There is so much controversy over the Kindle Direct Publishing Select program; some authors think that it’s that best thing to happen since the internet, and other authors say not to put all your eggs in one basket. In case you do not know what KDP Select is, it is when an author enrolls their eBook and they can only sell it on Amazon, therefore they have to take off their eBook everywhere else. The readers can get your book free for a limited time and/or there is a limited time promotional discounting for the book. The author’s book is enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited subscription program (like Netflix but for books) and the author gets a 70% royalty for sales in other countries when normally the percentages are much lower.

I can understand why full-time writers and fiction authors may want to enroll when Amazon controls a large percentage of the eBook market. They are going where the majority of book sales are and could get higher earnings. I might do the same if I was in their shoes, but I am an Indie nonfiction author. My eBooks are to educate the public, they are my “Digital Business Cards,” and help get interest in the services that are my money maker. Here are my five reasons that I choose not to go into the KDP Select program:

• I made the choice to self-publish because I refused to allow a publisher dictate what I can and cannot write, put a cover on my book regardless of how I feel about it, and give me a very tiny percentage of royalties. Why would I give Amazon the right to determine when my eBooks goes free or is discounted?
• My main objective of writing eBooks is to help and educate the public how to speed along their personal growth in order to have successful relationships. I want to reach as many people as I can and not everyone buys their books through Amazon. Readers have bought my two eBooks and downloaded my free eBook through other distributors. They have sent me emails letting me know how much my books have helped them. A bonus is that some of those readers have come to me for my other services because they liked what I wrote.
• Amazon’s rules can change at any time as we have seen with their recent changes in the author payments for the Kindle Unlimited program and customer review policy. This stirred up much controversy among authors, articles and blogs are written, and petitions made to be signed. I just sit back and watch the show. Although, I did find it disturbing when an author wrote that he was a slave to Amazon because they are the king when it comes to selling books. One of my goals is to teach people not to give their power away!
• My eBook, Pamela’s Love Collection, is free and I had no problem listing it in every eBook distributor around the planet – except Amazon. It took forever for them to price match it for free. You can imagine my surprise when I got paid sales in the UK and Canada! I felt so bad that for the customers who paid for a free eBook. The answer I received was polite and vague, but the real response was it is our company and we will do what we think is best. That’s cool and I will do what is best for me. On my website it states that due to Amazon policy the eBook is not free outside of the US and to please use another distributor. There are quite a few to choose from.
• Amazon pays 35% for eBooks that are under $2.99. I can get 60 to 85% for the same eBooks in other eBook stores. These companies that pay me the highest percentage have treated me fairly and with respect, answered my questions clearly, and never ask me to take my eBooks off of their competitor’s website.

My intention is not to bash Amazon., I just disagree with some of their policies. Amazon has done wonders for the self-publishing market and many Indie authors would have never published if it was not for them. It would be foolish not to put your eBooks for sale there. The KDP Select is a choice that each author must make for themselves. I choose not to put my eBooks in the Amazon basket, instead I spread the eBook love.

To learn more about Pamela Cummins, please visit www.pamelacummins.com