I’m now entering a second 90-day period with KDP Select. I suspect this will be the last for me. The experiment has been worth it, in terms of getting my work into the hands and minds of new readers. Giving away many free books kept my books high up in the rankings for a considerable period of time after the free promotion ended and significantly increased my visibility and, more significantly, my sales.
However, with the advent of Amazon’s new ranking algorithm, that advantage has come to an end. There is no longer a 1-1 ratio between books uploaded as freebies and books sold. Therefore, your book drops in the rankings quickly as soon as your promotion ends and there is no rebound effect. The law of diminishing returns…
As I said, KDP Select has been a valuable promotional tool because it made my books visible, i.e., discoverable, to the casual reader. This is no longer true.
Therefore the value of enrolling in Amazon’s KDP Select program has just been nullified for me. If I’d known about the change in algorithm before I enrolled for a second 90 day period for all my books, I wouldn’t have bothered. Instead I’d have made my titles available via multiple outlets, as I did before the advent of KDP Select.
I figured it was too good to last. But then, most things are.
I’m sorry about the change and it not being a good one. I did the 90 day select program and found no benefit in it. Glad it helped you for the first round.
What is it they say, ‘if it looks to good to be true, it usually isn’t too good at all’
But at least you tried
xx
So would you still recommend it for first-time self-pubbers as a promotional tool for one period? What do you think?
That’s a bummer. I heard about the change and wondered how it would impact indie authors.
Well, I don’t know what will happen for me, but I AM planning to renew. I am just finishing my first 90 days with KDP Select, and I have to say that it has made a huge difference. I went from selling 1 or 2 books a day before signing on to selling ten times that amount after my free promotional days were over. I continue to see an uptick in sales. I’ve been charting my progress and will continue to do so during the second 90 day period.
I think Amazon changes occasionally just to mess with us. Personally, I believe if we could look at the book info in a more Netflixian way (with a mouseover) more books would sell. More clicks = fewer sales.
I enrolled too late for it to be of any benefit. I’m sharing my disappointing experience tomorrow.
Bummer it’s not working for you now, but I’m curious - what is the ratio now if not 1-1?
Seems like KDP Select is going to only be good for traditionally published books or for authors that already have a name.
I’ve also read that Amazon’s new algorithms will hurt 99¢ books.
You can’t blame them much. They are out to make money. Too bad for the Indie then. The only way we will survive is if we get together. Check out how we’re helping to do that.
Doggone it, I missed the window again. KDP select might still be a good way to promote a new book — you can put chapters of the new book at the back of a short story or old book that you put up for free.
Hi Marie. I’m on the fence about new books. Might be worth a try. You’re only out 90 days.
Mark, you may be right. And no, I don’t blame Amazon. Amazon is a business. The algorithm will definitely hurt the $.99 books, which is a shame because there’s nothing I love more than a good short story. I agree those of us who are indies need to help each other. I work with other authors. I’ll check out your site too.
Hi Avery - it’s not that it’s not working, it’s that it’s not working well enough to be worth my while. If I don’t re-sign, I can sell via other venues and achieve the same results. I’m not sure of the new ratio - from what I’ve read it is anywhere from 1:5 to 1:15. From my stats I’d say more like 1:15.
Amelia, I really want to read your post. Sounds very interesting.
Hi Steph. I think Amazon is just looking at their bottom line. And it’s sort of ye olde bait and switch.
Hi Holly - yes, I’ve had a huge bump in sales of all my books, but when I take into consideration the change selling via other outlets might make it a wash.
Yeah, Casey, there is an impact and I am one who has sold quite well. KDP Select helped me.
I don’t know, Penny. Maybe.
Yes, Tom and it did increase my sales tremendously. I just don’t know that in the future it will increase them enough to merit exclusivity.
Sorry to hear that, Amber. Yes, it’s been a boon for me, but that’s changing.
I recently enrolled for the first time. Hasn’t really done much for me yet! I haven’t yet used the free promotional days. I wonder how that will go… I’m not planning to re-enroll at the end of the 90 day period!
Hi Rachel. KDP Select is a tool to increase visibility. If it no longer performs that function, it’s not worth it. See how things go after your free promotion. I did learn this - just my opinion - don’t split your free days - use all five days at one time. Begin your marketing campaign on a Wednesday and run it through the weekend. After some experimentation, this seems to work best for me.
Julia, you mentioned Amazon is changing their algorithm. How did you find out about this?
I plan on writing something short and self-pubbing it to see how it goes. Maybe I’ll now make it longer and sell it for more than 99 cents. My opinion is that only short stories should sell for 99 cents, never novellas or, even worse, full length novels.
Thanks,
Linda
Hi Linda. Here are a few articles: the first is not the easiest to understand.
http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/understanding-amazons-new-algorithms-is-as-easy-as-abc/
http://www.crimefictioncollective.blogspot.com/2012/05/is-free-ride-really-over.html
http://www.publetariat.com/business-end/amazons-ever-changing-algorithms-oops-they-did-it-again
Thanks, Julia. As you said, hard to understand, but I appreciate it.
Linda
I don’t like book ranking systems in general-if that is what the algorhythm refers to. Thet tend to have an unfair influence on readers. Let people decide what they want to buy without rankings that are based on complicated statistics. I often don’t even read reader reviews when it comes to buying books…same with movies. It’s a matter of personal taste.
Julia, at least you got some good exposure..and you tried it out.
I have mixed feelings, Evie. As an indie author, you want to know how well you’re doing. You need feedback. And it’s good to get your book on a page with other popular books in the same genre. However, Amazon’s system is very complex. Probably unnecessarily complex.
Yes, I agree, both books and movies are a matter of personal taste.
I didn’t have any luck with select but I also wasn’t savvy enough to do free books with it. I need a publicist.
we were just made aware of the new algorithm as well and have come to the same conclusion. i have cut off my sales in australia and new zealand (who were purchasing my book via itunes) for the sake of the kdp select program. as of july, we are reconsidering our commitment to the program, especially if nothing changes between now and then. at the very least it has given us a few free days we can use for promotion of our next title’s release. but, as you said, its benefits have stopped outweighing its sacrifices.
Hi Peter. Thanks for stopping by. I’m keeping an eye on my sales and rankings. I’ve heard Amazon may go back to more of a 1:1 ratio, but I’m not making any assumptions. Probably will not re-enlist after this second 90 day period.