SPA Girls Podcast – EP160 – Wide Versus Exclusive – Which Is Better?
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It’s one of the big questions in the Indie author space, and hotly debated by many on either side. This week we talk about the pros and cons of going wide on all platforms versus going exclusive to Amazon.
No one seems to have a definitive answer to whether it’s better to do one or the other, and it can seem confusing and overwhelming. So the SPA Girls sat down and worked through what it means to go wide on all the publishing platforms, what you’ll get from it that you won’t get if you’re exclusive, and what you’ll be missing out – and then we do the same for the decision to go exclusive with Amazon.
If you’ve been worrying over whether you should go wide on all platforms, or go exclusive to Amazon when you publish your next book, this episode will give you the answers you’ve been looking for.
What Exclusive on Amazon means:
Ebooks only
You will be published exclusively with KDP for 90-days
Access to KU (Kindle Unlimited) which is monthly $9.99 subscription service to readers. They are limited to borrowing 10 books at a time.
Your ebook is in KU for a 3 month period.
Author is paid per page read. The amount received changes monthly, dependent on the global fund. It is then divided by the total number of pages read.
For example, $16.3 million / 3 billion pages = $0.0054 per page read.
PROS
Access to promotional opportunities.
Borrows count towards rankings.
Helps build an audience for new authors.
KU offers discoverability when you’re starting out.
Loading to one platform is easier. One file to format!
Amazon is the big fish in ebook retailers – with enormous market share of 80% (in US & UK) … iBooks is next with just 9% in the US
CONS
Exclusivity can be scary. Having all your eggs in one basket!!
Amazon can also change the rules on you at any time, and there is little you can do about it if you are locked into a pre-determined timeline for exclusive distribution.
What going Wide means: publishing on all retailer platforms you can access including Amazon, iBooks, Nook, Kobo either directly or through an aggregator such as Draft 2 Digital.
GOING WIDE PROS
Permafree (first in series)/promo opportunities
If Amazon makes changes you have income still coming in. Not reliant on one income stream.
Wider readership.
Potentially make more money if not in KU as readers have to purchase your book.
CONS
It’smore work loading your books to multiple platforms.
KU can be a large part of an author’s income.
Marketing time and expense is needed to build readership
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
How much do I want to learn?
How much time do I have to give?
Where is my readership?
Remember, nothing is set in stone, so if it’s not working, then you can change things.
Marketing tips:
- If Wide, where possible upload to retailer directly
- If Wide, make sure your website has links to all retailers. Update your website with links to all retailers.
- If Wide, utilise permafree, first in series and focus fbk/bookbub/newsletters on that
- Don’t forget on social media – make sure you post links to all stores.
- If you’re not getting reads in KU TRY wide – treat them as a new release even if they’ve been out for ages.
- BE PATIENT -wide takes a while to build
- Have a clear marketing and publishing strategy in mind: wide suits authors with a large backlist.
- Non-Amazon readers tend to be less price sensitive, but make sure your books fit in exactly with the traditionally published covers.
- With KU so popular in some genres, it can be easier to gain visibility and traction with the other retailers.
- Diversifying your income streams makes a lot of sense for authors both financially AND emotionally /stress-wise.
- If you have prev KU readers complaining, remind them that your wide books can be read (if you tick the boxes in D2D for playstr and scribd) that they can get a free subscription trial there)
Keen to join the SPA Girls in a live workshop next year? Join our mailing list here and we’ll let you know the minute we have workshop bookings open. Info here: https://selfpublishingworkshop.co.nz/index.html
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