TapTapper
Junior Member
- Apr 15, 2009
- 183
- 149
Also remember that crap books will get a LOT of returns and then you'll be dropped. Or worse, you'll have the lovely experience of watching a $800 royalty turn into $8 by the time the 60 days is up.
Guys: Kindle is the Ticket!
- Thread starter GobBluthJD
- Start date
Also remember that crap books will get a LOT of returns and then you'll be dropped. Or worse, you'll have the lovely experience of watching a $800 royalty turn into $8 by the time the 60 days is up.
The new KU means game over now for those outsourcing crap books. I'm really thankful that I steered clear of that, because a lot of people spamming shitty shorts from people in non-native countries are going to be screwed hard.
Even my now catalog will probably take a major rip to income, but since my works are mostly longer works and self-written then most borrowers will probably read it all the way through. I can only hope.
Publishing on Kindle just got a whole lot harder though. Outsourcing just got a whole lot risker. Now if you want to get the full royalty for a book, someone has to read it all the way through. A fancy cover and good intro won't cut it. People publishing full novels are going to suck up a much larger portion of the KU pool, and those with 5k shorts are going to bend over and lube.
I'm definitely worried since this is a full time thing for me now, but all I can do is wait and see what happens. It was bound to happen though... Too many people trying to abuse the system... so can't say I'm surprised.
Even my now catalog will probably take a major rip to income, but since my works are mostly longer works and self-written then most borrowers will probably read it all the way through. I can only hope.
Publishing on Kindle just got a whole lot harder though. Outsourcing just got a whole lot risker. Now if you want to get the full royalty for a book, someone has to read it all the way through. A fancy cover and good intro won't cut it. People publishing full novels are going to suck up a much larger portion of the KU pool, and those with 5k shorts are going to bend over and lube.
I'm definitely worried since this is a full time thing for me now, but all I can do is wait and see what happens. It was bound to happen though... Too many people trying to abuse the system... so can't say I'm surprised.
It seems like you'll still make money on KU with those short books. Significantly less than those books that are longer however.
My works are double the length of my competitors so I'm content. I had a feeling it wouldn't be wise in the long run to create those 30-40 page books.
If I'm correct, you can publish less, but longer books which I believe is more efficient to produce. Since you're not getting paid for the entire book anymore.. You're getting paid for every page being read.
Morgadeshou
Newbie
- Apr 21, 2014
- 23
- 5
How is everyone doing with the new pay by page system? I think I'm going to take a decent hit from my KU sales, it seems like they're only paying half a cent/1cent per page. Gonna be a rough month!
kekmaw
Junior Member
- Dec 19, 2014
- 147
- 55
Yeah it's pretty useless, I can't see how Amazon or authors benefit from this, as a result many books will be pulled out of KDP Select to be put up on other stores.
Winter is coming..
Lol interesting you say that. Kindle authors asked Amazon to change their system to this type of model.
What I'm hoping to see though, is ALL THOSE 20-30pg CHEAPSKATES BECOMING DISCOURAGED WHEN THE SHITE DON'T MAKE AN AUTOMATIC $1.35 PER BORROW N E MORE!
SIDE NOTE:
I've got a 70pg picture book that was selling poorly until today. It was rank #200k then it jumped to #100k. I wonder if its a coincidence.
I haven't noticed much difference in any of other books (~100-200pg), tho.
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kekmaw
Junior Member
- Dec 19, 2014
- 147
- 55
In all the kindle communites I'm in I have only heard people flame on this change. Perhaps some 300+ page fantasy author likes it, but that would easy be a minority. I do feel that they should do more to remove the shitty books that goes up on Amazon though, but not like this, this punishes the good short books as well that provides value. They should simply not let the shit through the screening process imo.
dennis_797
Registered Member
- Jun 25, 2012
- 76
- 11
I'm not 100% sure about the impact of the new changes, but it's my understanding that this isn't the case. If someone reads a 30-page book in full, they will earn only 25% of what I will earn if someone reads my 120-page book in full.
I don't know how much you earn per page, but it might be the case that 50 pages is worth a similar royalty to a "borrow".
If, as Morgadeshou says, a page is worth 0.5c/1c, then this could be really bad. Where did you hear this rate quoted, though? It feels unrealistically low, and way less than I was expecting.
I think it's good that Amazon are combatting the 30-page books, which have been a source of enormous frustration for me for a while. With only 30-pages to be read (and the lower quality meaning people are less likely to read them in full, anyway), their earnings are capped below the current borrow rate.
There's no doubt that is a good thing -- 30-pages doesn't deserve the same as a 300-page novel, and it's the full-length authors who will benefit the most. I produce mid-length books, 120-pages roughly, and I'm really intrigued to hear how the changes will impact me.
I'm not necessarily against it. You have to be objective with these things, rather than just criticising if it negatively impacts you.
Amazon had to do something about the low quality books. Self-publishing is supposed to allow ANYONE to publish, so they can't really implement quality control. What other options do they have, realistically? Perhaps a percentage-based read system, but the 30-page books have an advantage as there's less to read.
