Amazon woos indie authors who go exclusive

[Jan Strnad]

Amazon has just opened up its Amazon Prime Lending Program to indie authors...providing they go exclusive with Amazon for at least 90 days.

Amazon Prime members will be able to "borrow" the book for an unlimited amount of time, but only one book at a time.

In return, the authors split a pool of money ($500,000 in December 2012) for every qualified "borrow" of their book.

Opinions, from the reader viewpoint? (Line edited 12/14/11)

[TraceyC/FL]

I respect the decision of authors, but exclusives are a turn off for me if I'm buying. I will admit to NOT knowing most of the time on freebies if someone is exclusively in the kindle store.

That said, my first spot to look for books to BUY is iBooks. I read exclusively on my iPad and MUCH prefer the iBook app over the kindle app, it is also easier for me to share a book with my parents - I can give them the book file and not access to my entire archive. It just works better for me.

That all aside, I hope that amazon is treating the indie authors just like the rest when it comes to paying them for Prime loans. I don't like the sound of the shared pool. What happens when that money runs out? Your books are borrowed but you aren't paid?!?!

[John Blackport]

I haven't investigated this thoroughly, but I think by a "pool" they mean that it can't run out . . . it's not distributed until the month is up. If there were 500,000 qualified "borrows" of books that month, then for each of the "borrows", the author would get $1 . . .  If there were a million, each author would get $0.50 per "borrow" . . .

Basically, the amount that Amazon will spend on this for any given month is decided well in advnace, and any month's "pie" is divided among participating authors, with authors who sell well getting bigger shares . . . it would be a good deal for them because it can't end up costing them more than expected that way . . .

Anyone --- if I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me.  I've only received this in conversation --- I haven't researched it myself.

[Ann in Arlington]

Folks, let's keep the discussion here on point as to a READER's perspective. . .there are multiple threads discussing it from an author's perspective in the Writer's Cafe area.  Authors, you are Readers too, (I hope!) so please put that hat on ONLY and don't address author issues in this thread.

As a READER. . . it doesn't matter to me one way or the other.  If I learn of a book and decide to buy it I'm going to buy from Amazon.  If it's not available there I probably will skip it.  I won't change my buying habits -- how often, what I buy, what I'm willing to spend -- just because a book is 'exclusive' or not.  I don't, personally, anticipate using the Prime Lending Library much at all. . .but, that could change as more books are available.

On the other hand, I don't see an incentive for authors whose books are selling well at Amazon AND at other sites to enroll.  I hope it doesn't end up that the only "exclusives" will be books that really aren't selling very well anyway -- for good reason.  It would be a shame if the Prime Lending ended up being known as a library of books that aren't much worth borrowing.

On the other hand, (yes, I apparently have more than 2 ) if an independent author who's just starting out has some good stuff, this might be a way to get it a bit more notice.  There's no requirement, I'd guess, to list your whole work product exclusively, so one could, in theory, make a couple of your title exclusive, get them a little extra promotion, have them available for borrowing and then maybe be free to purchase for a few days, and, as a result, end up with many more readers who are willing to purchase the rest of your catalog.

[Annie]

I definitely missed the boat on this one. Ann, where do you get all the Amazon news? Perhaps, I'm not looking in the right place.

[Joe Chiappetta]

This is a brilliant tactic on Amazon's part. It encourages me to get more people using the Kindle and it's an incentive to read the book quickly so you can move on to the next book. So many of the books I got on Kindle are just sitting in my library and I can't even remember where or why I got them, except that they were free. With Amazon's new plan, I would have to look at what I am borrowing if I want to do it again. Also, launching this the very month after that big movement to write a book in a month is a very smart move for Amazon--there's all these books that haven't hit the market yet, and more likely to be open to a 90-day exclusive.

[C.S. Einfeld]

As a reader, I'm lovin' it. 

I'm already an Amazon Prime member (got it so I could watch the latest edition of Walking Dead just 1 day after it's aired), and so yeah, this is something I'll definitely use. 

But as an author....?  I'm not so sure---off to the Writer's Cafe to see what the better informed than I have to say about it. 

[pkbrent]

As a reader, I think this is a great idea!  More for the membership fee.  Competition between suppliers usually results in benefits to the consumer.  I already love the kindle anyway, due to the convenience and the amount of space it saves. 

[meromana]

So many of the books I got on Kindle are just sitting in my library and I can't even remember where or why I got them, except that they were free.

I thought about this aspect as well.  So many of the freebies never end up getting read, because people just snatched them up "for a rainy day" with only marginal interest in the book.  If it's a loan, and you have limited borrows and limited time to read it, you won't do it unless you are seriously intrigued by the book.

