Amazon KDP is already one of the best self-publishing platforms, but the Amazon KDP Select program adds even more benefits if you are willing to publish exclusively.
Amazon KDP is definitely one of the biggest and best options if you are considering self-publishing your own book.
However, if you do not mind giving exclusive publishing rights to Kindle, enrolling in the Amazon KDP program will give you access to several additional benefits, including the Kindle Unlimited program and other promotional tools.
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Is Amazon KDP a viable self-publishing option?
The days when publishing the next great novel, how-to-guide, comic, textbook or children’s book required an entire team, and a big publishing deal are long gone.
Now, self-publishing these books with platforms like Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) has never been easier.
Amazon KDP is definitely a platform worth looking into if you are considering publishing your own book for a form of passive income as it is one of the biggest self-publishing e-commerce platforms in the world.
In fact, the platform is responsible for releasing over 1.4 million self-published books annually and it is used by over 1 million authors across the globe.
Amazon KDP vs KDP Select
The reason why Amazon KDP has brought about such a resurgence in the world of self-publishing is because there are so few downsides to using the platform.
Authors who publish their works through Amazon KDP are able to make their books available to the platform’s millions of customers with no upfront investment.
To add to this, the Amazon KDP platform also has secondary benefits like print-on-demand services, free file conversion, sales tracking, and many other helpful sales and writing tools.
Not to mention the fact that authors earn royalties every time one of their books is purchased.
With all of these benefits and Amazon’s impressive audience, it is difficult to imagine that the company could ever do more to appeal to authors. But the Amazon KDP Select program offers most of these benefits, and more.
Authors who want to self-publish their works on the Amazon KDP platform also have the option to enroll their books for the Amazon KDP Select program, which has its own, exclusive benefits.
The only catch is that the Amazon KDP Select program requires that authors agree to give Amazon the exclusive rights to publish their eBooks through the Kindle platform only.
In the end, the best choice between publishing through Amazon KDP and publishing through Amazon KDP Select, will depend on whether you prefer to reach as wide an audience as you possibly can solely through the Amazon Platform, or through a combination of different platforms.
Kindle Unlimited is a subscription-based service that allows users to read as much as they want for $9.99 a month.
If you enroll in the Amazon KDP Select program, your book will automatically be added to the library of content that these subscribers can pick and read from.
Your book may then also be listed on the recommended reading lists based on subscribers’ reading histories.
This drastically increases the number of customers exposed to your books and can increase your Best Seller Rank on the platform, as well as the royalties that you earn form these sales.
The other benefits of enrolling for the Amazon KDP Select program
Having your book added to the Kindle Unlimited library is not the only benefit that Amazon KDP Select offers.
Enrolling in Amazon KDP Select also means that you become eligible to receive higher royalty percentages (70%) in Brazil, Japan, India, and Mexico and will make your book available on the Kindle Lending Library.
You will also be able to access various new Kindle promotional tools like Countdown Deals and Free Promotions, which should increase your sales even further.
When is Amazon KDP Select not the right choice?
The Amazon KDP Select program certainly has many benefits, especially if your main goal is to get your book noticed and purchased by as many people as possible.
Even so, if you do want to make the eBook version of your book available on other e-commerce platforms or if you want to sell the book on your own author’s website, Amazon KDP Select will not be the right choice for you.
The Amazon KDP Select exclusivity only applies to the eBook version of your book and you can still sell hardcopies of the book elsewhere, or use up to 10 percent of the book for promotional material on other sites.
However, sticking to the regular Amazon KDP publishing may be best if you do not want to put all of your eggs in one basket.