KDP Select/ Kindle Unlimited: Everything to Know

KDP Select: A Detailed Overview

KDP Select is an optional program offered through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform that provides authors with unique promotional tools and benefits in exchange for making their eBook exclusive to Amazon. By enrolling in KDP Select, you commit to a 90-day period during which your eBook cannot be sold or distributed on any other platform, such as Kobo, Apple Books, or Google Play. While this exclusivity may seem restrictive, it unlocks a suite of features that can significantly enhance your book’s visibility and earning potential, especially for certain genres that thrive on Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited (KU) platform.


Key Features of KDP Select

One of the biggest advantages of KDP Select is access to Kindle Unlimited (KU) and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL). These programs allow Amazon subscribers and Prime members to borrow your book at no extra cost, dramatically expanding your potential readership. Instead of earning royalties per sale, you’ll earn based on the number of pages readers complete. The funds for these payouts come from the KDP Select Global Fund, which Amazon allocates monthly. For some authors, particularly those in genres with voracious KU readers like romance or thrillers, these page-read royalties can make up a substantial portion of their income.

KDP Select also gives you access to promotional tools like Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions. With Kindle Countdown Deals, you can discount your book for a limited time, while Amazon displays a countdown timer on your book’s product page to create urgency. Free Book Promotions, on the other hand, allow you to offer your book for free for up to five days during each 90-day enrollment period. These tools are invaluable for gaining visibility, attracting new readers, and boosting your sales rankings.

However, the most important factor in making KDP Select work for you is having a strong reader magnet. A reader magnet is an irresistible freebie—such as a bonus epilogue, prequel, or exclusive short story—that you offer to entice readers to join your email list. Including a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your book can help convert readers gained through KDP Select promotions into loyal fans who are excited for your next release. Building a robust email list through these efforts ensures that you’re not solely reliant on Amazon’s algorithms or policies and gives you a direct line to your audience.


Genres That Succeed in KDP Select

Certain genres thrive in KDP Select due to their alignment with Kindle Unlimited’s reader base and subscription model. These genres typically attract avid readers who consume books rapidly and favor serialized content or genre-specific tropes. The most successful genres in KDP Select include:

  • Romance: Subgenres like contemporary, paranormal, historical, and romantic suspense perform exceptionally well due to loyal readers who binge-read and love series.
  • Thriller and Suspense: Readers enjoy fast-paced plots and recurring characters, with subgenres like psychological thrillers and crime thrillers being particularly popular.
  • Science Fiction and Fantasy: Epic fantasy, urban fantasy, and niche subgenres like LitRPG excel due to immersive worlds and devoted fanbases.
  • Cozy Mysteries: These lighthearted, character-driven mysteries with amateur sleuths and small-town settings attract consistent readers.
  • Horror: Psychological and supernatural horror appeal to KU readers who enjoy high-tension, fast-paced stories.
  • Self-Help and Personal Development: Non-fiction, especially in areas like productivity, mindfulness, and entrepreneurship, finds a strong audience in KU.
  • Erotica: Steamy romance and erotica thrive due to privacy Kindle devices offer readers, though authors must adhere to Amazon’s content guidelines.
  • Young Adult (YA): Fantasy, paranormal, and dystopian YA books perform well, particularly those with crossover appeal to older readers.
  • Paranormal and Supernatural: Books featuring vampires, witches, and shapeshifters succeed in romance, urban fantasy, and horror niches.
  • LitRPG and Gamelit: This growing niche appeals to fans of video game-inspired storytelling.

Benefits of KDP Select

KDP Select offers several key benefits for authors:

  • Increased Discoverability: Being part of Kindle Unlimited exposes your book to a large audience of avid readers.
  • Additional Revenue Streams: Royalties from page reads through KU and KOLL can supplement direct sales revenue.
  • Promotional Flexibility: Tools like Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions provide strategic opportunities to drive sales and downloads.
  • Simplified Focus: Exclusivity means focusing marketing efforts on a single platform (Amazon), which can be easier for new authors.

Drawbacks of KDP Select

While KDP Select has significant advantages, there are also limitations:

  1. Platform Dependence: Exclusivity ties your success to Amazon’s ecosystem, limiting your ability to reach readers on other platforms. If Amazon changes policies or removes your book, it can heavily impact your income.
  2. Missed Opportunities: Not distributing to platforms like Kobo, Apple Books, or Google Play means missing readers who prefer these ecosystems. Excluding your book from library systems also limits its reach.
  3. Unpredictable Earnings: Royalties from page reads depend on the KDP Select Global Fund, which fluctuates monthly. The payout rate per page read can vary.

Is KDP Select Right for You?

KDP Select is a fantastic tool for authors writing in popular Kindle Unlimited genres, especially those who are new to self-publishing or looking to gain visibility quickly. However, success depends heavily on strategic planning. Pairing KDP Select with a strong reader magnet can help you turn casual readers into long-term fans, while careful use of promotional tools can maximize visibility and sales. For authors in high-performing genres like romance, thrillers, or fantasy, KDP Select offers a powerful way to build momentum and grow your audience. If your goals align with what KDP Select offers, it can be a game-changing program for your self-publishing career.

No Book Sales on Amazon KDP? Read This

Let’s have an honest conversation about something many authors struggle with – that complicated feeling when you say you wrote your book “just for yourself,” but deep down, you’re disappointed by the lack of sales.

The Creative Contradiction

You told everyone (and yourself) that you were publishing this book purely for personal satisfaction. “I don’t care if it sells,” you said. “I just wanted to tell my story. I just want to hold my book in my hands.”

And you meant it – at least, part of you did.

But now your book is out there, and the silence is deafening. The sales report shows single-digit numbers, and suddenly, those “I’m just doing this for me” declarations feel a bit hollow. You find yourself checking your sales dashboard multiple times a day, hoping to see some movement. You’re feeling frustrated, maybe even a little hurt, and you’re probably wondering why.