--Maria

[Franklin Eddy]

Amazon has just opened up its Amazon Prime Lending Program to indie authors...providing they go exclusive with Amazon for at least 90 days.

Some readers may get the idea that the author has to go exclusive with
Amazon for all his/ her books. This is not true. The author only has to be exclusive with the book that is going on Prime.  So the other books the author has can still be sold at Barnes & Nobles and other book sites.

So this is a good deal for everyone, except for Barnes & Noble.

[Ann in Arlington]

again, a reminder:  please do not answer as an author here -- consider the point as a reader only.  thanks.

[MariaESchneider]

Well, the first way I tend to search is on genre, not on whether it's in prime or not.  I *have* been known to check books to see if they are lendable and then ask a friend or two if they happen to own the book (when I know it's a genre that person reads.)   I know they do the same or at least will send an email asking if I've read such and such.  Sometimes one of my friends coordinates buying with me (she'll buy x and I'll buy y and then we exchange them.)

The prime lending thing had SO few books available, it was kind of...oh my interest sort of waned before it even got piqued.  So in the sense of making it interesting, it has done that.  But at the moment, I haven't really "shopped" based on whether I can borrow it or not.  Knowing that there are more books in the program is likely to make me check or notice especially if I'm on the fence on a book.  BUT I'd then feel like I had to read it right away (even though I know it doesn't disappear until you decide to check another book out.) 

In short, like Ann, I think I have a lot of hands too and haven't made up my mind whether it matters to me at all.

[Jeff]

Amazon Instant Video has a "Prime Eligible" box to filter those TV shows and movies that are free to Prime members. I don't see the same for Kindle books. Am I missing something?

[Hadou]

As a reader, it's kind of a split deal.  If you shop a lot at Amazon, it doesn't really matter.  But, if you're not into shopping at Amazon for your books, then you may miss out on certain stories.

I don't really care for it from a readers perspective.  As an author, though, I can see how it *could* be a decent deal.

[Jan Strnad]

I saw a number of books I would be interested in if I were already a Prime member, mainly because I have a pretty low price point and skip a lot of books that are out of my price range.

[DreamWeaver]

I definitely missed the boat on this one. Ann, where do you get all the Amazon news? Perhaps, I'm not looking in the right place.

Annie, here is the link to Amazon's press release regarding KDP Select.

Amazon Instant Video has a "Prime Eligible" box to filter those TV shows and movies that are free to Prime members. I don't see the same for Kindle books. Am I missing something?

Here's a link to Prime-eligible ebooks. There are currently 42,636. I believe there were about 10,000 before KDP Select began on December 8.

I'm not an Amazon Prime member yet myself. As a reader, it doesn't affect me if a book is Amazon exclusive. I use a Kindle for reading, and I buy ebooks almost exclusively from Amazon already. Once in a while I'll get a book from Smashwords, but that's usually during special promotions there. I do feel bad for ePub readers who will no longer be able to find the books they're looking for in that format because the book is now Amazon exclusive...but that doesn't affect me personally.

[Ann in Arlington]

Prime Lending Eligible Kindle Books.  (link has KB affiliate code embedded)

Wow!  There are a LOT more than there were before. . .I'm recalling only about 5200 when the program first began a few weeks ago. . . . .might have to check 'em out.

[Jeff]

Here's a link to Prime-eligible ebooks.

Prime Lending Eligible Kindle Books.  (link has KB affiliate code embedded)

Thank you.

Was the "Prime Eligible" check box there all the time or did they add it yesterday?

[Ann in Arlington]

No, it's been there a while. . .I can't figure out now how to get it without using that direct link. . .but clearly there was a way.    Possibly if you just do any search the 'narrowing down' check boxes will show up.

[Jeff]

I can't figure out now how to get it without using that direct link. . .

Ah. I may have figured it out. If you search the Kindle Store or Kindle eBooks, there's no check box for Prime. If you search Books, it's there.

[Ann in Arlington]

Ah. I may have figured it out. If you search the Kindle Store or Kindle eBooks, there's no check box for Prime. If you search Books, it's there.

That's it!  I remember now that it's counter intuitive because you're looking for Kindle books but if you prematurely restrict the search you can't further sort by prime.  So search in books and then 'prime eligible' and 'kindle editions' are options.

It's always good to know how to get there if you lose the link!

[jljarvis]

As a reader, I love the Prime Lending program. I've been an Amazon Prime member for a year, and just loved it. Being able to borrow books now makes it even better.

[jah]

I have already read two prime book one for Nov. and one for Dec. I think this is a great added benefit for amazon prime member I am looking forward to get a book next month.