Kindle Publishing or Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)- a Short Evaluation [Article Last Update: December 2022]
Kindle Publishing or Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is primarily an E-Book Platform Service launched by Amazon in 2007. The eBooks published on Amazon Kindle appear on the amazon website(s)/ marketplace(s) for sale as Kindle eBooks and after purchase customers read them on their phone or tablet or desktop provided they have downloaded the free Kindle app. Kindle eBooks purchased on an Amazon website get automatically synchronized and downloaded to the Kindle application when logged in with the same ID.
In addition to the free mobile or desktop app, customers also have the choice to purchase a Kindle Reading Device (Kindle Tab, Kindle Fire, etc.) which is basically a tablet specialized for reading Kindle E-Books.
The Amazon Kindle eBook service is available only across a list of countries which means that readers residing in other countries will not be able to access the Amazon Kindle eBook service. Kobo is another eBook platform that is also available in countries where Kindle eBook service is not available.
List of Countries/ Amazon Marketplaces where Kindle (KDP) eBook Service is available:
- US Kindle Store: United States
- UK Kindle Store: United Kingdom (including Guernsey, Isle of Man, Ireland, Gibraltar, and Jersey)
- DE Kindle Store: Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland
- FR Kindle Store: France, Monaco, Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg
- ES Kindle Store: Andorra, Spain
- IT Kindle Store: Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, and Switzerland
- JP Kindle Store: Japan
- NL Kindle Store: Netherlands
- BR Kindle Store: Brazil
- MX Kindle Store: Mexico
- CA Kindle Store: Canada
- IN Kindle Store: India
- AU Kindle Store: Australia, New Zealand
KDP Print (paperback or hardcover) is an on-demand printing service provided directly by Amazon; that is to say, if a customer orders a KDP Print version of a book, Amazon on behalf of the author/ publisher prints the book as per the order and ships it to the customer. In addition to the primary Kindle eBook version, in 2016 and 2021 respectively, Amazon added this print option for paperback and hardcover versions to the Authors and Publishers publishing on their KDP platform.
KDP Print is available on specific Amazon marketplaces only. KDP print versions can be shipped to most locations all over the world, but the shipping charges would rise depending on the distance of the buyer from the location of the Amazon marketplace from which a KDP print book is ordered.
List of Countries/ Amazon Marketplaces where KDP Print Paperback Service is available:
- Amazon.ca
- Amazon.co.jp
- Amazon.com
- Amazon.com.au
- Amazon.co.uk
- Amazon.de
- Amazon.es
- Amazon.fr
- Amazon.it
- Amazon.nl
- Amazon.pl
- Amazon.se
List of Countries/ Amazon Marketplaces where KDP Print Hardcover Service is available:
- Amazon.com
- Amazon.co.uk
- Amazon.de
- Amazon.es
- Amazon.fr
- Amazon.it
- Amazon.nl
- Amazon.pl
- Amazon.se
Note: KDP Print (paperback or hardcover) must not be confused with the regular print (paperback or hardcover) version. A regular print version is listed by a seller registered on the Amazon marketplace whereas a KDP version is listed directly by Amazon. A seller may list offset or print-on-demand versions whereas Amazon KDP print books are print-on-demand only. Further, the ‘Amazon Prime’ and ‘Amazon Fulfilled’ features are available only to regular listing by sellers and not applicable in KDP listings.
Kindle Unlimited
Kindle Unlimited or Kindle Select or KDP Select refers to the Kindle’s Lending Library, where readers or customers who have subscribed to the program can read Kindle eBooks enrolled in this program for free and royalty is paid on every page read. It is totally up to the author/ publisher whether he wants to enroll his book in this program. However, in order to enroll in the KDP Unlimited or Select program, a book has to be ‘Amazon KDP Exclusive’ that is it must be published and uploaded via the Amazon KDP program only.
Kindle Royalties to Author/ Publisher
The author has to choose between two royalty options (a) 70% and (b) 35% excluding taxes.
Some Important Royalty Conditions
The royalty is calculated upon the price excluding tax (generally VAT- Value Added Tax or GST- Goods & Service Tax).
If an author/ publisher chooses the 70% royalty, Amazon charges a delivery charge of USD 0.15 per MB (calculated after conversion upon uploading) taxes (VAT or GST) may be extra.