If you secretly thought that just putting your book on Amazon was going to be enough and now you are disappointed and feel betrayed, we did a whole article about that right here.

Why We Tell Ourselves the “Just for Me” Story

Let’s be real – saying we’re writing “just for ourselves” is often a protective mechanism. It’s safer than admitting we hope others will read and love our work. After all, if we claim we don’t care about sales or readers, we can’t be disappointed when they don’t materialize, right?

But here’s the thing: if you truly wrote the book just for yourself, you wouldn’t have published it. You would have saved it in a private folder on your computer or printed a single copy for your bookshelf. The act of publishing inherently implies a desire to be read.

The Truth About Wanting Readers

There’s nothing wrong with wanting people to read your work. In fact, it’s completely natural. Writing is, at its core, an act of communication. When we write something, we’re trying to share a story, an idea, or an experience with others. Wanting that connection doesn’t make you less authentic or more commercial – it makes you human.

Bridging the Gap

So how do you reconcile your artistic integrity with your desire for readers? Start by being honest with yourself:

If you genuinely want to share your work with others, acknowledge that. It doesn’t diminish the personal value of your writing. You can write something deeply personal and meaningful to you while also making it accessible and appealing to others.

Consider this: some of the most beloved books in history were deeply personal to their authors, but they were also crafted with readers in mind. The personal and the commercial aren’t mutually exclusive.

Moving Forward

If you find yourself in this situation, you have two honest paths forward:

  1. Embrace the truly personal nature of your work. Accept that it might not have commercial appeal, and be genuinely okay with that. There’s nothing wrong with creating art purely for yourself.
  2. If you want readers, acknowledge that desire and learn what it takes to reach them. This might mean studying your genre, understanding reader expectations, and yes, learning about book marketing.

Finding Your Balance

Remember, there’s no shame in either choice. What matters is being honest with yourself about what you want. If you decide you do want readers, that doesn’t mean compromising your artistic vision – it means learning how to bridge the gap between your creative expression and your readers’ needs.

And if you truly did write your book just for you? That’s wonderful too. Just make sure you’re not hiding behind that statement to protect yourself from potential disappointment.

The Path Forward

Whatever you decide, own your choice. If you want readers, start learning about your target audience. Study successful books in your genre. Join writing communities. Learn about marketing. Put in the work to reach the readers you want to connect with.

If you genuinely prefer to keep your writing personal, celebrate that choice too. Not every creative endeavor needs to be monetized or widely shared to be valuable.

Just remember: there’s no wrong choice here. The only mistake is not being honest with yourself about what you really want.

Your work matters, whether it reaches one reader or one million. The key is aligning your actions with your true goals, whatever they may be.

Can You Publish a Book on Amazon for Free?

Publishing a book on Amazon has become a popular route for aspiring and established authors. The good news? Yes, you can publish a book on Amazon for free using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). This platform allows authors to upload their manuscripts and reach millions of readers worldwide without any upfront costs. Here’s a detailed look at how the process works and what you should consider.

This article is just an overview! If you are in the initial stages of self-publishing and want the most comprehensive checklist ever created (ha!), please go over to our sister site, SelfPublishingChecklist.com


How to Publish Your Book on Amazon for Free

To get started, sign up for a free account with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).  You can only have one KDP account per person!  I am so serious about this! Once you’re in, follow these steps:

First, prepare your manuscript. Amazon accepts files in Word (.docx), PDF, and several other formats. Ensure your text is properly formatted for digital reading or print, depending on your publishing goals. If you’re publishing a Kindle eBook, consider using Amazon’s free formatting resources or guides to make your manuscript reader-friendly. For print books, formatting should adhere to paperback or hardcover standards.

Next, you’ll need a book cover. If you’re on a tight budget, Amazon offers a Cover Creator tool, which is free and easy to use. However, many authors opt to hire professional designers to make their books more visually appealing, which can increase sales.

Once your manuscript and cover are ready, log into KDP and start entering your book details. This includes the title, subtitle, author name, and description. Upload your manuscript and cover files, and then preview your book to ensure everything looks perfect. KDP provides tools to preview both eBook and print formats.

Finally, set your pricing. You can choose to publish your book as a Kindle eBook, paperback, or hardcover (or all three). For eBooks, Amazon lets you set your price and offers two royalty options—70% or 35%—depending on your book’s price and distribution. For print books, royalties are calculated based on the sale price minus printing costs.

Once everything is complete, hit the “Publish” button. Your book will typically be live on Amazon within 24 to 72 hours.


Is It Really Free?

Yes!  The actual publishing on Amazon is indeed free, but there are optional costs you might consider to enhance your book’s quality and appeal. For example, professional editing and proofreading can significantly improve your manuscript, while a custom-designed cover often attracts more readers. I know this is an article about publishing for free and yes you absolutely CAN format in Google Docs, Word, or Pages, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that formatting tools like Vellum (for Mac users) or paid formatting services can make your book look polished and professional. These optional investments aren’t required, but they can help your book stand out in a crowded marketplace.


Understanding Royalties

Although there are no upfront fees to publish on Amazon, the platform takes a percentage of your book’s sales. For Kindle eBooks, you can earn either 70% or 35% royalties, depending on your book’s price and the geographic regions where it’s sold. For print books, royalties are calculated by subtracting the printing cost from the sale price.

For example, if your paperback is priced at $10 and the printing cost is $4, you’ll earn $6 per sale, minus Amazon’s fee. Understanding this structure helps you price your book competitively while maximizing your earnings.


Benefits of Publishing on Amazon for Free

Publishing on Amazon comes with several advantages beyond its zero-cost entry point. For starters, it provides global distribution, allowing your book to reach readers across multiple countries. You retain full control over your book’s rights and pricing, and you can make updates to your manuscript or cover at any time.

