Hey everyone,
As an author, I'm always looking for the best way to get my books into your hands. In the past, I offered my books through Kindle Unlimited (KU). It's a subscription service that allows readers to read as many enrolled books as they like for a single fee. It sounds great and it really can be. It's helped me build my career.
But as I've grown as an author, and my readership has expanded, a different model has increasingly made more sense. For a lot of reasons.
My latest series including The Fury of a Vampire Witch, Druid Detective Agency, and Sebastian Winter (including anything else coming down the pipe) will be offered on all retailers (including Amazon/Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, etc.) and my website... but not KU.
Because to be in KU I'd have to sign an exclusivity contract which would mean I couldn't offer my books to you anywhere else.
There are a few reasons behind this decision, and I wanted to be transparent with you all about it. Here's what went into my thinking:
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Reaching New Readers: While KU is a fantastic platform for readers to discover new books, I want to build a direct connection with my audience. Selling through my website allows me to personalize the experience for you, offer exclusive content, and keep you updated on future releases. It also gives me an opportunity to reach people who don't like or can't buy books on Amazon. It means for people who don't binge a TON of books every month, I can save them a lot of money by offering better deals on my books on my store. It also gives me a much larger international audience since KU isn't available everywhere.
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Supporting My Work Directly: By purchasing directly from my website, a larger portion of the royalties goes straight back to me. When someone reads my book on KU (our purchases on Amazon) I don't see my percentage of royalties (which can be as low as 30%) for up to 90 days (60 days minimum) after the purchase/reads. It makes it very hard to grow a business with that kind of delay. This allows me to continue creating the kind of stories you love. Since I receive payment right away, I can immediately turn that income into producing new books and getting more stories to you faster and more efficiently.
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Pricing Flexibility: I won't bore you with the details, but when I offer books on Amazon I don't have total control over the price/sales. I can only offer sales on KU books once every 90 days (unless I want to take a 70% hit on my royalties... no thank you). Selling directly gives me more control over pricing and the ability to offer promotions and discounts.
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Building a Community: Direct sales create a space for us to interact beyond just the book. When readers purchase on Amazon (or another retailer) or if they read on KU I don't know who they are. I get zero information about my readers. Through my website, I can connect with you through newsletters, blog posts, and even author Q&As!
This doesn't mean I won't revisit KU in the future. It's a valuable platform, and it might be the perfect fit for some of my other books down the line.
I still have a lot of books on KU. Many of them will be migrating AWAY from KU soon... but so long as they're still enrolled you can add them to your KU bookshelf to ensure you have them. They'll stay on your shelf even if I take them out of KU.
So, what does this mean for you?
Head over to my website at theophilusmonroe.com to grab your books. I have great bundles for sale right now (another thing I can't do when I'm in KU). You'll not only get great stories, but you'll also be directly supporting my work as an author.
I also have some great "doorbuster" sales going right now for...
DRUID DETECTIVE AGENCY and THE FURY OF A VAMPIRE WITCH.
Check them out!
I'm incredibly excited to take this next step in my author career with you. I can't wait to hear what you think. Don't hesitate to reach out and connect with me through the website!
Happy reading,
Theo