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Are Kindle Singles Authors Making Money?

There are so many ways to publish a book today. Kindle Singles may be Amazon’s best kept secret for authors. There are just over 300 titles published to date, and, as you’ll see from the story below, some authors are making big bucks on these 99 cents or $1.00 short-to-medium-length books.

“All of this stands in evidence that in its Kindle Singles brand, Amazon is investing in a serious business model behind a quality editorial product. We all — readers and writers alike — stand to benefit from that combination.” Rebecca J. Rosen  in “Authors of Kindle Singles Raking in Tens of Thousands of Dollars” (see below)

What are Kindle Singles?

According to Amazon, Kindle Singles are shorter works expressed in their “natural length.”  To Amazon, this means 5,000 to 30,000 words. If you’re not sure how long that is, it’s roughly from 20 to 120 pages.

Works such as memoirs, novellas, short stories, special reports, and chapbooks (poetry collections) are ideal for Singles.

Currently there are only 322 Kindle Singles.

 

Here is an excellent article from The Atlantic showing how well authors can do with this way to publish a book on Kindle.

Authors of Kindle Singles Are Raking in Tens of Thousands of Dollars

by Rebecca J. Rosen – Rebecca J. Rosen is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic. She was previously an associate editor at The Wilson Quarterly, where she spearheaded the magazine’s In Essence section.

here’s been a lot of buzz lately about Kindle Singles, the e-publishing format that’s longer than a magazine article but shorter than the typical published book coming out of Amazon’s dedicated Singles shop.

First, a group of science writers launched a new site, Download the Universe, which is dedicated to reviews of new ebooks, many of which are Kindle Singles or other e-publications of a similar length.

Next, New York Times literary critic Dwight Garner set about reviewing 15 of these mini-books, and hailed the possibility of “what feels almost like a new genre: long enough for genuine complexity, short enough that you don’t need journalistic starches and fillers.”

But while the form may hold literary promise, does it also carry the hope of remuneration? A new report from PaidContent finds that yes, a few authors are doing quite well from their Kindle Single efforts.

One, Mishka Shubaly, author of “The Long Run,” the ninth-best-selling Single of all time, told PaidContent that he is so pleased with the experiment, he hopes to name his first child Amazon. PaidContent estimates that Shubaly has made about $130,000 from his three Singles.

The other four writers in PaidContent’s report have brought in amounts ranging from a bit less than $9,000 to $65,000. The Singles in PaidContent’s round-up all sell for either $0.99 or $1.99 a pop, and authors see 70 percent of the revenue.

The authors characterize their experience with Amazon’s Singles shop, headed by former Village Voice editor-in-chief and Columbia adjunct David Blum, with glowing terms. David Dobbs, author of the Single “My Mother’s Lover,” which has sold about 40,000 copies, told PaidContent:

This has very much changed my thoughts about possibilities for ideas I get that previously I would have had to categorize as either a magazine story or a book.

One of the considerations is what magazine editors and book editors believe can work for them. I think most of the time they’re right about what can work for them. I also think some of the time they might be wrong, and when my belief in something is stronger than theirs, now I have a way to publish it.

In a related piece, PaidContent also reports that there are now 165 Singles available, and that number grows by about three every week. Amazon has sold a total of more than two million such Singles.

PaidContent’s reporter Laura Hazard Owen emphasizes the distinction between Kindle Singles and Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s self-publishing shop. Kindle Singles are curated and shepherded through an editing process by Blum, much like a traditional publishing house. The successful Singles authors aren’t undiscovered gems but professional writers who have published elsewhere before.

Nevertheless, that shouldn’t tamp down enthusiasm for these numbers. The fact is a new genre is emerging as a result of e-reading technologies, one that is proving successful both editorially and financially.

All of this stands in evidence that in its Kindle Singles brand, Amazon is investing in a serious business model behind a quality editorial product. We all — readers and writers alike — stand to benefit from that combination.

The Kindle Singles Selection Process

Unlike Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle Singles authors go through an approval process. This makes Singles publishing more like going through a publisher.

There are quality guidelines for Kindle Singles. Here is what they are seeking:

We’re looking for compelling ideas expressed at their natural length–writing that doesn’t easily fall into the conventional space limitations of magazines or print books. Kindle Singles are typically between 5,000 and 30,000 words.

Source Kindle Singles Submission Policy

How to Submit a Book to Kindle Singles

How to submit

We will consider ebooks recently published via Kindle Direct Publishing, manuscript submissions, or pitches.

• To nominate your self-published book, simply email us at kindle-singles@amazon.com and include the title, ASIN, and a brief summary.

• If the work is not yet published, you can submit a manuscript or a detailed pitch for your Kindle Single. Send as much material as you have available to kindle-singles@amazon.com and include your name and a writing sample.

• Writers or publishers wishing to propose an idea for a Kindle Single can write to our editors at kindle-singles@amazon.com.

Source Kindle Singles Submission Policy

Help to Publish a Book on Kindle

Even if you decide to submit to Kindle Singles, you’re free to publish a book on Kindle. It is free to self-publish a book on Kindle with Kindle Direct Publishing. However, you may find it helpful to have a little more guidance.

More Help: Publish a Book with Digital Publishing

Effortless Digital Publishing gives you:

• a book writing template to make your life easier
• Video tutorials to walk you through the KDP publishing process.
• a Kindle publishing resource guide with all the links you’ll need in 1 place.
• a Kindle FAQ audio with PDF guide where I answer the most common questions about publishing a Kindle book.
• Free publicity from me when you publish your Kindle book (and you own Effortless Kindle Publishing or another program from me).
• And a couple of bonuses, Claim it now at

Click to claim Effortless Digital Publishing NOW!

Follow your bliss!

Ronda Del Boccio, the Story Lady

#1 bestselling nonfiction and fantasy author

Creator of the BLISS Butterfly and the Awakened Author Challenge

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Originally posted here:
Are Kindle Singles Authors Making Money?