Amazon also offers promotional tools like KDP Select, which allows eBooks to be part of Kindle Unlimited, a subscription service that can boost your book’s visibility. Additionally, you can use Amazon Ads to target potential readers and drive sales.


Final Thoughts

Publishing a book on Amazon is an excellent way to share your story or expertise with the world, and the fact that it’s free makes it accessible to virtually anyone. While optional expenses like professional editing, cover design, and formatting can enhance your book’s appeal, the platform itself allows you to publish without any financial barriers.

Whether you’re a first-time author or a seasoned writer, Amazon’s KDP platform is a powerful tool for turning your manuscript into a published book. With careful preparation and thoughtful marketing, you can reach a wide audience and start earning royalties—all without spending a dime upfront.

How to Sell More Books on Amazon

If you’ve self-published your book on Amazon, chances are you’ve spent some time staring at your sales reports (or lack thereof), wondering when those sales are going to start rolling in. That, or you’ve been anxiously refreshing the listing page for your book, waiting for the moment when the BSR (sales rank) indicates that you’ve made some sales.

We’ve all been there. After working for what seems like forever on a book, it can be beyond heartbreaking to log in day after day to find that you’ve made zero sales. What about all that effort you put in?  What about “if you build it, they will come”?   WHY IS NO ONE BUYING YOUR BOOK?

I have many answers to this question, and I’ll start with the simplest one:  did you build an audience before you released your book?

If not, start there.   In fact, I believe in that so strongly, I’ll make it # 1.

1. Build your email list.  In this case, “audience” means email list, and if you don’t have one of those already, can I recommend that you get started on that, like, yesterday?  You need an email list to be a successful author. I would put “email list” even above websites for important things for authors to have. After all, if you don’t have any people, how are you going to get the momentum going for your book?  Many authors learn this the hard way, but just publishing a book on Amazon does not entitle you to book sales. Yes, Amazon has its own built-in audience, but you have to do something to get the momentum going. Ideally, that would mean sending out an announcement about your book to your 10,000+ person email list. an email list is an essential tool for any author who wants to connect with their readers, build their brand, and promote their books effectively. You’ll need a good reader magnet to get people to sign up.

Here is more information (in fact, a whole free book!) about how to set up your email list so people can start signing up.  Seriously.  Get on that!

2.  Put A+ content on your book’s page.  A+ content is essentially an expanded description of your book that includes images, videos, and other rich media. A+ allows authors to showcase their products in a more visually appealing and informative way

A+ content can help you sell books on Amazon in several ways. First, it can help your book stand out from the competition. A+ content provides an opportunity to create a more engaging and informative product page that helps potential customers better understand what your book is about and why they should buy it.  A+ content is free, so why wouldn’t you use it? Any space you can get for free on Amazon, you should take.

Additionally, A+ content can help improve your book’s search ranking on Amazon. By including additional keywords and rich media, you can improve the relevance and visibility of your book to potential customers.

Here is more information about A+ content!

 

3. Take out paid ads on your book (through Amazon)

In case you’re not familiar with paid ads on Amazon, Amazon KDP Advertising is a suite of advertising tools that Amazon offers to sellers and vendors on its platform. It includes several different types of ads, such as sponsored products, sponsored brands, and sponsored display ads. These ads can appear on various parts of the Amazon platform, including search results, product detail pages, and even on external websites.

Amazon Advertising can help you sell more books by increasing the visibility and discoverability of your products on Amazon. By creating targeted advertising campaigns, you can reach potential customers who are actively searching for books similar to yours, or who have shown interest in your book’s genre or topic.

One of the key benefits of Amazon Advertising is that it allows you to track the performance of your ads in real-time. This means you can adjust your campaigns as needed to optimize your ad spend and ensure that you’re getting the best possible return on investment.

To get started with Amazon Advertising, you’ll need to have a seller or vendor account on Amazon. From there, you can create advertising campaigns and set your budget and targeting criteria. Amazon also provides a range of tools and resources to help you get the most out of your advertising campaigns, including analytics and reporting tools, as well as best practices and optimization tips.

Here is more information on amazon ads!

 

4.  Use GoodReads to get the word out about your book. This will work especially well if you are an active GoodReads user, meaning you already know the interface and participate in the community.   You can create a profile on GoodReads, add your book(s), host giveaways, participate in groups, get reviews, and alot more. Plus, GoodReads is owned by Amazon, so that counts for something!  Here is some more information about GoodReads (and a great video interview).

 

How Social Media Fits Into Your Author Platform

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FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In last week’s post on author platform, I broke down the main ‘ingredients’ to your author platform. Today, and in subsequent weeks, I will break each one down into small chunks, starting with social media.

Let’s deconstruct.

What’s great about social media is that we are content curators. What does that mean? It means we share content that we feel resonates in some way with the people who follow us. It’s not the ‘all about me’ channel.

From the article: 

  • Social Media: (typically Twitter, a Facebook, Google+ (or G+ page), and one more visual channel (YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram). Many link to each other so it’s easy to say, post on Instagram and share also on Facebook or Twitter. Keep in mind that social media is not free advertising, nor is it the place to spam ‘Buy my book!’ links. It’s about connecting and building relationships.

TWITTER 

Twitter is by far my favorite social platform, because I love the amount of information and learn so much from others. I’m also able to connect with readers, book bloggers, and book reviewers, any author’s main target. Twitter (or any social media network) won’t sell books for you — it’s not free advertising (a mistake too many authors make); it’s a wonderful way to connect with your reader base, share information not related to your books (more below), and allow readers a peek, if you will, into who you are as a person. If you still think Twitter is about what you ate for lunch, you have MUCH to learn.

