Amazon raises price on Kindle Unlimited subscription - The eBook Evangelist

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to The eBook Evangelist* site.

 

The cost of everything is going up.

According to Glinda Harrison's post, Amazon is raising the Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription fee unless you buy a six months or twelve months subscription. The post includes links to the KU site.

 

Panzer says, "Hmm ... How many ebooks would you need to read each month to justify paying the increase?"

 

Note:This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Kindle Unlimited subscription

 

*The eBook Evangelist link appeared first at Nate Hoffelder's Monday Morning Coffee 15 May 2023

Indie Authors' Audiobooks Are/Were Getting Dragooned Into Kindle Unlimited Without Permission or Payment - The Digital Reader

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to The Digital Reader site. There our traveling kitty pilot found a post about audio books on Kindle Unlimited.

How do suppose that happened?

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, indie authors have been finding their Audible audio books on Kindle Unlimited (KU). The audio books were included in KU without the authors' permission or knowledge. It also turns out KU has no way to track audio books to pay the authors. Indie authors have been contacting Amazon for three months. Finally, Amazon says it was a glitch that's now been resolved; however, there doesn't appear to be any mention of the money indie authors would be owed for the use of audio books while in KU.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... What computer decided to put audio books into KU without permission?"

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Kindle Unlimited

The Authors Who Love Amazon - The Atlantic

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by clapping and cheering. Following all the hullabaloo took our brave kitty boy to the The Atlantic site. With a little digging he discovered a post about successful Amazon authors.

According to the post by Alana Semuels, while there may be authors who hate Amazon and it's selling practices, there are many more authors who love Amazon. The post leads off with the story of author Mike Omer. He began as an indie author using Amazon to publish his ebooks. When his sales figures caught the attention of Amazon, their publishing imprint Thomas&Mercer offered him a publishing contract. Omer's ebooks are available through Kindled Unlimited (KU) and his Thomas&Mercer book was available through the First Reads subscription service and Amazon's online store. All this has allowed Omer to become a full-time writer. The post includes interviews with full-time Amazon authors Samantha Christy, I.T. Lucas and Alexa Riley as well.

It's worth thinking about.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... If all these authors are making so much money with KU, maybe Mom and I better write something new and put it in KU to see what happens."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s  post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon Kindle Unlimited

Edie Bryant, Hayden Hunt, and How to Turn One Novel Into Two By Changing the Pronouns - The Digital Reader

Panzer made a quick trip to The Digital Reader site today. With very little digging he found a post about a new way to get away with breaking the rules on Amazon.

They're getting away with it.

According to the post by The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, there's a new way to ignore Amazon's rules. The ploy involves using the same novel in the romance genre under two sub-genres. To do this all the author needs to do is publish the novel in one sub-genre with the main characters named as females and then in the second sub-genre change the main characters names to male. As the post title says, the author must also change all the pronouns to match the main characters' either male or female names. There are three side by side examples of how this was done by Edie Bryant and Hayden Hunt. (Obviously, pen names for the same person.) According to Amazon's rules, it's illegal for authors to use PLR material. (Taking the same material, making a few changes and publishing it under your name as an original work.)

Panzer says, "Humans can find more ways to scam on Amazon than a cat takes naps."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read to the post tootle over to Amazon

Cassandra Dee and Mosaic Book Stuffing - David Gaughran

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by shouting and gnashing of teeth. Following all the angry noises took our brave kitty pilot to David Gaughran's blog. There with no digging at all he discovered a post about book stuffing.

Why isn't Amazon looking at her books?

According to the post by site owner David Gaughran, book stuffing is alive and thriving on Kindle Unlimited (KU). Book stuffing in case you haven't seen or heard of it is when an author stuffs a bunch of material/books into another book to increase the page count to 2,000 or so pages. Then, the author includes an inducement to get the reader to flip to the last page of the ebook. Both of these are against Amazon's Terms of Service. This is because one of the ways authors in KU are paid is by the number of pages read in the book. These authors' books have so many other books stuffed into them that the authors are robbing Amazon's KU fund and the honest authors who don't book stuff. Apparently, Chance Carter, one of the book stuffers, got caught by Amazon and his account shut down, but there are a myriad of others still working in KU. The Cassandra Dee of the post title is one of them and Mr. Gaughran gives a breakdown of how she does the book stuffing. There are links at the beginning of the post to other information about book stuffing.

Panzer says, "Be sure to read the Comment section too. You'll read how to report these book stuffers."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea, a dozen chocolate chip cookies (biscuits), and two muffins.

