One of the first real decisions after writing is whether to enroll your ebook in KDP Select or go wide. They're mutually exclusive for a given title, and the right answer depends on your genre and strategy.
What KDP Select is
Enrolling a title in KDP Select means it is exclusive to Amazon for 90-day terms. In exchange you get:
- Inclusion in Kindle Unlimited (KU), where you earn from pages read rather than sales.
- Promo tools: Kindle Countdown Deals and free book promotions.
The cost is exclusivity — you can't sell that ebook on any other retailer (or, strictly, direct) while enrolled.
What going wide means
Wide means selling your ebook on every retailer — Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play — and direct. You forgo KU and Amazon's exclusive promos, but you diversify away from depending on a single platform.
How to decide
- Select tends to win for genres where readers live in Kindle Unlimited — romance, thrillers, and many high-volume fiction categories — because KU page-reads can be substantial.
- Wide tends to win for nonfiction, for authors building a direct audience, and for anyone who doesn't want their income tied to one company's rules.
Where selling direct fits
Going wide pairs naturally with selling direct, where you keep ~85–95% instead of 35–70% and own the customer relationship. Even Select authors often keep a separate funnel — signed copies, live events, a direct storefront for readers they bring themselves. Exclusivity applies to the ebook file on retailers, so building your own audience is always allowed and always smart.
You can change your mind
Select is a 90-day commitment that renews unless you opt out. Many authors test one approach for a few months, read the data, and switch.
Build a funnel you control — either way
Whether you go Select or wide, keep a direct channel of your own. List on Readfeed to reach readers, run live events, and keep ~85%.