When self-publishing your novel via Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon, you will be given a choice of whether to not to enroll your book in Kindle Unlimited (KU). If you choose not to enroll in KU, your book will be considered “wide” (meaning it is available widely and not just in KU). We’ll get into this more below!
There are many pros and cons to both being in KU and being wide, and it is a personal business decision that you will have to make for your book(s). The good news is: you can always change your mind! If one path or the other isn’t working out the way you wanted it to, you can always try the other one.
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What It Means To Be Enrolled In Kindle Unlimited
Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service that folks can pay a monthly fee for in order to access a huge library of books at no extra cost. Enrolling your book in KU means that readers who pay for this subscription will be able to read your book at no additional cost to them.
The most important thing to note is that when you enroll your book in KU, you cannot have your e-book available on any other platforms. You can have your paperback and/or audiobook available at other retailers, but KU requires e-book exclusivity.
Now, you may be asking: “why would I ever do that?” And there are many different reasons!
Benefits of Being in Kindle Unlimited
- Borrowing a book via KU is a low risk way to try a new author. Readers are much more likely to pick up a book by a new (or new-to-them) author if they don’t risk wasting their precious money on a book they may not end up liking.
- Some readers exclusively read in KU – if the book isn’t in KU, they won’t read it. Enrolling your book in KU allows you to reach this audience.
- Certain genres, like romance, do very well in KU. Depending on your genre, it might make great sense to enroll in KU, because readers will be looking for books in that genre there.
- Amazon may favor books enrolled in KU, leading to higher discoverability via their algorithm.
Downsides of Being in Kindle Unlimited
- The biggest downside, of course, is not being able to have your e-book available on other platforms like Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, etc.
- This also means your e-book also cannot be available on library platforms such as Overdrive/Libby or Hoopla.
- When you choose to be exclusive to Amazon, you are forced to follow their rules, which they can change at any time. You also have no control over what you get paid (though over time, the payment for books in KU has consistently been about half a penny per page read). However, they could technically change this at any time as well.
There are tons of big indie authors who are exclusive to KU and do FABULOUSLY with it (see: Meghan Quinn, Melanie Harlow, Lucy Score, etc.). Many of these authors cite that 75%+ of their income comes from KU page reads!
I, Molly McCarthy, am also currently enrolled in KU because I know that as a newer/smaller author people are more likely to try my book if they don’t have to pay anything extra for it!
What It Means To Have Your Book “Wide”
Being wide means that your book is not enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. Rather, it is available at a “wide” selection of retailers (such as Google Play, Apple Books, and Kobo). Your book can still be available via Amazon, but KU readers won’t be able to access it for free.
Benefits Of Having Your Book Wide
- You can have your book available anywhere and everywhere! Google Play, Apple Books, Kobo, Overdrive/Libby, Hoopla, and the list goes on. There are also other subscription reading services that don’t require exclusivity (like Kobo Plus and Scribd) that you can enroll in instead of KU.
- You can reach a wide variety of readers. Just as there are KU exclusive readers, there are also Kobo Plus or Apple Books or Google Play exclusive readers. By having your book wide, you can reach all of those audiences.
- You don’t have to follow Amazon’s rules.
Downsides Of Having Your Book Wide
- You won’t reach KU exclusive readers.
- If you are a newer or smaller author, people may be less likely to buy your book because they risk paying for it and not liking it. It tends to be harder to gain traction as a wide author.
For all you chart lovers:
Best of Both Worlds?
The good news is that you don’t have to commit to either KU or wide forever! I’ve seen authors use many different strategies, such as:
- Having some books available in KU and some books wide
- Doing a wide release first and then putting it in KU after a certain amount of time
- Putting the book in KU for a certain period of time then taking it out and putting it wide
The enrollment period for KU us 90 days, so if you want to try enrolling your book in KU, that is the longest commitment you’re making. You can always take it out after that 90 days and try going wide.
As I mentioned above, I am currently a KU author and am super happy with my choice so far! I can attest that about 75% of my income so far has been in KU page reads.
If you’re a self-published author, are you in KU or are you wide? I would love to know which and why!
