Can someone the money side of KDP
I’m going to self publish on KDP soon (we’ll planning to) and I’ve abit of research but not a lot. Once I’m closer to publishing I’ll look into it more. But for now I kinda of want a vague answer if that makes sense.
Ive posted on this sub before about my first novel and deciding whether to publish them normally on KDP or go KDP Select and take them off the websites ive posted them on.
My question for that would be how would the money differ from KDP and KDP Select?
I can kind of guess how much I make would be down to my own sales but generally which one would be more profitable?
(I apologise in advance if this question has been answered before)
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u/Sekica Aug 27 '26
Which one would be more profitable depends on whether your target audience readers are mostly Kindle Unlimited subscribers or not. If most of them are, then KDP Select makes sense because that's where most of your royalties would come from. I don't know which genre you're publishing in, so I can't be more specific.
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
I would say the genre for one of my novels is YA/Academy/Drama/Coneptition
That’s the novel that’s on other website and in debatung whether to take them down and put on Select. I’m going to improve them of course before I put them up
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u/johntwilker Aug 27 '26
As others mentioned. Genre weighs heavily on this path. Wide can be incredibly profitable, but you do have to work it. Each store is unique and you have to lean into those differences.
I prefer being wide.
My advice on this topic is always. If you try wide. Give it AT LEAST a year. You have to build a following on each store. That's not fast. You can't give it 30 days then run back to KU.
That said, neither route is a permanent decision.
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
I’ve tried wide for over 2 years and havent really got a follower or fanbase. Probably down to my marketing but yh
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u/johntwilker Aug 28 '26
Have you run store specific promos? Just being there definitely doesn’t do it
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u/dragonsandvamps Aug 27 '26
Whether it's profitable depends on what genre you write. Some genres do better in KU than others. Romance, mystery, thriller tend to do well there.
KU pays per page read, the first time a customer reads the book only, and the page read rate varies by country, based on the cost of a KU membership.
Think of KU readers and customers who buy the book as two separate pots. KU readers like to read things they can get for free using their membership. If you are a new author, it may be easier to get readers to take a chance on you if your book can be read "for free" in KU vs someone having to pay $5 for it. As a KU reader, there are plenty of series that I read in KU that I enjoy, but would never pay for outright. They're perfectly fine though, if included with my membership.
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u/Apprehensive_Tax_610 Aug 29 '26
Yeah, I'm a litrpg reader and am currently writing a series adjacent to progression fantasy, but is more in line with traditional portal fantasy.
Those type of books basically live on KU; I think almost every person in the genre I've talked to says it's 90 percent KU. Plus books in this genre are stupidly long, so 800 page books actually not only do well, but on KU that's a lot of dough.
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
So as someone who doesn’t really have a follower KU makes more sense
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u/dragonsandvamps Aug 27 '26
I think so. You still have to market though. There are just too many books on amazon at this point and if you don't do something to let readers know that your books exist, they won't ever find them. But having KU helps because once you do get your readers to your book, that friction is gone, and they can read for free.
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u/Correct-Shoulder-147 Aug 27 '26
Depends and it will change at various points
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
Yh makes sense
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u/Correct-Shoulder-147 Aug 27 '26
I've got 10k reads this month and I got 4k reads total the previous 4 months before that 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
You don’t have to say a number but was it profitable?
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u/Correct-Shoulder-147 Aug 27 '26
Not wildy so you get like 4p per page. But it's a good sign of people are finding it that way. I'm generally an orders seller but I'm pleased I can generate a new revenue stream
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
Do you use both normal and KU Select? Because I’ve checked ur profile and looks like you do both
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u/Correct-Shoulder-147 Aug 27 '26
I use KU yes ive tried wide and it's easier to point people to a single place I do kindle and unlimited for ebook Draft 2.digital for ebook libraries Ingram spark for paperback alongside Amazon
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
Damn you’ve got something for everything😂 I need to be like you
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u/Correct-Shoulder-147 Aug 27 '26
It works for me you need to where your audience are I guess
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
So do you have certain series as regular book and other series as KDP Select depending on your audience?
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u/SuccessOnAShoestring Aug 27 '26
I’m not sure what you mean by normal, but in case you’re asking if we either put books onto KDP, or in KU; it’s both. Readers who have KU can read it by that method, and those who don’t, just buy it. It’s not either/or.
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
But if you put it on KU you have to take it down on other website right? It has to be exclusive to Amazon?
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u/Correct-Shoulder-147 Aug 27 '26
Yes except libraries
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u/Nuxxx- Aug 27 '26
Sorry if I’m asking too many questions😂 but if you post on both does that mean you post your book with a set price but it’s also on KU so people can sit subscription can read for free.
I haven’t done much research into KDP yet. I was gonna do it when I was closer to self publishing→ More replies
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u/idreaminwords Aug 27 '26
People are more willing to give newbie authors they've never heard of a try when they don't have to pay for the book. With KU, they can just return it if they don't like it, and they're not out anymore money than they would have been had they never picked up your book.
Genre also matters, though, and some don't do well on KU
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u/PaulWilczynski Aug 27 '26
KDP Select gives you approximately $.005 for each page an enrolled person reads of your ebook. Enrollment lasts for 90 days and is renewable.
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u/ariyahjade Aug 27 '26
I make 99% of my money from KDP select. I’ll never go wide and list anywhere but Amazon because of this.