What I do. Here’s how I use Twitter for my author account:

  • I share something about every 2 hours (using Hootsuite primarily to schedule things in) while also live tweeting when my writing is done
  • I share quotes by favorite authors — beautiful, lyrical quotes that resonate with me in some way
  • I share links to blog posts that I’ve written on Huffington Post, here on BookPromotion.com, on my two blogs (author and business) as well as posts by others.
  • I share pictures curated from all over the web (primarily Pinterest and Flickr), anything colorful (flowers) or beautiful (landscapes or cute animals or food) that catches my eye
  • I will only very occasionally promote my current release Broken Pieces, and typically only when it’s on promotion, hit #1 on a list, or won an award
  • I’ve created some visuals out of my poetry using Pinstamatic (a great free application), which allows me to share short excerpts or lines without being overly ‘salesy.’
  • Occasional videos, if they resonate with me.

Branding is important here — you want to be consistent in what you share. So, for example, I share articles on my author account about books and book-related topics, social media, Nutella (what), sexual abuse, women’s issues, indie authors. I have created a dripfeed of relevant articles (I love Pluggio for this reason), which once a day (or more, you can set it to any schedule you want) drips news articles onto my feed. This saves me so much time and I’m still able to share ‘branded’ content that’s not all about me.

Spam. As mentioned above, spamming your links to your own books over and over is about as exciting to readers as watching Curling on the Olympics. Skip it. It’s ineffective, annoying, LOUD, and will not help your sales. Your entire platform — all the various places you share and write — plus advertising and optimization (using keywords/key phrases) will do more for your sales than spamming links on Twitter.

Timing. Though I schedule in and live tweet throughout the day, my feed is busiest in the early morning and early evening. I find that being present at those times is helpful to optimize interactions. It’s different for everyone, though. Check out (free) Tweriod for a personalized report of your optimal engagement times.

FACEBOOK 

While not a huge fan of Facebook, I’m there because my readers are. Most people have a Facebook personal account — even if they rarely use it. As authors, we are required to have a Page (where people ‘like’ it) as opposed to selling a product or service on our personal (friend) wall. Those are Facebook’s official guidelines. Creating a page isn’t difficult or really very time consuming.

I find that I connect with people at a deeper level — meaning real conversations — on my personal account. That carries over to sharing promotional news and updates on my official ‘author’ page or business page (I keep them completely separate, mostly because well, the branding is totally different).

Facebook can be very distracting for me, so I only check in a few times throughout the day. Nighttime is the most active for my friends and followers on this channel, so I spend more time there interacting, sharing, and connecting at night.

GOOGLE+

I find this platform to be helpful in that it’s a Google product, so anything I post there shows up in Google. That’s a win. I’m definitely not as interactive there as I should be, but I check in at least twice daily.

SOMETHING VISUAL 

I avoided Pinterest and Instagram for a long time because well, they seemed confusing. They’re not. I enjoy Pinterest — I find wonderful pictures to share (always giving attribution, of course) as well as utilizing it as a place to share some of my poetry and that of my favorite poets. The only limitation you will find on Pinterest is what to focus on — it’s like going to Original Cheesecake Factory and looking at their book of a menu — how does one choose?

Same branding concepts apply: create boards and pin what interests you.* It’s not difficult, but it can be a time suck. Set a time if you have to.

(*I hear a lot of whining from men that Pinterest is too girly — like any channel, it is what you make it. Yes, there are tons of wedding boards, but I don’t look at those. You can enter just about ANY topic into Search, and someone, somewhere will have pinned it. It’s a great resource and easy to share on other channels.) I also love the ‘group’ boards — a wonderful way to connect with others who have similar interests.

Instagram is easy to use on your smartphone and convenient: snap a pic, share a pic, and it goes to Facebook or Twitter if you choose. Visuals are more memorable and stimulating for us humans — pick one visual format and use it frequently. Not hourly, not even daily, but more than once every few months.

Finally, if video is your thing, YouTube is a must. Create your own videos, share relevant, related content.

TIME 

Nobody has enough time in their day to be everywhere, all the time. What you CAN do, however, is use time-saving applications (all with limited free options) like Hootsuite, Pluggio, and ManageFlitter (that’s my trifecta, right there) to schedule, follow/unfollow, find relevant articles, etc., to curate the content you want to share the most.

What are you thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, and the other channels? Have you found it to help or hurt your writing and sales? Be sure to come back next week, where I will review blogging and website optimization!

 

Using Analytics to Optimize Your Site

The first thing I do when I sit down to my computer each morning—before I check email or even Facebook—is check my site’s Web stats. Knowing who is visiting my site—and what they’re reading while they’re there isn’t just a way to indulge my voyeuristic side. Here, I uncover valuable information about which of my services are generating the most interest, how people are finding me, and who they are. You can also use the information you find in your stats to help discover what your visitors are most interested in and help them find what they’re looking for.

Google Analytics
Whenever I introduce my clients to Google Analytics, they are simultaneously awed and freaked out. If you aren’t already familiar with Analytics, it is a free service from Google to help you monitor and quantify site traffic. You place a small piece of code in your site’s header, which allows Google to collect information on visitors to your site. And how! The level of detail that you can get about your visitors is kind of astounding. You can pinpoint not only the number of daily visitors, but determine which of those folks are new and which are returning.  You see plotted on a map where your visitors are coming from and get estimates on the length of visits and the number of pages browsed per session.

Google Analytics

It’s also interesting to find how visitors are viewing your site—which Web browser (and version)—or mobile device. (This always proves to be a good incentive to get your mobile style sheets in shape.) Perhaps most interesting is the fact that you can see the typical flow a visitor takes to different pages in the site.

While all this information is fascinating, what do you do with it? Well, for starters, this information helps you identify the dead ends. For instance, if your goals are to lead visitors to your book pages, are they finding their way there? How are they getting there? Are they following through to read excerpts, and from there are they purchasing?

