Not using Amazon?
An old saying comes to mind, you know the one about eggs and baskets. One of the first decisions I made when I started out on this writing journey, was to go down the self-publishing route (Read more about that here). The second decision to make was whether to use Amazon Select programme or use an aggregator to sell my books. I chose the latter because it would give me a more global reach, and give me more control. I currently use Smashwords in conjunction with Amazon KDP, which covers all the bases for me
So do you buy your books other than on Amazon? Below is a list of all the major book sites where you can also buy my books.
SMASHWORDS BARNES & NOBLE APPLE iBOOKS GOOGLE PLAY BOOKBUB KOBO
The Amazon Machine.
When it comes to books and other online products, Amazon, seems to rule the roost in many countries. The figure varies year on year, but when it comes to book sales, they have over a sixty percent of the market share.
This is good for those who use it for other purchases, but what if you don’t use it. How do you buy your paperbacks and eBooks?
Amazon has a program called KDP Select which allows an author to promote their books a little more on Amazon, but it comes at the price of exclusivity. They lock you in for ninety days which means that you cannot list your work on any other book sites. And that means anywhere in the world that they don’t service.
Select is a great tool for authors who are starting out because it does give you a little leg up. It gets your work in front of people who might not find you on the bestseller lists. Author friends of mine had seen their books at a higher ranking when they launched promoted them through Select. It should not be discounted at all if you are starting on the journey. Any bit of assistance helps on this journey.
To date, I have not signed up with KDP Select on any of my books. This may change in the future when I produce the few standalone books that I have planned.
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