Amazon has announced that one of the worst publishing programs they have ever launched is now available in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and India.
The premise of Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book receives a publishing contract. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing.
The reason I have such as disdain for this program is because it gives self-published authors a reason not to evolve their craft and not contribute anything meaningful to the casual reader. Who really cares about an e-book only exclusive if the vast majority of people who read novels buy them from their local bookstore?
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
