Kindle Direct Publishing’s Expanded Distribution option for print books now includes distribution into the UK. Expanded Distribution adds to the usual sales channel of being available through Amazon websites to help you reach more readers through bookstores, online retailers, libraries, and academic institutions.
The Kindle Unlimited KDP Select Global Fund for January 2021 rose by $2 million to $36 million from $34 million in December 2020 as the KENP rate for January 2021 showed its usual seasonal fall to $0.0042 from $0.0045 in December 2020
IngramSpark has added new online retailers and virtual libraries, including new sales models, subscription models and distribution to mobile apps, such as OverDrive.
NetGalley has been bought by Japanese ebook distribution company Media Do in a takeover deal for NetGalley’s owner Firebrand Technologies, which offers a range of services to the publishing industry.
Barnes & Noble Press has increased its ebook royalties to a flat 70% across all prices and has stepped up its payment schedule to pay out authors 30 days after purchase instead of 60 days.
Wattpad is set to join the Webtoon brand in a takeover deal by Korean search engine company Naver that values Wattpad at more than $600 million.
The Kindle Unlimited KENP rate for December 2020 fell back to $0.0045 from $0.0046 in November 2020, while the KDP Select Global Fund for December 2020 rose strongly by $800,000 to $34 million from $33.2 million in November 2020.
The former head of Amazon Publishing’s UK crime and thriller imprint Thomas & Mercer has joined Bonnier Books to set up a new digital-first genre publisher.
Wattpad is reported to be up for sale at around $500 million after 2020 saw the story platform grow strongly amid the Covid pandemic.
Independent UK publisher Joffe Books has hit the 10 million mark in total sales of books since it was set up in 2014 by Jasper Joffe.
Public libraries hit record levels of digital book circulation in 2020 as readers worldwide borrowed 430 million ebooks, audiobooks and digital magazines, a 33% increase over 2019. Ebooks saw a particularly high rise in lending with a 40% increase compared with 2019.
Book review service NetGalley was hacked just before Christmas in a data security incident.
The Kindle Unlimited KENP rate for November 2020 rose slightly to $0.0046 from $0.0045 in October 2020, while the KDP Select Global Fund for November 2020 increased by $300,000 to $33.2 million from $32.9 million in October 2020.
Amazon only launched the Estimated KENP Royalties metric in the US just a few weeks ago at the start of November but it has already moved to extend it to KDP authors advertising in the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Australia.
The fourth edition of Kindle Direct Publishing’s Pen to Publish self-publishing contest in India is open for entries from December 10, 2020 to March 10, 2021.
There were nearly 40,000 entries for The Wattys 2020 awards and the winner of the prize of a publishing deal with Wattpad Books is the YA book How to be the Best Third Wheel by Loridee De Villa (Summer Angeles).
Audible is pledging to pay authors royalties for any title returned more than seven days following purchase after protests that the company’s exchange policy allowing customers to return titles up to a year after purchase was hitting many authors.
Amazon has been piling on new features for Kindle Direct Publishing authors recently and the latest innovation is for Sponsored Brands advertising which means authors can showcase a collection of books, such as those from the same genre or series.
Amazon has added estimated Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP) Royalties to the KDP performance dashboard to help authors measure the impact that ads are having on their Kindle ebooks enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon is now inviting authors to nominate their ebooks to be included in Kindle Deals and Prime Reading promotional programs.
