Thanks!
Another great advantage to not going exclusive is that you’re in a better position to weather the changes on any one platform, Stacy. So, when Amazon algorithms change and weight things so that they’re no longer in your favor, you are in a position to cruise along just fine on other platforms and ride out the storm.
And, yes, you never have to figure out how to make a reader find you twice! Once is tough enough!!!
Check out my answer to Riley right above regarding price matching.
As usual, great post…and right on time! I’ve been debating on whether or not to do the KDP select with one of my titles, but now…I don’t think so.
BTW, I love the blog and have learned so much over the past few months!
It’s such a tough decision to make, Sharon. But, for me, Select had more negatives than positives. It was a brilliant move for Amazon, but not so great for most authors.
And I’m tickled to hear you’re learning a bunch from and enjoying the time you spend here in WG2E-Land!
Interesting post D.D. I’m like you, my sales are doing well so I would not go exclusive but it’s taken me nearly 2 years to get to this point. I’m sure I would be more indecisive about this if I were a newbie author wondering how to get my name out there.
Great point, Alison! I do get that it might be different for a debut author.
Although, even then, I’d have a hard time promoting myself saying, “I’m sorry, but it will be three more months at least before I’m on your reader site.” I just lost that new reader who was excited to have met me and would perhaps have at least tried one of my books right then…
This post is very pertinent to my present situation. In the last month, I’ve taken all of my books out of Select and re-established the titles at the other platforms. I was doing well when I left B&N and Sony but now have to crawl up the ladder again.
It’s very costly to be exclusive and takes at least a year out of your potential sales elsewhere.
All good lessons to be learned and part of the process. The big point here is the thrill of being free to experiment and then do the best thing for our books.
With all the changes and craziness going on – e-publishing is still a miracle for authors.
It is a thrill indeed to just have the opportunities that we do now, Consuelo! Excellent way to look at it, my friend!
And yes, going exclusive anywhere does require that climb back up the ladder everywhere else.
Go, Girl, Go!!!
Wise words. I think I’m over KDP Select. I can have 10K downloads for two free days and then no sales for weeks. I hate having Amazon have so much power over my books. Every so often, they take away my buy button for no reason, or a book disappears for a couple of days. Plus, as you say, it’s better to be available wherever your customers might be.
That was my fear all along with Select…that readers would use it simply to surf the FREE Ebooks every day and then never go on to buy (more books that it). So I hear ya on that note, Anne.
Wherever our customers are, that’s where I want to be too! Great way to put it!!!
Great information and questions by all here. Thanks for putting it out there D.D. With my ebook about to be released this Fall, I keep getting family and friends asking “where can I get it?” Unfortunately not everyone has an ereader – or wants one. What do you and others do about POD? Is it worth it? Especially for family and close friends who want to read the book, but aren’t about to buy an ereader or read it on an electronic device. Thanks.
Sure thing, Debbie!
At this time, I don’t do a print version because I just don’t see them as cost effective. You have to pay additional for different cover designs (including front and back copy), you also need different formatting, and of course they’re more expensive which means readers just aren’t buying many of them.
I have found that even my relatives who won’t buy an Ereader, now have cell phones on which they can use the FREE Apps to read my books. I simply help them download the apps, show them how to buy the books, and they’re off reading and loving it! In this way, I’ve opened a whole new world for them, at their fingertips, and they’re thrilled and quite proud of themselves for giving it a try!
DD – if you do POD through Createspace they have their free cover generator. You can just upload your existing book cover file to one of their ‘blank’ files and use THAT for your cover. And it’s free (unlike Lightning Source). All you need is an image that’s 300 dpi. I don’t have the skill to create a one-shot cover, but if you upload the front and then tweak the back to match, it looks pretty much the same.
Excellent tip, Anna! I did not know that! Thanks sooo much for sharing!
About 8% or so of my sales are POD books, and with the low-cost options offered through CreateSpace, I definitely found this worth doing. I’ve got some tips on my blog at http://danadelamar.blogspot.com. Look for the button at the top that says “CreateSpace Tips.”
Thanks, Dana, for the tips on CreateSpace. I am considering doing a POD version of a couple of books as well. I may as well have them available, and in a couple of years possibly doing audio.
I am enjoying the audio avenue, Christina. It hasn’t been a huge money maker (around $600 so far), but I think the more audio books I do the more it will grow. So, I’m optimistic. I think the higher prices on those too is a huge sales obstacle.
More excellent tips and tricks! Thank you so much, Dana! I’ll be checking out your post!!! And congrats too on your 8%. Well done!!!