Choreograph their visits. If you are finding people are getting stuck on a particular page, make sure to add links to other relevant parts of the site. Is there a particularly hot blog post—even from your archives—that is pulling people in? Use that real estate to lead people to other parts of the site that they might not discover otherwise.

No discussion of analytics is complete without also addressing conversions. Google defines conversions as “the completion of an activity on your site that is important to the success of your business.” This can include completing a contact form, subscribing to a newsletter, or completing a purchase. You can use the Analytics interface to set up different goals, and then measure how you are measuring up to those goals over time.

This is just the briefest introduction to Analytics. My suggestion is to start collecting data on your visitors and make a habit of reviewing that information so you can improve the way you market yourself online.

WordPress.com Jetpack
If you are using WordPress, I strongly encourage you to enable the Jetpack stats from WordPress.com in addition to Google Analytics. While Analytics is extremely powerful, site traffic monitoring is still a relatively new science. It makes a lot of sense to cross-reference your statistics with another system to get a more complete picture about your site visitation.

Jetpack

WordPress.com users are probably already familiar with the stats program, which includes concise stats about the things that you are probably already most interested in knowing about your site—top posts and pages, search engine terms, clicks, and referrers. The stats program is now being offered to WordPress.org users as well as part of the free Jetpack plug-in, which runs the analytics in the cloud, so there is no additional load on your server.

When viewing my stats via Jetpack, I tend to compare my allover visitation to my Google Analytics numbers. And then I spend a good amount of time seeing what sites are referring users to my site. This is helpful, because in some instances, my articles have been quoted or retweeted, bringing in new traffic without my prior knowledge. This gives me the opportunity to connect with the referrer (if only to thank them) and hopefully continue to build that relationship.

I also like to see which posts and pages are the most viewed this week—and over time. This gives me an idea of what kind of services and topics there is a demand for. Plus, I get a great look into the search engine terms that are helping users find my site. This gives me a great window into what’s working—and what isn’t—for my SEO.

Stats can give you a nice peek behind the curtain of how people are using your site—information that you can use to make your site even better. Plus, seeing how people connect with your site is a gratifying way to how your work is being consumed online.

Lisa Hazen is a Chicago-based Web Designer specializing in author sites. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, or the WWW. mailto:lisa@lisahazen.com

The Amazon Book Marketing/ Publishing Graveyard– an Ongoing List of Discontinued Programs (Plus a Brainstorm!)

In case you don’t read your Kindle author newsletter (and why would you, really?), Amazon’s Kindle Vella program is about to be ding dong dead.

Amazon has discontinued several programs related to books over the years, and this is our running list of those. These programs often catered to niche audiences or provided specific tools and opportunities for authors and readers.  Some of them failed because they were dumb (like StarMeter), and some failed because Amazon didn’t publicize them enough (like MatchBook, which was and still is a great idea), and some got subsumed into other (hopefully better) programs like Kindle Unlimited.

Here’s an overview of some notable discontinued Amazon book-related programs:


1. Amazon Giveaways
(2015 – 2019)

  • What it Was: Allowed authors and creators to host giveaways for books or other items directly on Amazon.
  • What It Did: It was a way for authors to promote their books and increase visibility by encouraging social shares and participation.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Amazon retired the program in October 2019, likely due to limited adoption or profitability.
  • The Workaround:  If your readers loved giveaways, keep doing them by using KingSumo, Gleam, or Rafflecopter.  Of course, never do a giveaway without having a solid reader magnet/ email signup in the book you are giving away!  That goes without saying, right?  RIGHT?!

2. Kindle Scout/ Kindle Press
(2014 – 2018) 

  • What it Was: A crowdsourcing platform where authors submitted manuscripts, and readers voted on which ones should be published under Kindle Press.
  • What It Did: It gave authors a chance at traditional-like publishing with Amazon’s support, while readers could participate in the selection process.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Kindle Scout program ended in April 2018. Amazon shifted focus toward other publishing initiatives and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). For some unknown reason (even thought Amazon is still perfectly capable of offering publishing services), Kindle Press was also discontinued at this time.
  • A Workaround:  The “crowdsourcing” element could be handled by a GoFundMe, I suppose. Joanna Penn covers author GoFundMes in more depth if that interests you.
  • A Word of Caution:  There’s really no workaround for this, as Amazon is just not offering publishing services anymore. However, I do just want to make you aware of a scam in the vanity press industry that developed after this program closed:  the “Amazon Publishing” problem. This is when a vanity press will use the name “Amazon Professional Publishers” or a similar name to give authors the impression that they are working with Amazon. Just for the record, AMAZON DOES NOT OFFER PUBLISHING SERVICES, so do not give your money to any company that represents themselves in this way is trying to scam you. Here is a whole Reddit post where you can read more about some of those.

3. Amazon Author Central Customer Discussions
Discontinued in 2018

  • What it Was: A forum where readers could discuss books with authors through that author’s Author Central page.
  • What It Did: It facilitated direct interaction between authors and readers.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Amazon removed the feature, citing low engagement and a shift toward more modern methods of author-reader interaction, like social media. I think this is dumb. I feel like they were just sick of dealing with authors bugging them (just my conspiraspeculation).

4. Amazon MatchBook

  • What it Was: Allowed customers to purchase discounted Kindle versions of books they had already purchased in print.
  • Why It Mattered: It was a win-win for readers who wanted both physical and digital copies and for authors seeking more sales.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Amazon ended the program in 2019, likely due to insufficient usage.
  • The Workaround:  Offer the matching eBook for free to people who buy your print books. It’s a good way to get email subscribers.  I wrote all about that right here.

5. Kindle Worlds

  • What it Was: A platform where authors could write and sell fan fiction based on licensed worlds (e.g., “The Vampire Diaries” or “G.I. Joe”).
  • Why It Mattered: It legitimized fan fiction as a publishing model, allowing authors to earn royalties and reach established fanbases.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Ended in August 2018 due to declining participation and possibly challenges in managing licensing agreements.