To read the post tootle over to book stuffing

Juggernaut sets the pace for Indian publishing in 2018. Prepares to take on Kindle Unlimited

Today, Panzer's trip into the Catosphere took him to The New Publishing Standard site. There with a little digging around he found a post about Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.

Who can sleep with this going on.

According to Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard, Indian publishing company Juggernaut is expanding into the ebook subscription service. Specifically, the company plans to market in India where Amazon's Kindle Unlimited already has a footprint. Juggernaut then plans to do a global expansion to Indian-language users in the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Included in the post is an infographic illustrating Juggernaut's plans. There are also several links to posts at the Juggernaut site.

Panzer says, "Juggernaut vs Amazon ... This will be very interesting."

Note: This is a long post. Bring half a thermos of tea and six muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, bring the second half of the thermos of tea and another six muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Juggernaut sets the pace for Indian publishing in 2018. Prepares to take on Kindle Unlimited:

Kindle Unlimited Is Not Here To Make Friends - Gene Doucette

Ugh! The vet said four more days.

Panzer will be recovering for the rest of the week, so he'll be catching up by reporting on some of the posts he gathered before he got sick.

One of the places Panzer visited was Gene Doucette's site. He found a post there about Amazon's Kindle Unlimited (KU) service.

Gene Doucette begins his post with a description of the Kindle Unlimited (KU) subscription service from the reader's perspective and from the author's perspective. He then moves into Amazon's page counting system and how the reader's page reads are computed. Also included in this section is the funding pool from which authors are paid for the page reads. Finally, he discusses the merits of the Amazon exclusivity clause for authors.

Panzer says, "This little kitty has never used Kindle Unlimited, because he has a lot of Kobo and Barnes and Noble Nook readers."

Note: This is a h-u-g-e post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Kindle Unlimited

Draft2Digital Now Distributes to Kobo Plus - The Digital Reader

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping and cheering. Following all the jocularity took our fun-loving kitty to The Digital Reader site. There he found a post about Draft2Digital.

This is worth looking into.

According to site owner Nate Hoffelder's post, Draft2Digital has added Kobo Plus to their distribution channels. Kobo Plus is Kobo's ebook subscription service and distributes to the Netherlands and Belgium. The service is similar in structure to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited (KU) in that authors receive payment from a funding pool. Readers must complete at least 20 percent of an ebook before payment is issued. Unlike KU, Kobo Plus doesn't restrict distribution. However, Kobo Plus does require an ebook to remain in the program for 6 months as opposed to Amazon's three months program requirement. Draft2Digital is a competitor of Smashwords. Both distribute ebooks to online retailers. At this time Smashwords does not offer a Kobo Plus channel. The post includes links for more information about Kobo Plus.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Draft2Digital looks interesting. I already use Smashwords, maybe I should add Draft2Digital for my ebooks too."

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection; but, if you plan to follow the links in the post too, bring a muffin as well.

To read the post, tootle over to Draft2Digital

Amazon Disguises Kindle Unlimited Recruiting Push as Writing Contest - The Digital Reader

Panzer made a trip to The Digital Reader site today. With no digging at all our smart kitty traveler found a post about Amazon's newest Kindle writing contest.

It is a lot of money.

According to the post by site owner Nate Hoffelder, Amazon is running a writing contest in the UK for the Kindle Storyteller Award. Submission rules include the submission must be at least 5,000 words in length and uploaded through Amazon.co.uk to Kindle Unlimited (KU) between February 20 and May 19. In this post Mr. Hoffelder takes issue with the KU requirement. Read Mr. Hoffelder's full post for all the rules.

Panzer says, "Umm ... This kitty always says, read all the rules before you make a decision. Is what you're selling worth the amount of money you get?"

Note: This is a shortish-medium post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon writing contest

2017 Book Industry Predictions: Intrigue and Angst amid Boundless Opportunity - Smashwords

Panzer was shaken from his nap by loud noises coming from the Catosphere. Stumbling to the Panzermobile, our sleepy kitty followed all the crying and yowling to the Smashwords blog site. There he found Mark Coker's predictions for indie publishing for the coming year.

Back to my nap.

Mark Coker's post begins with a 10 year retrospective of indie publishing. This is followed by Mr. Coker's 10 predictions for indie publishing in 2017. The predictions range from indie authors developing a greater market share, an even bigger growth of the glut of ebooks in the market, and an Amazon anti-trust investigation. The final section is a wrap-up of the other two. A lot of the post is an indictment of Amazon's business practices and Kindle Unlimited and Select.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Most of the predictions don't paint a very good picture for indie authors. ... But ... Cats never pay any attention to what our humans say anyway."

