Joshua Pearson - April 1, 2021This week, the hosts discuss their book launch checklists, such as download bonuses, book covers, editing, newsletter and social media announcements, and other things that help them stay focused and get the ball rolling for new releases. To finish, they answer listeners’ questions on Amazon KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited compared to going wide into all of the bookstores.
Listener Questions for KU/Wide:
Is there a way to straddle both successfully? I love being wide but almost all of my comparable authors are in KU or are trad published. Would it be better to put series in KU a couple of months after publishing wide the last book in the series or book by book?
A lot of the commentary on the advantages of going wide seem to involve having a dedicated representative on the different platforms to help set up campaigns, getting spotlighted, merchandising, etc. Is this a key item in being successful wide, or more of a nice to have but not necessary?
I once spent a lot of time and several hundred dollars sending traffic to Kobo, thinking I might build some traction there over time. Imagine my delight when I discovered their site was completely down and all the traffic had gone nowhere. I couldn’t believe a major retailer like that would have their whole site down for hours. I couldn’t take them seriously after that. At least when I throw traffic at Amazon, I know the site will be there 24/7.
What about selling direct or on Kickstarter? Lindsay touched on her Patreon distribution briefly, but part of being wide/non-Amazon exclusive is also being able to sell ebooks on your own website.
I’d love to know at what point you decided to start a Patreon to allow non-KU readers to get your books before they go exclusive?
Thank you for listening, and thank you to Joshua Pearson for producing the show.