The changes might cut my income slightly, but at the same time I feel like it safeguards it for the future. There's less threat from low quality scammers, so my books should maintain their position at the top of the category in the long-run.
Anyone else care to chip in?
Morgadeshou
Newbie
- Apr 21, 2014
- 23
- 5
Amazon released the numbers for last month saying that there were approximately 1.9billion KENP KU page views and there will be about 11 mill in the pool for KU in July. So extrapolating that to this month, 11M/2bill =.0058 so a little more than half a cent per page read. there are some threads on the Amazon kdp community section that discuss these numbers too, unfortunately I can't post the link
book report, which works closely with Amazon is estimating .01$ per page according to some threads on kdp
so that's where I got .5-1cent per page
some of the authors say that their 400 page novels have been converted to around 800 KENP Pages, so that's about 5-8 bucks per borrow with a full read. A lot of dense novels actually are seeing large increases in they page counts with KENP.
I feel like this system is going to mostly benefit career authors and hurt more businessy kindle people like us, but it's hard to say until the actual numbers are released. Most of my books are around 100 kindle pages and they were converted to around 100-120 KENP pages so I'll make about 60cents-1.20$ for a full read.
in the end the KU pool isn't changing so someone has the benefit for everyone who's losing, so we'll see how it works out
book report, which works closely with Amazon is estimating .01$ per page according to some threads on kdp
so that's where I got .5-1cent per page
some of the authors say that their 400 page novels have been converted to around 800 KENP Pages, so that's about 5-8 bucks per borrow with a full read. A lot of dense novels actually are seeing large increases in they page counts with KENP.
I feel like this system is going to mostly benefit career authors and hurt more businessy kindle people like us, but it's hard to say until the actual numbers are released. Most of my books are around 100 kindle pages and they were converted to around 100-120 KENP pages so I'll make about 60cents-1.20$ for a full read.
in the end the KU pool isn't changing so someone has the benefit for everyone who's losing, so we'll see how it works out
dennis_797
Registered Member
- Jun 25, 2012
- 76
- 11
Hi Morgadeshou,
You're completely right about those estimates, it seems that around 0.57c per word is what most people are expecting based on last month's pool. Amazon usually add bonus funds to the pool, so it may jump up a little.
I've read some of the discussions myself now, and you're right, for the full-length books, there's an opportunity to earn more than a buy.
I thought the move was designed to discourage the 30-page scamphlets, and it should do a good job of that. My books are similar in length to yours (I saw the KENP figures added around 25%), and it looks like I'll be hurting from this, though.
Previously, borrows were $1.35. Assuming the estimates are correct at $0.0057 per word, multiplied by the industry average 60% read-through rate, I'll earn around $0.50 for a 150-page book. If the rate increases to 1c/page, it'll be just short of a dollar, which is not a complete disaster. I produce series, so I'm guessing the readers who check out my other books do so because they read the first book in full, in which case I'd earn $0.85-$1.50 per borrow.
I've read a few conversation threads on different forums, and one person pointed out that just because a book is short, doesn't mean that it's low quality. I agree with this, but the changes are designed to hurt the scamphlets, and I think they will be successful at that. There seems to be a lot of kickback from the community, so perhaps they will improve the distribution model over time. With my narrow-focused non-fictions, there's just no room to produce 800-pagers, but it doesn't mean my books are less valuable because of this.
You're right about the final point. The funds are staying the same, so it's just moving the money from the short book authors to the longer ones, rather than into Amazon's pockets. And I don't begrudge authors who write 400-page novels earning more than me per book.
Even though I might be hurt in the short-run, I'm still all for this move. Anything to prevent the low quality books from winning is a good thing. They really were killing the platform. As I mentioned before, the move might make the marketplace less competitive, and therefore any quality books you've produced may start to perform better.
Borrows aren't everything either. I made about 30% of my income from borrows last month. If my borrow income is halved, I'm only down 15% overall.
You're completely right about those estimates, it seems that around 0.57c per word is what most people are expecting based on last month's pool. Amazon usually add bonus funds to the pool, so it may jump up a little.
I've read some of the discussions myself now, and you're right, for the full-length books, there's an opportunity to earn more than a buy.
I thought the move was designed to discourage the 30-page scamphlets, and it should do a good job of that. My books are similar in length to yours (I saw the KENP figures added around 25%), and it looks like I'll be hurting from this, though.
Previously, borrows were $1.35. Assuming the estimates are correct at $0.0057 per word, multiplied by the industry average 60% read-through rate, I'll earn around $0.50 for a 150-page book. If the rate increases to 1c/page, it'll be just short of a dollar, which is not a complete disaster. I produce series, so I'm guessing the readers who check out my other books do so because they read the first book in full, in which case I'd earn $0.85-$1.50 per borrow.
I've read a few conversation threads on different forums, and one person pointed out that just because a book is short, doesn't mean that it's low quality. I agree with this, but the changes are designed to hurt the scamphlets, and I think they will be successful at that. There seems to be a lot of kickback from the community, so perhaps they will improve the distribution model over time. With my narrow-focused non-fictions, there's just no room to produce 800-pagers, but it doesn't mean my books are less valuable because of this.
