Kindle Unlimited: Is it worth it for authors?

We all know that ebooks have become popular and are the easiest way to publish your book. Outside of interior and cover design costs, there are no production costs when it comes to publishing your ebook through Amazon. They do take a percentage of your royalties, but there is also another way to get paid.

Kindle Unlimited is a subscription you can get that allows you to read any book that is enrolled (which is most ebooks) in the program. If you are an avid reader, this is a great and affordable way to get your book count in. For about $10 a month (sometimes they have specials), you can read all your heart’s desires. It’s also great for the authors because they get paid as you read.

Each month, Amazon has a Kindle Unlimited Fund that is distributed to all of the authors whose titles are enrolled in the program. There is a report on KDP.Amazon.com that shows you the number of pages read per title. Your royalties are based on that. You can have your ebook set for purchase outside of Kindle Unlimited as well (for non-subscribers) so you get paid both ways.

For example: My book, Move the Needle is $5.99 on Kindle, but it is also enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. When someone who is not subscribed to Kindle Unlimited purchases the Kindle Edition, I get 70% of $5.99 as a one-time royalty. When someone who is subscribed to Kindle Unlimited downloads it for free, I get a royalty based on the pages read.

For more information about Kindle Unlimited as an author, please visit: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201537300