Dear wide author, I admire the tenacity you have for continuing to write and publish in today’s world. It’s hard enough to write and market a book. What’s even harder is trying to please both KU and wide readers. I’ve been there.
If you don’t know what a wide author is, please read this.
This blog is about what I consider the bait and switch with eBooks. But let me give you a little history…
Warning When Kindle Unlimited Began
Back in 2014, I got the message of how Kindle Unlimited didn’t have the best intentions for authors. There’s a reason people pay up to $5.50 a minute (through Click4Advisor) for my psychic reading!
Therefore, I warned authors on Twitter not to put all their books in one basket. And it was better to link their books to their websites instead of giving Amazon all those SEOs.
Well, that didn’t go well, and I was ridiculed.
Flash forward to today. Amazon has made many changes since 2014. For example:
- Demands exclusivity for your books to be seen.
- Require paid ads to bring them up higher on the page.
- Remove legitimate reviews.
- Kicked off authors their platform without a valid reason.
- And much more…
Most Indie authors know this. If you are a reader, please note that there is a wealth of information on the internet about Amazon’s tactics with authors.
Me Being a Wide Author
These tactics were painful for me to watch, and there was no way that I was going to play these games. Hence the reason why my nonfiction eBooks are wide. I probably would have made more money in the unlimited program. Yet, I needed to go with my morals.
Dear Wide Author of Why I Read Wide
First, I read a ton of books. At least one eBook a week, usually more. This is why I usually don’t buy paperbacks, because where would I put all of them?
I felt Amazon’s tactics were unfair to authors and chose to read from platforms that are more author friendly. I have bought books from Smashwords, Google Play, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks (when I used to have an iPhone). Plus, I paid monthly for a Scribd (now Everand) subscription, and now I use Kobo Plus.
When I find an author I like, I’ll read everything they write except for horror. Two of my favorite wide authors are Kyra Halland and Alianne Donnely.
Dear Wide Authors Who Go Back and Forth
Now, I want to be clear with the following:
Authors have a right to run their business the way they want!
I am explaining my viewpoint as a wide reader. I understand it’s a tough decision for an author whether to do KU or wide, especially if you’re doing this full-time. Yes, more money can be made immediately in KU. It takes a lot more time to build an audience in Wide. And bills need to be paid. I get that.
My Experience with Series
Many fiction authors do series these days because they make more money this way. When I find a series I enjoy, I want to read all the books. I prefer each book to have some sort of conclusion. Of course, cliff hangers entice readers to buy more.
I learned quickly to check if all the books in a series are on my book platform. Why? Many authors will put the first book in a series for free on all book platforms. I would read the book on a wide platform, but when I went to buy the second book in a series, I discovered the author had put the rest of the books in Kindle Unlimited. This is so disappointing!
My research worked for the most part with a book series. However, what has happened to me three or four times is I’m reading a fabulous series, and it ends with one heck of a cliffhanger. Then I look for the next book and the entire series has been removed from the platform and guess where they put it! This pisses me off!
Whatever the author’s reason for doing this, reaching more KU readers and/or making more money, I feel betrayed. Could they do this with their other series I was thinking about reading? I reached out to one of these authors and was ignored.
So, these authors can do what works best for them. And I’ll do what works best for me, which is to drop their books from my reading list! There are too many authors who keep their books wide for me to read.
Happened Again!
This one series kept coming up in my Kobo Plus books. I researched this author and many of their books had over 50 reviews on Kobo. Great, a wide author who is popular on other platforms!
What a MAJOR CLIFFHANGER on book three! I must read the conclusion. Wait, where’s book four?
So, I went to the author’s website. The fourth eBook was there with all the bookstore links. I clicked on the wide stores I buy from, and the book is not there. When I searched for the author’s name on Kobo, I discovered the entire series was gone from the platform.
Yup, it happened again! Hence the reason for this blog post. And another author that’s crossed off my reading list.
In Conclusion
Dear Wide Author, this may make you mad, but I wish you would just stay wide. Wide readers are doing their best to support you. And I’m sure there are many more who feel the same way I do when you take a series out of their favorite store or publish the next book on just Amazon for ninety days or longer.
Remember many readers don’t understand the publishing world like I do. And who knows who they will bad mouth you to and tell them not to read your books?
My eight books are wide. You can learn more about them and find your favorite bookstore here.
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