You're right about the final point. The funds are staying the same, so it's just moving the money from the short book authors to the longer ones, rather than into Amazon's pockets. And I don't begrudge authors who write 400-page novels earning more than me per book.
Even though I might be hurt in the short-run, I'm still all for this move. Anything to prevent the low quality books from winning is a good thing. They really were killing the platform. As I mentioned before, the move might make the marketplace less competitive, and therefore any quality books you've produced may start to perform better.
Borrows aren't everything either. I made about 30% of my income from borrows last month. If my borrow income is halved, I'm only down 15% overall.
That's fortunate for you. I make 75% of my income off borrows.I just took a huge hit. I get roughly 500 kenp per day. I trust ill adapt to these new changes though. Also,this is the only method I really ever stuck to and I can't give up now.
dennis_797
Registered Member
- Jun 25, 2012
- 76
- 11
No offense was intended when I say 30% of my income comes from borrows. My income is split relatively evenly between buys, paperbacks, and borrows.
If you take your books seriously, I'm sure you can adapt. You might take a hit right now, but if you can regroup based on the new rules, I think you'll come out all the better for it.
The goal posts have been moved, but that doesn't mean it isn't a viable opportunity.
If you take your books seriously, I'm sure you can adapt. You might take a hit right now, but if you can regroup based on the new rules, I think you'll come out all the better for it.
The goal posts have been moved, but that doesn't mean it isn't a viable opportunity.
TapTapper
Junior Member
- Apr 15, 2009
- 183
- 149
Hey guys, for those of you looking for a niche: I say try travel guides. Everyone has tourists SOMEWHERE near them. And I know a lot of you guys live in interesting places. Take some pictures of things tourists should see, write short reviews of places they should go. And especially write about local food, places and specialties they wouldn't necessarily find on their own.
Anyone taking a foreign trip will look for "Street food in Blazeland" or "Things to Do in Blazeland", nightlife, nature walks, daytrips, architecture, whatever. Use your own locale and your own pics, write your content. Maybe 12 pages in Word with a lot of pics turns into a nice 40 page book. Even better you can write 3 at once and cover different aspects of your area.
And if you write in slightly broken English it's OK because you're writing as a native of the area, not Hemingway
Anyone taking a foreign trip will look for "Street food in Blazeland" or "Things to Do in Blazeland", nightlife, nature walks, daytrips, architecture, whatever. Use your own locale and your own pics, write your content. Maybe 12 pages in Word with a lot of pics turns into a nice 40 page book. Even better you can write 3 at once and cover different aspects of your area.
And if you write in slightly broken English it's OK because you're writing as a native of the area, not Hemingway
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scottyluck
Newbie
- Jul 7, 2015
- 24
- 6
I'm interested in this, looks like a good read, bookmarked it
NemoTheOne
Power Member
- May 18, 2009
- 732
- 245
Great thread!!!!
end of post.
end of post.
NemoTheOne
Power Member
- May 18, 2009
- 732
- 245
That was a joke. Anyway, so maybe someone can shed a little insight here on what I think is a simple question....
Sooo I found a couple of good niches that work for me. Like many said it's interesting that really I'm making majority of sales from minority of books - but they ALL contribute to the payment that you get at the end of the month!
I'm seem to be stuck, i think. I have a pattern it seems of getting a good book - it getting on the hot new releases week - it sells pretty well (by pretty well I mean about 10 copies a day) then tapers down after month 3. No bad reviews, but also not a plethora of new reviews either. I have a website for each niche, but don't really take much into the social networking (sans Twitter)
So my question is this. Should I
1) re-release the best selling books in bundles
2) Create a new pen name and create BIGGER (e)books on the "successful pen name's" topic(s). Most of my works are about 10,000 words. Maybe that's the problem?
3) Spend money on promotion (bookhub) (insert other great promotion website here) ?
That reminds me? Anyone have success with Fiverr kindle promotion gigs?
4) Find new niches
5) all of the above?
6) <s>no</s>
Sooo I found a couple of good niches that work for me. Like many said it's interesting that really I'm making majority of sales from minority of books - but they ALL contribute to the payment that you get at the end of the month!
I'm seem to be stuck, i think. I have a pattern it seems of getting a good book - it getting on the hot new releases week - it sells pretty well (by pretty well I mean about 10 copies a day) then tapers down after month 3. No bad reviews, but also not a plethora of new reviews either. I have a website for each niche, but don't really take much into the social networking (sans Twitter)
So my question is this. Should I
1) re-release the best selling books in bundles
2) Create a new pen name and create BIGGER (e)books on the "successful pen name's" topic(s). Most of my works are about 10,000 words. Maybe that's the problem?
3) Spend money on promotion (bookhub) (insert other great promotion website here) ?
That reminds me? Anyone have success with Fiverr kindle promotion gigs?
4) Find new niches
5) all of the above?
6) <s>no</s>
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