Tag: Royalty news

Finally! Kindle’s software update is almost here!

We have been hearing talk about this new software update that will have real page numbers and a couple other improvements. The update is almost here! The update will be delivered via a Wi-Fi connection in the next few days. Kindle owners should be receiving a notice in their email about what to do.

In case you miss/missed the notice, the instructions are simple. “To receive the update, please turn your wireless on and connect to an available Wi-Fi network. The software update will automatically download in the background and install when your Kindle goes into sleep mode. The update should take less than 10 minutes to complete.”

If you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection available, there are other instructions on how to transfer the update via USB.

Starla Criser

Amazon/ Kindle playing with authors again

Personally, I have had fairly good success this last year with my books listed at Amazon, especially the Kindle books. But they do like to play around with publishers and consequently authors and how they treat them in regards to royalties.

I was reading a post from OWFI today that went over some of what Amazon does about royalties. They offer publishers two different percentages: 35% and 70%. For a book to qualify for the 70% royalty it must have a minimum price of $2.99.

Amazon has recently joined in on the “lending book” stuff that Barnes and Noble also does. If the book meets the qualifications to receive a 70% royalty, the book is now automatically signed up for Amazon’s Kindle Lending Program. What this means is that a Kindle owner can purchase a copy of the book and then lend the copy to another Kindle owner for a week or so. And that, in turn, means the author and publisher miss out on that additional sale of the book.

A publisher can opt out of being part of the Lending Program, but then the royalty on the book is lowered to 35%.

Just something to think about and check into with your publisher.

Starla Criser