Since there seems to be a lot of interest, I decided to do a quick post on how Kindle Unlimited works.
To answer a couple common questions:
  1. Do you make more for a book sale or a KU read?

    Answer: I definitely make a lot more for a book sale. (Though if you have KU AND you buy my books, it really does benefit me for you to read it first in KU, THEN to buy it).

  2. How do you get paid for KU reads?

    Answer: When a person is in reading mode (not just scrolling mode) on a Kindle reader or app, I get paid a small amount per page that you read through (even if you read super fast).

  3. What’s the benefit of KU then, if you get paid more per book sale than for page reads?

    Answer: Here’s where the benefit comes in: There are a LOT of KU readers who never/almost never buy books. So if I can get them to read my books as well as my regular readership, that adds to the sales.

    And as I’ve now discovered, there are a LOT more KU readers who read my books than readers on the other platforms who buy them (other e-reader types like Nook/KOBO/Apple).

    So, buy making the books available to buy for all platforms in preorder, THEN putting them into KU, I not only have my regular readers who buy my books, but the KU readers who don’t buy books (or who can’t afford to).

So, that’s how KU works for me. The number of people who buy books has gone down, most likely due to the economy–which is totally understandable–so KU gives me the ability to reach another audience who can’t/won’t otherwise be able to read my books.
How KU Works
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