Awesome post DD. I agree that it is better to spread yourself over many formats…but there is always that doubt when looking at the maybe benefits of Amazon’s program. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
JT
The doubt never really goes away, JT. But, that said, I’ve always been one to look at the real numbers, decide and error based on what makes readers happy (which is great books for great prices and lots of ‘em with easy availability and purchase points), then go for the gusto of each choice made and move onto the next one!
Great points, DeeDee. I’ve never liked the idea of putting all my eggs in one basket. This new publishing world is still so new, it’s hard to see where we’ll be in even two years. I’m encouraged by your success on the other platforms. Amazon is still where I have the most traction, but I’m hoping to build the others up to overtake it. The thought of one retailer controlling the lion’s share of my sales worries me. Any tips for building sales on the other retailers (besides presence and patience)?
I hear ya, Dana…why choose just one sparkly egg basket, when you can have a bunch of ‘em?!
What gave me a gigantic boost on all the other platforms was my “First One is On Me” approach. It wasn’t until I made my first book FREE across all platforms that my sales took off. That’s why I encourage people to do that, even if Amazon doesn’t match you now. It’s the key that unlocks the door on all the other channels.
Thanks for the post, D.D. You make some really great points. After my current round of books gets out of Select, I’m pulling out of the program. Since my first book was published through a small publisher, it’s been interesting talking with her about why it should be on all platforms. She likes the select, and would have the ebook stay on Select only, and while I agree that it’s given both of us a huge boost in sales, it doesn’t make sense for me as an author (and you would think the publisher also) in the long run. She’s since put my first novel out on other platforms. The initial boost in sales from KDP is great – and it feels good to turn a profit so quickly after publication. That being said, my books are missing out on opportunities and readers in other places.
It’s super savvy on your part, Tamara, to insist that your books are everywhere.
That’s one of the problems I see with publishers…they want the fast bucks…they’re most times not interested in building you over the long haul. And that’s when the real money starts to accumulate. By that time, for most publishers though, they’ve moved onto their next “hot” author and the one after that and after that and so on. At least she’s listening to you though, so that’s a plus.
Great post, D.D. Certainly timely for me. I have been wrestling with this decision for quite a while and the clock is ticking down to my launch date of 1/3/13. Great information and I appreciate the additional link to your Smashwords blog post. I must admit that I’m a bit intimidated by this whole process.
Thanks much!
It can be intimidating indeed, Michelle. But we’re all here to help you any way we can! When you have questions, just ask. And it’s fine to email or message me too!
We’ll be counting down with you till your very own fabulous launch!!!
Thank you so much! You can’t imagine how blessed I feel by your offer of support. I really enjoy this community – thanks again!
U betchya!!! Relax and enjoy your journey! It really is superfab fun!!!
You are absolutely correct. I will not be doing the KDP again. Not because it didn’t get me exposure but for the same reason you mentioned – readers have to find you twice. Also, if I want exposure, having the book ‘free’ for a short period of time on amazon will boost sales on all platforms.
I’ve always been willing to try different things with my marketing and exposure to find what works best for my books.
The fact that you’re willing to try different things and the fact that we have the ability to do so…that’s what superfab about our Indie Epub Journeys! Go, LM, Go!!!
I did KDP for Stay Tuned and had a great run with it, as KDP Select had just been launched. That said, it wasn’t a headache to removed it from Nook.
I did feel terrible taking it away from Nook readers. In May 2012, when I launched ‘Dixie,’ I have both books on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, Audible, Booktango, and iTunes connect, so the headache alone of taking them all off and putting them back on is enough to make me run away to Australia!!! LOL
I’m always on the lookout for new ways to promote, but KDP Select doesn’t fit into my ‘accessible to everyone’ philosophy!
“Accessible to everyone” is a great philosophy, Lauren! Well said!!!
I completely agree with being available in all formats. I’m hoping to see some good things on my Smashwords report since I have no idea if I’ve sold anything anywhere else or not through them. But books are selling about even on Amazon and Nook at this point and I’m just being patient with Kobo. I’m also on All Romance Ebooks and I’m about even there as well. I’m glad I started publishing directly with Barnes and Noble. Smashwords was taking forever to get anything sent there. I thought it would be difficult to get the books formatted for Epub but it was very simple and there was nothing to it. I’m very glad I did it.
Atta Girl, Christina! I always go direct with a source if possible. It’s worth the extra time to upload yourself.
And I do think it seems to be taking Smashwords longer and longer to get to Sony, Apple, Diesel and the Baker & Taylor Channels. On average, it’s about 6 to 8 weeks. And that’s after the week to ten days it takes to get their Premium Catalog Approval to even be on the next Distribution cycle.
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DD, you always bring out some nuance that I don’t see discussed anywhere else. Interesting rationale for why you decided not to participate in the platform exclusivity programs. More to think about.