The delivery charge is waived off for the 35% royalty scheme.
In the 70% royalty scheme, the book must be priced between USD 2.99 to 9.99; but under the 35% royalty, the book can be priced between USD 0.99 to 200.
If the work of an author is based on a public domain work either in the original or manipulated form, he can only opt for the 35% royalty scheme.
Public Domain consists of the works whose copyright period has expired or the creator has declared to distribute the work for free. All work in the public domain are free from intellectual property rights. Examples include works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, R.L Stevenson etc. The copyright for all these works have expired.
Also, if a book has been enrolled under KDP Unlimited or Select program, only the 35% royalty scheme can be opted. Further, a book enrolled under KDP Select earns two types of royalties one from sales @ 35% and another from the number of pages read from Kindle Unlimited Library; the pay-out rate of the latter fluctuates every month according to Amazon’s Global KDP Select funding.
Calculation of Royalties for India on Amazon.IN [Calculation for other versions of Amazon Website can be roughly estimated by studying the data given provided 1 INR= 0.013 USD approx]
35% Royalty >> Book can be priced between INR 49 to 10,999
Example: For a book priced at INR 100 which is 0.22 MB after conversion, royalty would be INR 30 calculated on the price excluding 18% GST i.e. INR 85
Comment: Average Direct calculation for royalty from Amazon can be regarded as 30% of the overall cost of the book.
70% Royalty >> Book must be priced between INR 99 to 449
Example: For a book priced at INR 100 which is 0.22 MB after conversion, royalty would be INR 58 calculated on the price excluding 18% GST i.e. INR 85, and INR 2.00 deducted as the delivery charge.
Comment: Average Direct calculation for royalty from Amazon can be regarded as 55% of the overall cost of the book.
Royalty for KDP Select cannot be assumed it can only be ascertained from the monthly report and stats.
Example: In the month of September 2019, if a book on KDP Select had 126 total pages read by all the people lending the book, the royalty after all deductions to be paid for this book would have been USD 0.59 (INR 42.27).
Notes:
i. All calculations for royalties are just estimates and may not reflect the exact values. These are for reference only.
ii. All calculations or estimations are as of 31st May 2020.
Why Amazon?
Amazon is currently the world’s biggest e-commerce marketplace with a huge customer base and daily traffic. Thus, listing your product or book on Amazon gives you the opportunity to make it available to a large number of customers who come searching for similar products. Whereas, driving traffic to your own website can take a huge effort and investment. However, other e-commerce marketplaces that have a considerable customer base and traffic can also be considered.
Why Amazon Kindle or KDP and Amazon Kindle or KDP Exclusive?
Amazon Kindle is a robust and beautiful eBook interface both for authors and readers alike. Additionally, the KDP Print option gives Authors and Publishers to make paperback and hardcover versions available as print-on-demand. Indeed the printing cost of print-on-demand books is very high but during the initial stage of a book, it can be a cost-effective option for listing the print versions.
Though Amazon charges a good commission, it has many positives that cannot be overlooked. We are able to make the books available globally using this platform. Additionally, as Amazon already has a large number of shoppers, this is an added benefit. There are alternatives like ‘Google Play books’ or others that may come up in the future but these are not as popular. Besides, due to the millions of dollars of investment into the Kindle Section by Amazon and its investors, which is increasing month by month, Kindle seems to get better and more popular with time. Also, many ‘big-shot publishers’ who had earlier sided away from Kindle have now begun to put their titles into Kindle, due to its growing popularity and robust interface.
Opting for the KDP Select Program enables Authors/ Publishers to choose two additional Amazon advertising strategies ‘Kindle Countdown Deals’ and ‘Free Book Promotion’ for their books which can prove extremely useful for new books.
Related Articles:
Amazon Advertising- the Concept & Scope
Digital & Offset Printing- An Overview
You may install the Kindle App on your phone or PC and download some free e-books for a practical experience.
Download the free Kindle App: Click Here
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The above content is an ‘extract’ from the ‘Mage Orange Publishing & Digital Marketing Magazine 2020.’ Any part of this article cannot be published, reproduced, or copied in any form whatsoever, without the permission of the publisher.