6. CreateSpace

  • What it Was: Amazon’s self-publishing platform for print-on-demand books before it was absorbed into Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
  • Why It Mattered: It was a user-friendly way for authors to publish and distribute physical books.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Merged into KDP in 2018 to streamline Amazon’s self-publishing services.
  • The Workaround:  You don’t really need one because this just got folded into KDP, but some alternatives to Amazon book publishing are:  IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble,

7. Amazon Unlimited Lending Library (for Prime Members)
(2011 – 2014)

  • What it Was: Offered Prime members the ability to borrow one Kindle book per month from a selection of titles.
  • Why It Mattered: Provided an incentive for authors enrolled in KDP Select and allowed readers to discover books without buying them outright.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Replaced by Kindle Unlimited, a subscription-based service with broader access to titles.
  • The Workaround: Put your book in Kindle Unlimited, but don’t put it in there without a solid reader magnet/ email signup! If you’re going to limit your reach like that, you better get something good in return!

8. Starmeter on Author Central
(R.I.P 2016)

  • What it Was: A ranking system based on an author’s popularity, similar to IMDb’s Starmeter for actors.
  • What It Did: Gave authors insight into their visibility and popularity.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Removed as part of a broader overhaul of the Author Central platform, and (probably) because it was kind of lame and no one used it.
  • The Workaround:  I mean….. there really isn’t one, aside from social media, I guess?  You don’t need to be a “star author.” You need your books to be bestsellers, so use Publisher Champ to monitor your books’ rankings and sales.

9. Amazon Vine for Self-Published Books
(2007 – 2016)

  • What it Was: Allowed self-published authors to submit books for reviews by Amazon Vine members (trusted reviewers).
  • What It Did: Gave self-published authors access to professional reviews that could boost their book’s credibility.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Amazon restricted Vine participation to larger publishers and higher-priced products, phasing out books, because why would they want to help indie authors?

10. Kindle Serials
(2012 – 2014)

  • What it Was: A platform for serialized storytelling where readers could purchase a series upfront and receive installments as they were published.
  • What It Did: Encouraged a unique format of storytelling and reader engagement.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Removed around 2014, as interest in serialized formats diminished.

11. Amazon Storyteller
(2013 – 2015)

  • What it Was: A tool that allowed authors to turn their books into graphic novels using automated technology.
  • Why It Mattered: Made visual storytelling accessible to authors without artistic expertise.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Amazon stopped supporting the tool, likely due to limited demand.

12. Amazon Write On
(2014 – 2017)

  • What it Was: A writing and reading community similar to Wattpad, where authors could share drafts and receive feedback from readers.
  • Why It Mattered: It created a platform for new authors to test their work with an audience before publishing.
  • Why It Was Discontinued: Shut down in 2017 due to competition from other platforms and lack of user growth. In other words, Wattpad did it better so why compete with them?
  • Workaround:  Wattpad! Especially if you are a


13. Kindle Vella
(2021 – TBD)

  • Dates: Launched in July 2021, discontinuation date TBD (not officially discontinued but has limited adoption).
  • What it Is: A platform for serialized storytelling, where readers unlock episodes using tokens.
  • Alternative/Workaround:
    • Use Radish Fiction, Wattpad, or Substack for serialized storytelling.
    • Offer serialized chapters through Patreon or via an email newsletter.
    • Publish serialized content as shorter eBooks on KDP and later compile them into a single volume.

14. The Amazon Textbook Buyback Program

  • Dates: 2011- 2020
  • What it Is: allowed customers to sell their used textbooks and other eligible books back to Amazon in exchange for Amazon gift cards.
  • Alternative/Workaround:

While these programs no longer exist, they reflect Amazon’s continuous experimentation with ways to support authors and readers. Many of these ideas live on in different forms, such as through KDP, Kindle Unlimited, and Amazon’s ongoing focus on tools for indie authors. For authors, the lesson is clear: keep adapting to the ever-changing publishing landscape.

A Book Marketing Plan Template

Marketing a book in today’s competitive publishing landscape requires more than just writing a great story—it demands a strategic (laser focused) approach that connects with readers and builds lasting engagement. Whether you’re a debut author or a seasoned writer, implementing a comprehensive marketing strategy can significantly impact your book’s success.

Also, don’t get upset with me if/ when you see things in this plan that you didn’t know you needed!  That’s what we’re here for, right?  If you didn’t have all of this in place for your first book, so be it!  You didn’t know what you didn’t know. Put it all in place now.

Setting the Foundation: Goals and Audience

Before diving into marketing tactics, authors must establish clear, measurable objectives. Are you aiming to sell a specific number of copies, build a robust email list, or establish yourself as an authority in your genre? These goals will serve as your compass throughout the marketing journey.

This is the “get your head on straight” step in any good checklist.

The Non-Negotiable Author Platform

Before you even think about launching your book, you must have three critical elements in place: a professional website, a compelling reader magnet, and an email list setup. This isn’t optional—it’s absolutely essential for success in today’s publishing landscape. Your website serves as your digital headquarters, where readers can learn about you, your books, and your unique voice. A reader magnet—whether it’s a free novella, short story collection, or exclusive content—is your key to building an email list. This valuable freebie entices readers to subscribe to your newsletter, creating a direct line of communication with your audience. Your email list is arguably your most valuable marketing asset; it’s the only platform you truly own and control. Without these three foundational elements in place, you’re essentially launching your book into a void. Take the time to set up these crucial components properly before your launch—your book’s success depends on it.

In case you don’t have any of these things in place and you’re tempted to just skip this section, go ahead, but soon I will prove to you that you have to gave this in place. 🙂

Building Your Author Brand

Your author brand is more than just a logo or website—it’s the complete package that represents you and your work to the world. A professional website serves as your digital home base, featuring your biography, book information, and contact details. Develop a consistent visual identity, including a distinctive color scheme and tagline that aligns with your genre and writing style. Get a great author photo taken (or take one yourself!) and include it across your entire platform. You want to do this as a job, so get your network looking super professional and together!

