Write & Publish Ebooks: Is Amazon Kindle’s “Select” lending program a good idea or not?

Thank you Jim for the heads up on that new program. Some programs sound good until you actually get caught up in them. I surely do not see an advantage to that program. I want to be able to market my book any place I choose at any time that I choose.

Joyce Jagger

Hey Jim,
Thanks for offering a concise view of the problems of Amazon’s new sharing program. You are not the first to voice concerns. Big publishing companies are threatening law suits and, with very limited exceptions as you’ve so very well outlined, I’m advising my copy writing clients to steer clear of it. One only has to read the agreement from Amazon to realize this does nothing for the author, and unless they opt out their books are offered for free once again for another 90 days.

I too love Amazon, in fact I have the new Fire, but they have been promoting the new Prime accounts like crazy which is a profit center for them, and coupled with this new program they have everything to gain and very little ($6 mil is obviously very little to them or they wouldn’t be going in this direction) to lose.

I’m hope Amazon wakes up and realizes they either have to be a seller of books or a big library in the sky, but they can’t be both and expect authors to participate.

Keep up the good work, Jim…
Carl

Hello Jim,

Thanks for the 411 on this, I’ve been wanting to get into the Kindle Digital Ebook Publishing, I’ve heard some really amazing stories about it.

It now seems like, as soon as those who wish to self publish, start finding a way to sort of get the upper hand, Amazon might be trying to put the screws to them.

Like you, I don’t relish the idea that my content would be tied up to the point I can’t even share it on my own sites while it’s in the KDP Select Fund, not to mention the loss of being able to follow up with my customers.

Sounds like a raw deal to me.

Thanks for sharing,

Willie Robertson

Thanks Jim, I already made the mistake. I uploaded a book by accident (Touched the wrong tab while reviewing it) After reviewing it, I wanted to unpublish and change some things. Could not do it. They sent me a note stating that it had to remain there for the full 90 days. They will allow me to move it to a “draft” status, and leave it there for 90 days, but who would want to do that.
That will be the last time I take advantage of that program.

It pays to read the fine print! Even if a person UN-selects the Amazon programs, they still cannot sell elsewhere until the term expires. What a way to be caught up in an Amazon “web”. No, thank you very much!

[You can un-publish your KDP Select-enrolled titles at any time during the term. However, keep in mind that your commitment to the KDP Select terms and conditions, including exclusivity, will continue even after you have un-published your title. In other words, you cannot un-publish your KDP Select-enrolled title from KDP and make it available on another sales channel before the title?s current KDP Select term expires.[

Thanks for the heads-up, Jim. I had a niggly feeling this wasn’t such a good deal (anything that says ‘exclusive’ in connection with a big company like Amazon makes me nervous). Now that you’ve laid out the numbers, I think my intuition was right. I won’t be joining this “Select” group of authors!

Thanks for breaking this down. Got the email from Amazon last week but set it aside to read later. You have done the heavy lifting and I am with you and everyone else here, nope! They are pretty savvy and will probably look at this when the X$%^ hits the fan and lots of authors start complaining.

R

I am choosing to ‘Not Select’ this new ‘Select’ program. Everything in life is better as a win-win, and this just doesn’t pass that test for me.

Connie Ragen Green

Great insight on the Kindle Select program… Thanks!

I have another issue which has been driving me a bit nuts… getting the Kindle book to lay out properly. Every attempt so far has been a joke… awful results.

Does anyone here know of anyone who specializes in taking a completed PDF of a title and converting it so it looks good in Kindle? If so, perhaps you would be kind enough to share that information, please.

Thom Reece

Hey Jim!

I’m waaaaaaaay ahead of you, buddy…

I actually got an email from Amazon about this program, and I also got an email from one of my mentors in the Publishing Niche, recommending the program. I don’t think that my mentor took too close of a look at the Program…

I am a Professor, Entrepreneur, and published author (text-books) that has been paid “royalties” for many years from the sales generated by my Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, and Education texts.

The System has ALWAYS leaned very heavily on the side of the person/company who “owns” the rights to the Intellectual Property, irrespective of the duration of ownership. This is why I am now a Publisher, myself…

I am also a HUGE fan of Amazon and the Kindle version of books, however, Amazon will definitely make the “Lion’s Share” with this new Program and they will “Kill” your ability to sell your eBooks on “Barnes&Noble.com” and other online outlets…

BUT… even MORE insulting, You can’t even sell your Book on YOUR own Website!!!

This is so Unbelievable that I had to read their email twice, to make sure it wasn’t some kind of prank. In my opinion, the joke will be on YOU, if you sign up for this New Program.

QUESTION: Is Amazon just protecting it’s place as the 800lb. Gorilla in the online eBook delivery niche, or is Amazon afraid that it will lose market share, as other companies arrive on the scene to offer eBooks for sale?

This may be Amazon’s version of Bill Gates’ Micro-Soft Licensing Control over which operating system computers are equipped with, as they are manufactured… Smart move up front, but he was penalized, on the back end, by Uncle Sam, for having a monopoly

Jim you did a GREAT JOB in highlighting the major points of this New Amazon Program, for everyone to consider. As usual, you Sir, are a “Gentleman and A Scholar” in your effort to enlighten the masses.