Note: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Smashwords: 2017 Book Industry Predictions: Intrigue and Angs...

A Month-Old Software Glitch is Still Stealing Page Views from eBooks in Kindle Unlimited - The Digital Reader

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today when he heard the sound of shouting and crying. Following the noise took our brave kitty boy to The Digital Reader site. There he discovered the anger and frustration was directed at Amazon.

This needs watching.

According to a post by The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, because of a software glitch Amazon's Kindle Unlimited (KU) has been short-changing ebook authors on their "sales" payments. Amazon doesn't pay authors for their ebook "sales" in KU because the ebooks are free to KU users. Instead, authors are paid by the number of pages the user reads in the ebooks. Recently authors have noticed their pages read numbers are lower than previously reported. After the problem was reported Amazon told the authors the problem had been fixed. However, authors are still reporting their page reads are down.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Have a problem ... Fixed the problem ... But still under-paying authors ... Interesting how the problem got fixed."

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and half a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Kindle Unlimited

eBooks Die While Used Print Book Sales Live On (It Didn't Have to be That Way) - The Digital Reader

Wow! Sales are down 21.8%?

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard wailing and crying. Following all the noise took our brave kitty pilot to The Digital Reader site.  A little digging and he found a post about the decline in ebook sales.

In the post The Digital Reader site editor Nate Hoffelder quotes from a post by Bob Lefsetz that ebook sales are down 21.8 percent. However, a close reading seems to show the post is about sales that are of ebooks converted from older traditionally published books included in that sales decline. According to the post, the publishers have these ebooks priced at almost as much as the original dead tree books. These high ebook prices are sending readers to used bookstores for used dead tree copies of the ebooks. The post includes a link to the original post the opening quotes come from.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Does Kindle Unlimited's all you can read 'sales' count in that decline or are they ignored as 'sales'? Inquiring cats want to know."

Note: This is a short-medium post. Bring a cup of tea and half a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to ebooks

Amazon Japan starts all-you-can-read service - The Japan News

A cat doesn't need a passport.

Panzer's trip in the Catosphere today took him to a site he's never visited before called The Japan News. Our multi-talented kitty found a post there about Amazon Japan.

According to the post, Amazon Japan has introduced the Kindle Unlimited Service. Introducing the service will make Japan the 12th country to join Amazon's all-you-can-read smorgasbord service. The service will include not only ebooks but magazines and manga as well.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... Twelve countries ... Kindle Unlimited really is taking over the ebook world."

Note: This is a medium post. Bring a small thermos of tea and three muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Kindle Unlimited

Amazon launches Singles Classic to resell timeless essays from top writers and magazines - TC (Tech Crunch)

You agree I'm famous. Right?

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Tech Crunch site. It didn't take any digging at all to find a post about Amazon's new Singles Classic service.

According to the post by Sarah Perez, the new Singles Classic service will offer short stories, articles and essays by famous writers. Each will be available for 99 cents at the Kindle store or free with Kindle Unlimited. Near the end of the post are instructions for submitting your work for consideration for the service.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... I'm famous in the Catosphere. Maybe I should submit some of my work."

Note: This is a longish post. Bring a cup of iced tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Singles Classics

Updated: Amazon is Testing Title-Specific Kindle Gift Cards at Drug Stores in Washington State | The Digital Reader

Getting up from his after lunch nap, Panzer made a short trip into the Catosphere today. Our little kitty traveler stopped in at The Digital Reader site. There he discovered a post about a new experiment with gift cards by Amazon.

It's an interesting world out there.

According to the post by Nate Hoffelder, Amazon.com has begun selling title-specific book gift cards and Kindle Unlimited subscription gift cards in the Bartell Drugs stores. The Bartell Drugs stores chain is located only in Washington state. The post includes links to Amazon and Bartell Drugs to read about the program. There are also two updates at the end of the post.

Panzer says, " Hmm ... It's been tried before ... Not successful in most cases except in Germany and Canada ... But with Amazon you never know what's going to happen."

Note: A cup of tea will be enough for today's reading at The Digital Reader, but, if you follow all the links, add a muffin.