Pre-Launch Strategy: Creating Buzz

The groundwork for successful book marketing begins long before your publication date. Start by ensuring your book is market-ready with an eye-catching cover, compelling description, and strategic keyword optimization for platforms like Amazon.

Create excitement through a multi-faceted pre-launch campaign:

  • Distribute Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) to influential reviewers and bloggers and to your own ARC team (which you created by segmenting your email list)
  • Share strategic social media content, including behind-the-scenes glimpses and countdown teasers
  • Create a dedicated landing page for pre-orders and book information, then email your list about that to spark some momentum in the Amazon Sales Ranks. BookFunnel is a good tool to use for this kind of thing.
  • If you have absolutely no followers / fans/ people on your email list, I’m sorry, but the only things to do are the “follower funnel method” that no one likes, or the “launch with zero, then pay” method.  Pick one and go with it! Don’t get upset!

SEE!  It literally took two paragraphs before we got to something where you absolutely need an email list. This is exactly why I will never shut up about that reader magnet/ email signup, guys!

Launch Time: Maximizing Impact

Your book’s launch window presents a crucial opportunity for building momentum. Host engaging virtual events like livestream Q&As or book readings to connect directly with readers. Leverage targeted advertising on platforms where your audience spends time, whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Don’t overlook traditional media outreach—a well-crafted press release can open doors to valuable coverage.

Sustaining Success: Post-Launch Strategies

The work doesn’t end once your book hits the shelves. Maintain engagement through:

  • Regular reader interactions via book club discussions and virtual meet-ups
  • Content marketing initiatives that showcase your expertise and book’s themes
  • Active collection and showcase of reader reviews and testimonials
  • Strategic promotional campaigns, including limited-time discounts or special bundles

Measuring and Adapting

Success in book marketing requires continuous monitoring and adjustment. Track key metrics including sales figures, website traffic, social media engagement, and advertising performance. Use this data to refine your approach, doubling down on effective strategies while revising or replacing underperforming tactics.

Putting It All Together: A Real-World Example

Consider this scenario: You’re launching a fantasy novel with a goal of selling 1,000 copies in six months. Your research shows your target audience consists of fantasy readers aged 18-34 who are active on Instagram and Goodreads. You develop a dark, mysterious brand aesthetic with the tagline “Unraveling worlds one page at a time.”

Your marketing plan might include:

  • A pre-order campaign featuring exclusive bonus content
  • Targeted Instagram advertising to reach fantasy enthusiasts
  • Strategic ARC distribution to social media influencers, genre bloggers, and your own ARC list
  • An interactive virtual launch event
  • Regular blog content focused on fantasy world-building

The Path to Success

Book marketing is both an art and a science, requiring creativity, strategic thinking, and consistent effort. By approaching it systematically—from setting clear goals to monitoring results—you create a solid foundation for your book’s success. Remember that marketing is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor; adapt these strategies to align with your unique voice, audience, and objectives.

As you implement your marketing plan, stay flexible and ready to adapt to changing market conditions and reader responses. With dedication and strategic execution, you can create a marketing campaign that not only drives book sales but also builds a lasting connection with your readers.

Which One Social Media Site Is Best For Authors?

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FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Someone asked me this yesterday: If you have to choose only one social media channel for authors, which would you recommend?

It felt a little like Sophie’s Choice. It’s just not possible to pick one channel because each is designed differently — we are instinctively drawn to the layout of one over another, which makes it impossible for me to say which is best for you. Additionally, you need to go where your readers are.

Let’s review our options:

 

TWITTER 

I personally started on Facebook first (after avoiding it for years), and didn’t love it. When my mid-20-ish niece suggested Twitter, I balked. Isn’t that for young people who talk about raves and tats? She patiently explained that she used it for getting her blog posts out there and even to job search. This was in 2009.

Once I checked it out, I saw that she was right. Twitter is a great marketing tool if that’s how you use it. And when I say marketing, I don’t mean one-way broadcasting, which is completely different and not at all effective. Twitter is great for relationship-building, as a news source, an information resource, and as part of my marketing research. Sure, I share occasional self-promotional tweets and posts, but no more than one every few days. If you change your paradigm from ‘I have to sell more books!’ to ‘Relationship-building will help create fans for life,’ you’ll tweet much differently.

I encourage any author, no matter your age, to look at Twitter through that lens, and to take the time to read a few articles on how to properly use it (read here, my site BadRedheadMedia.com, Mashable, Media Bistro, and tons of others).

FACEBOOK

There has always been this kind of weird rivalry between people who love Facebook and hate Twitter with people who love Twitter and hate Facebook. Honestly, I look at it from a marketing perspective and find them both indispensable. Sure, you will find yourself more comfortable with one format over the other — typically, Facebook caters to an older demographic and that makes sense: learning new skills is more difficult based on our inherent bias. If something is seemingly hard, we judge it before trying it. We are humans go for whatever is easiest and requires the least amount of time and effort.

(Not always the best choice for your marketing efforts. Kids are more open to trying new things because they don’t have that bias yet. So think like a kid and be open to learning something new, i.e., Facebook, or Twitter.)

Regardless, Facebook is a great way to connect with readers on several levels: via an account (where you ‘friend’), pages (where you get LIKES and sell stuff), and groups (where you connect on a deeper level). According to Facebook guidelines, you need to have a page for any selling efforts. Using your personal account to sell is technically against Facebook guidelines.

I find I’m much more active on Twitter during the day and Facebook in the evening. You’ll find your groove once you’ve been on the different channels for awhile.