I’m always grateful that I’m one of your subscribers, because just as you did with the “FCC Changes Webinar” you did, a couple of years ago, you stay on top of the BS and make sure that we do too.

Thanks,
Dr. Michael (The D.O.C.)
“Keep On, Keeping On…”

Jim,

Thanks for the great insights on this. I had no idea how much money that an E-Book authour could be leaving on the table until I read your post today.

Yours In Health!

G.E. Moon II

Thanks Jim and everyone online who responded.
A bit new to this and the information will help.
Have no problem going to Amazon for purchases,
but this is a whole new ball game. Amazon is in
the business of making money.

Jim …

As usual, you are right on top of things at just the right time. Your insights are always greatly appreciated. Especially now that I am in the process of placing books on Amazon.

Whatever happened to the ‘Friday Smackdowns’?

Jim,

I’d love to be able to publish to Kindle and make some bucks -BUT – the BIG PROBLEM is trying to get everything formatted correctly. Right now TOO MANY HOOPS to jump thru. My suggestion to you Jim is come out with a SOFTWARE Application that will publish to Kindle perfecly without having to do anything but enter your text and pictures into the program. The program would then automatically formatt everything ready and raring to upload to kindle without any other steps like having to use Mobi or whatever else. As far as what I’ve read over the last few months you have to use about 3 or 4 different programs to finally get a book Kindle PERFECT. We need just 1 piece of software that covers all the bases. Just a suggestion Jim – but I know you have the connections and brains to come up with such a software and you would solve a HUGE problem for likely 10s of thousands of people who WANT to publish to Kindle but DON’T want to use TEMPLTAES that DON’T work (already tried some and know of others who did too and ended up with frustration!). Thanks for listening to my ramble – but I think there’s some BIG BIG money to be made by anyone who can crack the Kindle Publishing code with a piece of software they programmed that doesn’t require Word or etc.

Hey Jim, Thanks for the heads up on Amazon Kindle. I probably got something from them but did not realize the implications of signing up to the lending program.

I have not done much on Kindle but it’s on the agenda for next year so I will certainly exercise caution.

Kindle said you can still sell your book on Kindle too. From my understanding, you can sell AND be in the program. Correct?

Hey Jim – Thanks for the very timely info; I just started hearing about this program within the last week or so, and was definitely curious! I did not hear about the “90 days” clause. Now I think I’ll hold off for a bit rather than rushing into anything. Keep up the good work!

Best Wishes,
John

Jim,

Please tell me that you can still sell your ebook on Kindle without joining the “Select” program!

Jim

This article may interest the readers. Amazon is becoming the NINE hundred pound gorilla and is still very hungry:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/opinion/amazons-jungle-logic.html?_r=1&ref=books

Thanks Jim.

Read and reread your post as well as the highllighted material straight from the Amazon’s horse’s mouth. Great that your pointed out the fine print, but “I gotta tell you” that I wouldn’t be loaning any of my ebooks to anyone. Except for my family members, who might or might not get free copies of my books, the only people who would be interested in a loaner copy of my ebooks would be those in the market that I am selling too, and they can shell out the $2.99 that I am charging. In general, people are only going to be interested in “borrowing” copies of the latest best sellers. I sort of wonder if that disclaimer has not been put into the Amazon contract because purchase of the Kindle version of the books may give your the same ownership rights as a hardcopy, and potentially the right to distribute.

Jim,

I just skimmed something about this Kindle book lending program the other day, but didn’t get into the fine print. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I will definitely steer clear of the lending program. As a consumer, it sounds like a good, economical thing. As an author, not so much.

Thank you again,
Deb

Hi Jim I have been looking at this offer from Amozon and have ask will my ebook get advertising from them out of all the other ebooks they sell. (no answer yet) I was going to put my website and another other inside my ebook. I don`t see any way in amozon that says this can not be done. If books on this program are given top placing seems a good idea. What do you think? Brit UK

Hey Jim,
As always you are the canary in the coal mine!
I got an email from Amazon re that “special” “exclusive” “opportunity”….. and it just didn’t feel right, kind of like saying hey come over, let us let everyone have a sample of your fresh baked cookies and we will pay you with the “sound” of our money after all don’t you want people to know you??? …… kinda like making “legal” piracy of copyright…. imagine if movies were released that way….. there would be an outcry and then guess what… NO MORE MOVIES….

It is just another example of the devaluing of intellectual/creative pursuits in the drive to supply “content”….
In a “real” library licensing agreement (at least in the old days) the library would pay a higher than suggested retail price for the book to the publisher to compensate for the lending (distribution) rights…. I think it was called a “distribution CONTRACT”…..
In television distribution, you would sell a program based on number of minutes, number of episodes, audience size, how many times it would be shown in a certain number of years etc.
This “offer” is so insulting to authors there are no words.

Pluyeeeze….. what a bunch of hooey.

I am so glad you said what you said. Hopefully there there others who are saying something!
Check out other sites like http://www.smashwords.com they may not have the ranking but a fiasco like this could make these guys an attractive option. If anyone else knows some other ebook sites please let us know in this forum.

Veeeeeee