For indie authors and publishers who can agree to Amazon’s list of demands, notably making their works available exclusively through Amazon for a set period of time and allowing their works to be loaned through the Kindle lending library, there is a fund of $6 million, divided into monthly amounts, allocated to pay authors as ebooks are borrowed.
Authors whose works are listed through Kindle Direct Publishing have the option to enroll any or all of their titles in KDP Select. As a result, the authors will share the monthly fund based on how many times their books were check-out in comparison with all of the borrowable books in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
“By choosing KDP Select, independent authors and publishers have an opportunity to make money in a whole new way and reach the growing audience of Amazon Prime members,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content said in a press release issued today. “A short 90-day commitment allows authors and publishers to experiment at very low risk. In addition, free promotions are a new tool for KDP Select authors, and we hope to add more such tools over time.”
Thirty-one of the top 50 authors in the Amazon Kindle store have already signed up for KDP Select, and those authors have now listed a total of 129 titles in the program. Those titles available for borrowing as of the launch of KDP Select today. The authors bestsellers such as J. Carson Black, Gemma Halliday, J.A. Konrath, B.V. Larson, C.J. Lyons, Scott Nicholson, Julie Ortolon, Theresa Ragan, J.R. Rain and Patricia Ryan.
“My choice to participate in KDP Select and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library was easy,” said best-selling thriller writer Blake Crouch in the press release. “The Kindle Store is simply the best, most effective store in the world for selling independent eBooks, and there is no greater champion for independent writers than Amazon.”
Authors who are interested in including their digitally published works can sign up at the Kindle Direct Publishing portal, as well as check sales and reports on that platform. For more information about KDP Select, please visit http://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/KDPSelect.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
