I’ve really been struggling with trying to decide whether to stick with Amazon exclusively, or to go with WIDE publishing. In order to have my ebooks available on Kindle Unlimited (free to read with monthly subscription), they have to be exclusive to Amazon. That means they’re not available in Nook (Barnes & Noble), Kobo, Google Play or Apple Books. So I might be missing out on sales by not having them available on those platforms. But… MOST of my royalties at this point (about 70+%) come from KU page reads. A full read-through on KU pays about the same royalties as if I’d actually sold a copy of the book. So I might lose the current royalties I already get. Keeping mind my books will still be on Amazon, just not *exclusive* to Amazon, just not in KU. On the other hand, we’re not talking about a significant amount of money; I can take myself out to dinner someplace reasonably nice for a steak once a month on my royalties. No risk, no gain… and the financial risk is, honestly, pretty negligible.
But there’s a happiness risk. It’s not just about the royalties for me. When I see a book sale, or a bunch of KU page reads, I don’t squeal “money!” …. I’m jumping up and down squealing “somebody’s reading my book!” and I get all excited about that. That’s what keeps me going, that’s why I write and publish… to have people read my books. No, I don’t have them for free, because I do believe my stories, my creativity, my effort, have value, but it’s never been about the money (not that I’d object to making more, of course!). LOL. But I do risk losing those KU page reads, and being left with the sprinkle of eBook sales.
So… what do I do? Honestly? I don’t know. I joined the Wide for the Win Facebook group for writers who have published WIDE, and I’m taking 3 of my books… Truck Stop, SwanSong and Castles in the Sand… out of KU when their contract term ends May 22nd, and going WIDE with those, while keeping the paranormal romance series on Amazon and KU. But part of me keeps whispering “Just DO it with all of them…”
I’m seriously torn *le sigh*