To read the post, tootle over to Updated: Amazon Title-Specific Gift Cards

2016 Book Publishing Industry Predictions: Myriad ... - Smashwords

After spending most of the day playing with the Christmas decorations and the presents under the tree, Panzer decided to take a break and make a short trip into the Catosphere. Our tired kitty boy made a stop at the Smashwords blog. There he found Mark Coker's predictions for the publishing environment in 2016.

2016? No! Not yet.

Mr. Coker's ten predictions cover everything from the expansion of indie authors importance in the market to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited increased commoditization of ebooks. After the ten predictions there's an extensive question and answer section.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... I'm not sure if I'm ready for 2016."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. You will need two thermoses of tea, two dozen cookies and a sleeping bag to take a nap part way through your reading.

To read the post, tootle over to Smashwords: 2016 Book Publishing Industry Predictions: Myriad ...:

Smashwords: Amazon Lowers Kindle Unlimited Payouts

Listen humans ... It's a business.

Panzer stopped in for a visit at the Smashwords blog today. Our kitty traveler can't seem to go anywhere lately without tripping over news about Amazon and his trip to the Smashwords blog is no different.

According to a post by Smashwords founder Mark Coker, Amazon is changing how their KDP Select global fund will handle their Kindle Unlimited (KU) author payouts. The payouts will now take into account the monetary exchange rates in the different countries where an author's ebooks are sold. This will undoubtedly mean a lower payout rate for authors. Mr. Coker points out that he stated this would happen back in March of this year.

Panzer says, "Not too surprising to an astute cat like me. Amazon is a business and the purpose of a business is to make money. You can't make money, if you give it all away to your workers. Kind of like the purpose of a human is to feed this kitty and, if you eat all my food, I'll be one unhappy kitty. And that ... is why I'm not part of KU and you can buy my ebooks at all the e-retailers."

Note: Included in the Smashwords post is a link to the original Amazon press release. One cup of tea should suffice for your reading today.

Smashwords: Amazon Lowers Kindle Unlimited Payouts:

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath Kindle Unlimited Numbers

I need a snack.

Today Panzer made a trip over to the A Newbie's Guide to Publishing site. It's been a while since our big kitty boy has gone to Joe Konrath's site.

Like a lot of other people right now, Konrath is talking about his Kindle Unlimited sales. He's doing a comparison between the old KU payment system and the new. And ... he's got some pretty impressive dollar amounts from sales to show how the new KU payment system has nearly doubled his income. He's got some interesting loan/borrow/sales figures for his short pieces to compare with his novel length pieces, too. He also briefly gives his take on the KU sales/marketing history with writers and readers.

Panzer says, "It's interesting that he admits he hasn't written anything for a year, but he's making $15,000 - $20,000 a month off his backlist."

Note: As is true with all Konrath's blog posts, this is v-e-r-y l-o-n-g. Bring a h-u-g-e cup of tea and a muffin.

To read the post, tootle over to A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath Kindle Unlimited Numbers:

Understand The Kindle Unlimited Payment Model

Help! I'm getting a headache.

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Romance University site.

Our kitty explorer found a post by Pat Haggerty about the Kindle Unlimited (KU) payment model. This post approaches the KU author payment method from a different direction than author Lynn Messina's August 11 Indie Reader post Panzer told you about.

Pat Haggerty's post includes links to Amazon FAQs, the KDP Select Enrollment site, KDP Unlimited Enrollment site, and the KDP Select Global Fund site. And most important of all, Haggerty explains how Amazon calculates "Pages" and how much an author will be paid based on "Pages" read.

Panzer says, "He says they do a word count for pages! Does that mean ebooks with graphics on each page and only a few words, like Cat Wisdom, won't count each page as a page?"

To read the post, tootle over to Kindle Unlimited Pricing

KU’s New Payment Terms: An Author Does the Math

I'm not going to worry about it.

When Panzer got up from his nice long after-lunch nap, he went out into the Catosphere today. Our well-rested kitty boy stopped in at the Indie Reader site. After some careful digging around, he found a post by novelist Lynn Messina.

Ms. Messina has an interesting outlook on the Kindle Unlimited (KU) payment terms. She admits she comes from a traditionally published background. There she was making significantly less per book than Amazon was originally offering authors of novels under the KU terms. Under the new pay per page read plan, it appears authors of novels would still fare better as long as their book is read completely. She does admit cookbook authors won't fare as well, since their books aren't read in their entirety.

Panzer says, "But what about a cat like me who has a collection of short stories? Or a collection of cat witticisms? They're short. Not enough pages to make it worth putting in KU."

To read the full post, tootle over to KU’s New Payment Terms: An Author Does the Math