ummm… I think Jeff Bezos has infiltrated the comment section. This is a hissy fit 🤣

I, too, was wide for many years. I had a bookbub on a book that that hadn’t been selling well and was in a tiktok workshop and the guy said, why isn’t this in KU. So I pulled everything (but that book because it was doing well on B&N still). The page reads went crazy on my most popular series Regency Rebel Lords. And I’m still doing better in KU than I did wide. It has slowed this week, but there are other factors of my own doing that hurt, so I’m back to grind on marketing. But for now, I’m sticking with KU.

For some authors, wide does well. Especially if you are an International author with International readers or someone who writes obscure books like things with a lot of mixed genres or you write in a teeny tiny genre where the audience isn’t that voracious. But for many who write books catering to the US audience and who write main genre stuff like romance, thrillers, sci-fi, and fantasy, KU most likely is the best bet for those types of books. It just is and many authors who preach “going wide” have never even been wide.

Let’s be real. Yeah, we saw all the whining from authors who were upset that the payout went down in KU but how many really left? I’d say probably less than 10% if that many actually left KU. Know how I know? Because this happens all the time. Every time authors get upset with Amazon or the payout goes down they threaten to leave and most never, ever do. I don’t know why they feel the need to announce on social media they are “leaving KU” despite lying about it but still, why announce? Why not just leave? I don’t get the public whining that some authors in KU do about their dislike for KU. If you don’t like KU and feel you can do better wide than leave. Amazon does not need anyone who does not want to stay and KU readers will be fine.

But you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You can’t leave KU and expect KU readers to follow you. No. KU readers are loyal to the program and only a tiny bit to the authors. That doesn’t bother me at all as an author. I’m about moving books. I don’t care how or when. I don’t care about readers following me place-to-place as long as where I am at at the time is working. But, yeah some KU authors wanna leave KU then guilt-trip readers into leaving. Authors have no business griping about their business issues in public. It is so unprofessional. But I am so sick of authors acting like babies whenever Amazon does something they don’t like, threatening to leave KU, but never do. As an author in KU, I am glad every time I hear authors claiming they want to leave because the less authors who leave, the higher the payout for the ones who stay. But that’s how you know it’s just BS. These authors just want attention. They wanna holler and scream but they’re not going anywhere. I’ve seen the same authors claim they are leaving KU and never do. And the ones who do leave come back to KU with their tails between their legs when they see how incredibly difficult it is moving units wide.

So I ignore the “noise” of those who claim they are leaving KU. Check their books and every time they are sitting up in KU still and always will be.

My thing is, don’t make business decisions when you are emotional. You can’t have a bad month in KU then just jump up with no plan and take your books wide and think that is the answer. But so many fall into that trap of blaming the retailer or the way they publish and not taking ownership.

How about we look at that? When your books aren’t selling in KU, how come it just can’t be the books? KU is highly competitive and maybe your books aren’t cutting it. It could be bad packaging, bad branding, bad cover or cover that doesn’t fit the audience’s expectation, bad blurb, bad title, bad writing. How come it’s NEVER any of that? It’s always someone else’s fault why someone didn’t do well in KU. Is KU perfect? Heck no! But wide sure as heck isn’t either and I would rather be making money so I stick with KU. I welcome anyone who thinks wide is better (but hasn’t tried it yet) to put their money where their mouth is literally and go wide. Don’t just claim you will or complain when your KU money goes south. Go on and go!

But authors tend to always blame other factors for why their stuff isn’t selling. Yes, sometimes it is things out of your control but many times it’s not. A lot of times when I see authors complaining about not doing well in KU, you go see their books and they’re either writing stuff with too small of a market or the books need work. Almost every single time. Instead of addressing these issues they stomp their feet like two-year-olds and go, “I’m going wide!” As if someone cares first of all but if you got a bad product going wide is not going to help you. I gotta be honest and not trying to be mean but if you write in a genre that does well in KU and you can’t make any money there most likely there is a problem with your books. Authors need to look in the mirror more and stop using KU as a scapegoat for when they don’t do well in the program.

As for the payout. It makes no sense to whine. You knew what you were signing up for. Authors know the money relies on a POT that everyone shares. How can you be in KU for years and not have an issue with that now suddenly it’s an issue because the payout went down. And the payout goes up and down. It doesn’t stay the same rate.

A lot of authors aren’t cut out to be business people. They are too emotional, have too high of expectations, and are unrealistic. I don’t care if you usually have good months in KU and things went south. So? That’s life. Unless you work at a job with a salary, you cannot expect to make the same amount or better every month. You are going to have slower months. You are going to have good months. That’s how bookselling goes. Has nothing to do with KU or the payout. So I get tired of authors blaming their failures on KU.

For many KU authors, it’s a case of “thinking the grass is greener on the other side”. It might be for a small few but why do you think KU has more authors than the other places combined? Why do you think KU has more READERS than the others combined? People can talk all day about Apple, Kobo, B&N but it doesn’t matter if you got a fraction of the readers there that you have in Amazon! You are fighting for a much smaller pie. Apple doesn’t have HALF the amount of readers Amazon has. Not by a longshot. It’s a reason authors stick with KU even if they wish they didn’t have to, because for many it’s the only true game in town. The only way they can make money.

Everyone isn’t privileged enough to be able to just go wide and wait months or a year before they get traction. Some of us need money monthly. Some support their families off what they make in KU. Those who are in a better financial situation either it’s by someone supporting them or whatever, they can afford to just throw caution to the wind and go wide! But it’s not a luxury every author can afford. Many in KU make better money in a month than they ever would wide in two years. It’s no surprise they stick with KU and that the few that leave end up coming back.

Also, the “eggs in one basket” argument is a joke. I was wide and had my books in many baskets for years and I made more in that one Amazon basket in a week sometimes than I made on Apple or Kobo for two months! So miss me with the “eggs in one basket.” I don’t care if that basket is making money. And for those who leave KU because they are worried about losing their accounts, think of this. If you make the bulk of your money in Amazon and lose your account wide, you think you are in a better place? Doesn’t matter if you are wide and make 90% on Amazon which most wide authors do. So going wide does not protect you if you lose your KDP account. Many wide authors have lost their accounts and end up crying their eyes out. Why? Because they don’t make a fraction at the other places they make on Amazon so they are screwed either way.

People need to realize that. Both of these “reasons” for leaving KU make no sense. Leave KU if you genuinely want to and have a plan for wide. Don’t just throw a hissy fit because you get ticked off at Amazon then snatch your books off and go wide with no plan. You’re only hurting yourself.

But, yeah I wanna see more authors practicing what they preach and actually leaving KU. Haven’t seen this mass exodus yet. Not in all the years KU has been around.

I’m guessing we never will.