Few choices confuse new authors more than this one: put your ebook only on Amazon with Kindle Unlimited, or sell it on several stores. Neither is always right. Here is how to think it through.
What KDP Select means
Enrolling an ebook in KDP Select makes it exclusive to Amazon for each 90-day enrolment period and adds it to Kindle Unlimited. Authors are paid for pages read by subscribers, plus normal sales royalties. Check the current terms in your KDP account, since royalty rules and payment rates change.
What publishing wide means
Going wide means selling on Amazon and other stores, such as Kobo, Apple Books, and Google Play. You reach readers who do not use Amazon, and you are not tied to a single platform, but you give up Kindle Unlimited for that ebook.
Questions to ask
- Where are your readers? Heavy Kindle users lean toward Select. Readers who use Kobo or library apps lean toward wide.
- Is your genre a Kindle Unlimited genre? Many romance, thriller, and fantasy readers read heavily through subscriptions.
- Do you have more than one book? A series can use Select to start and then go wide later.
- Do you need an audience outside the US? Kobo is strong in several countries.
- How much time can you spend on marketing across multiple stores?
A sensible way to test
Because Select works in 90-day blocks, you can start there, watch page reads and sales, and decide at the end of the period whether to renew or go wide. Write the date in your calendar so it does not auto-renew by accident if you want to leave.
Whichever you choose
Make sure readers can find a link, a sample, and a way to review. On our side, Kessily Blue is included with Kindle Unlimited, and we recently announced it on Kobo too, so we are watching how each channel performs.
