I’m sure you’ve heard some rumblings about the major drop in what Amazon is paying authors in their Kindle Unlimited program. Due to this large decrease, many authors are looking at different book platforms as part of their options for revenue. While I’m not an author who makes writing my full-time job, my income from books took a direct hit with the decrease in what Amazon is paying per page read. That being said, I *do* already have a handful of books available outside of Kindle Unlimited (which means they are available for sale on Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, my Payhip website, Smashwords, and Kobo—where they’ve just been enrolled in Kobo Plus which is an exciting new subscription service) and I already had plans for my Blueridge Junction Boys to leave Kindle Unlimited and move to these wide platforms (these three titles and the box set are now available on ALL platforms!). The BJ Boys are still available on Amazon, just not to borrow on Kindle Unlimited (this was a decision I made last year because these titles just aren’t making any money in KU these days).
Moving forward, I will let readers know when books will be leaving Kindle Unlimited if I’m able. To that point, Power Struggle and Buried Secrets will possibly be leaving Kindle Unlimited in early May. What this means for you is that you’ll want to read those titles on KU if you haven’t already. They will continue to be available for permanent purchase on Amazon and all of the platforms listed above.
I’m not choosing to leave Kindle Unlimited completely at this point (and my actions *now* don’t mean I won’t at some point move these books back into KU) but I’ve been considering taking my lower earning books wide for a while and the huge decrease in pay from Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited this past month simply encouraged my decision.
Looking ahead, I predict His Reluctant Cowboy and Take Me Home may be the next titles to move from Kindle Unlimited in June and July respectively.
At this point, my plan for future releases is to release into Kindle Unlimited first and consider going to wide platforms later. Depending on what Amazon does with their KU program, this plan is subject to change.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Kindle Unlimited as both an author and a reader. However, from a business perspective, I have to keep an eye on my bottom line. When a large company continues to take and take and take from its authors, it’s only best practice to look into additional options.
Finally, my books aren’t going away 🙂 some of them will just be available on additional platforms along with Amazon in the future.
