UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

Hello,

I saw this question elsewhere a few days ago and now I can't find it - I hope I have put this in the right place:

Could anybody tell me how to put an e-book on kindle for free? I thought it might have been making it a public domain book but that didn't work, and the system won't let me put it on for less than 75p.

I'm going to make the book free indefinitely as well - are there any restrictions on that?

Thanks for any help.

Andy.

If you're registered in KDP Select then you can make the book free for 5 days in every 90, but the book has to be exclusive to Amazon. The only other way is to publish it via Smashwords and make it free on there and then hope that once it's picked up by Barnes & Noble and Kobo that Amazon will price match. Hope that helps.

Thanks, Shaun.

It is on KDP though I have just unregistered it so I can try it on smashwords.

Andy.

...though does that mean that if I decide to use KDP 5 days free, then I wouldn't be able to put it as free for another 90 days?

...or could I keep registering it and unregestering it to keep it free all the time?

Andrew, from my time using Amazon Kindle I've never seen a free book permanently that wasn't a classic put up by Amazon. I'm pretty sure it can't be done unless you contact them directly and maybe ask?

I do believe the position Amazon takes is that it's a product they sell, they aren't there to just give away things.

Registering and unregistering I forsee not working. Eventually they'll just ban you from joining KDP.

Ok, thanks Louise...I'll need to have more of a think. I just didn't want to use the 5 day option and get no 'free sales' then I can't do it again for 85 days when I might really need to, for another boost.

Of course, what you say makes sense - Smashwords doesn't have such a position? I don't want to get banned from anywhere by misuse of any sites.

How do you find that works for you, or anybody else for that matter? Do you get a numbers boost even if it's free for just 5 days?

Andy.

I believe Smashwords don't have that policy.

I'm not an author myself so that last question I can't answer.

I only really know about it cause a good friend of mine from another forum was wondering the same thing and with some research he was told that it wasn't possible at that time. This was last year when KDP first started so maybe things changed but I doubt it really.

From others they get a ton of downloads in the free days normally but whether people read them or not has been debated on a lot of threads here

As I understand it, when you register for Select it is for a fixed 90 day period. Then you can opt to renew, or decline and try other options.

I've used the free promo periods with KDP and seen big boosts to sales in the period following - by which I mean a couple of weeks - but long term it helps, too. 3x 2 days promos have kept my sales averaging 1 per day, every day, since last November. I'd prefer using Smashwords option of price it free or coupon options, but you can't be on Smashwords and KDP Select. The KDP Select deal is that they have your work exclusively.

I did try the Smashwords option, but got zero sales. The site seems to attract people who are only after the freebies. I didn't even get a review out of it.

Don't look at Smashwords for getting extra sales, use them to get your book visable on other sites. If you make your book free on smashwords Amazon MIGHT price match it, no guarantee.

Select you HAVE to be in the programme for 90 days min.

Only repeating what others have said already though. ;-)

Thanks, M.

I think I'm going to stick with KDP for now, and put it free in a couple of weeks when I've built up my profile.

Thanks again,

Andy.