GOOGLE+

When Google Plus started out several years ago, people viewed it as the redheaded stepchild of the social media world. Early adapters understood quickly how it worked, but the majority of us didn’t get it: circles, accounts, pages, oh my. Why all the options? It seemed so confusing!

Now, however, Google has done something very smart (some say tricky): they give more credit in their algorithm to members of Google+, which means you will not only rank higher but your posts show up higher in search. Not only that, they have Authorship — something Lori has discussed previously so I won’t go into it here — but let’s just say if you’re an author, you need to sign up for Authorship.

HOOTSUITE (OR TWEETDECK) & OTHER THIRD-PARTY APPS 

Okay, so these are the main three any author must be on. Add in your Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube (smart, also a Google product), LinkedIn, and who has time to write? Right?

Wrong. This is where third-party applications like Hootsuite come in. I prefer the layout of Hootsuite to the others — there’s also Pluggio, Sprout Social, Tweetdeck of  course, and BufferApp to name a few), but this is my main platform. Why? I can add ALL OF MY ACCOUNTS right in one place. I can schedule in some, live interact, etc. It’s not difficult and it’s a great way to save time.

So there you have it. Maybe not  the easy answer you wanted, but a realistic one. Got questions? Ask away!

 

Are You a Bestseller?

How do you know if you are a bestseller? Or more properly, whether your book is a bestseller. Well, as with many things in today’s publishing world, the answer is “that depends”. I get asked this quite often, and while this used to be a very cut and dried answer, in today’s world of Top 100 lists on every retailer’s website, that question is a bit more complex. The lists may vary by hardcover, paperback and ebook. They may vary whether they are fiction or non-fiction (it is rumored that the NY Times created the children’s book category when Harry Potter dominated). If your book isn’t in bookstores that use BookScan (run by Nielson, they provide point of sale data for books), well, that may mean you never make some lists no matter how many ebooks you sell on Amazon.

Riversong as a bestseller
Riversong at #1 – Booktrope

Here is a rundown of some of the most popular bestseller lists.

New York Times – the most traditional, and by far the most coveted by authors. Also, by far the most manipulated, and likely influenced by advertising dollars (says anecdotal evidence). According to official information, the data is based on a proprietary methodology, but is said to be derived from actual consumer sales. Interestingly, they state they do not track certain types of titles including self-published work – however, several self-published titles have appeared on the list, so it seems as though there is some flexibility in this rule.

“Among the categories not actively tracked at this time are: perennial sellers, required classroom reading, textbooks, reference and test preparation guides, journals, workbooks, calorie counters, shopping guides, comics, crossword puzzles and self-published books.”

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the full description of the methodology.

USA Today – another traditional media source but by all appearances more universal and less arbitrary than the NY Times. They are fairly open about their methods.

From their site: 

Methodology: Each week, USA TODAY collects sales data from booksellers representing a variety of outlets: bookstore chains, independent bookstores, mass merchandisers and online retailers. Using that data, we determine the week’s 150 top-selling titles. The first 50 are published in the print version of USA TODAY each Thursday, and the top 150 are published on the USA TODAY website. Each week’s analysis reflects sales of about 2.5 million books at about 7,000 physical retail outlets in addition to books sold online.

Book formats and rankings: USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list ranks titles regardless of format. Each week, for each title, available sales of hardcover, paperback and e-book versions are combined. If, for example, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice sells copies in hardcover, paperback and e-book during a particular week, sales from each format would be reflected in that week’s ranking. The ISBN for the format that sold the most copies is presented with each list entry.

Digital Book World – by far the most clear about their methods (although also up front that they do not tell us everything) and as one would surmise, focused on ebooks:

The basic methodology (according to their site):

1) Best-seller rank observed from five of six top retailers (Kindle, Nook, Google, Kobo, Sony)
2) Lists observed for seven consecutive days (Sun. – Sat.)*
3) Each appearance on a list gets an unweighted score based on the ranking
4) Ranking scores are logarithmically determined (i.e. top scores are much more valuable than lower scores)
5) Each retailer weighted by approximate market share as determined by the editors of Digital Book World and Iobyte Solutions
6) Additional appearance credit is awarded for appearing on multiple lists
7) Combined scores for the week determine final score for each title
8) Titles are ranked by final scores and also grouped into sub-lists by price (four separate price-band lists: $0 – $2.99; $3.00 – $7.99; $8.00 – $9.99; and $10.00 and above)
9) Minimum price that appeared at any point during the week on any retailer is used for determine price band (assumption that low price is an important driver of ranking)

Amazon – gives no information at all about how their lists are determined, aside from being directly tied to the sales rank. They even say as much on their own site. I can tell you from experience that book sales are not the full story. Click throughs, reviews, print vs. ebook purchases, all seem to have weight. And of course, there is a free versus paid rank to consider.

iTunes – a total mystery. They don’t even tell you how many “rankings” you need before they will display them (my own experiments say “5”). One of our authors made it to their “Top Author” list, but we have no idea why, specifically. However, if you do make it to the top somehow, you will sell more books.

Nook – this is one case where sales seem to be almost the entire driver. Sell the most, top the list. (I couldn’t even find anything on their site to link to. , if you do, please tell me in Comments!)

Kobo – simple, they don’t have bestseller lists. They don’t even have reviews.

So, how do you know if you get to call yourself a bestseller? As with many things, this is primarily marketing. For me, I say someone can call themselves a bestseller, once they have made it to #1 in an overall paid listing. In other words, I wouldn’t consider a book that was #1 on the free list on Amazon to be a best seller (nothing was actually sold). I also would not make that claim if something was #1 only in its specific category, unless you make that detailed claim i.e. #1 Bestselling Erotica Title on Amazon.

I guess the real question is, does claiming to be a bestseller improve your sales? Probably not. On the other hand, being on the actual list certainly improves your visibility and that WILL improve your sales. In other words, there are no shortcuts. Do the work, get the sales.

Happy marketing!