Should You Publish Wide or KDP Select? I Chose Wrong. 

One of the first decisions you make when self-publishing is whether to use KDP Select.

This means you're faced with a dilemma: Amazon exclusivity, where your book is only available on Amazon, or publish widely across every self-publishing platform. 

I was there with my first book. 

I chose KDP Select, and it was the wrong choice for me. 

It might still be the right choice for you, but I wish I had known how to make the decision based on my situation rather than copying what everyone else said.

This is what I learned, what I wish I had understood earlier, and how to decide without guessing.

What KDP Select Actually Is

This is what I was a little clueless about prior to self-publishing. 

KDP Select is Amazon's exclusivity program. 

You agree to sell your ebook only through Amazon for ninety days, and it auto-renews unless you opt out. In exchange, you get a handful of benefits.

The first benefit is Kindle Unlimited enrolment. Readers with KU subscriptions can read your book without paying per book, and you get paid per page read. 

You also get free promotion days, which are five days per ninety-day period, where you can make the book free. 

You can run countdown deals, which are limited-time discounts with a visible countdown timer. In some markets, you get a higher royalty, with 70% available in more countries. 

Those are the tools you receive in exchange for giving Amazon exclusivity. Is it worth it?

What Going Wide In Self-Publishing Means

Going wide means publishing your book everywhere you can. 

That usually includes Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, Barnes and Noble, and any other platform that will take your book. No doubt, another platform is on the rise as we speak. 

When you go wide, you lose Kindle Unlimited enrolment and Amazon's built-in promotional tools, but you reach readers who do not use Amazon. 

You also retain full control over distribution and aren't locked into a single platform.

Why I Chose KDP Select and Why It Was Wrong for Me

I chose KDP Select because I kept hearing that beginners should start with Amazon. The reasoning sounded convincing; Amazon has a huge market share, so focus there first and go wide later once you have an audience. 

I accepted that advice without questioning it (what did I know to question it?!), and that was a big mistake.

It was wrong for my situation for several reasons. 

• I had no audience, and KU helps most when you are releasing books regularly to an engaged readership. 
• I had one book, and nobody was waiting for it. 
• I also wasn't writing a series (well, it was intended to be part of one, but there was no release date for book two in the near future). KU works best for series because readers binge book one and then move through books two, three, and four, and the page reads compound. I had a standalone book. 
• My genre was also not KU-heavy. Some genres dominate KU, such as romance, LitRPG, and fantasy, while others do not. Even though I've described my book as romance fiction in hindsight (and tried to position it in that category many times), it's technically women's fiction, where it's more gossip, friendship and drama, rather than smut. 

The KDP Select Advantages and When They Actually Matter

KDP Select does have real advantages, but they only matter in specific conditions. For many authors, it would make perfect sense to venture down this path. 

The first advantage is Kindle Unlimited page reads. If you write in a KU-heavy genre such as romance, fantasy, science fiction, or thriller, readers often expect to find books in KU. Not being enrolled can cost you readers. 

Page reads pay around 4 to 5 tenths of a cent per page. A three-hundred-page book fully read earns around one dollar twenty to one dollar fifty. If you have a thousand full reads per month, that becomes meaningful income. For some authors, KU income exceeds sales income. 

The catch is that you need volume. One book getting 100 reads a month earns around $30–50, which is not worth the cost of exclusivity for most people.

The second advantage is free days, which can build momentum if used strategically. If you make your book free for a day and promote it properly through services like BookBub or Freebooksy, you can generate thousands of downloads. 

Those downloads can lead to reviews if people actually read the book, also buy connections if they download other books too, and a temporary category ranking boost. 

The catch is that free days without promotion usually get you ten to fifty downloads, and that wastes the opportunity. 

The third advantage is countdown deals, which are a limited-time discount with a visible countdown that can create urgency and boost sales. The catch is that it only works if you have traffic going to your page. Without an audience, nobody sees the countdown, and there is no urgency to trigger.

The fourth advantage is that KDP Select is simpler to manage. One platform means one dashboard, one set of analytics, and one upload process. Going wide means managing multiple platforms, multiple payment systems, and multiple upload processes. The catch is that easy does not matter if you are getting zero sales anyway.

The Wide Advantages (And What I Gave Up)

Going wide also has advantages, and these were the things I gave up by choosing exclusivity.

The first advantage is that you reach readers who do not use Amazon. Some readers prefer Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble, and they will never find you on Amazon. 

This is especially true outside of the USA. Kobo dominates in Canada, and Apple Books is strong in certain markets. By going exclusive, I gave up those readers completely.

The second advantage is that you are not dependent on one company. Amazon can change its terms whenever it wants, and if your entire income depends on Amazon, you are vulnerable. Wide authors reduce that risk by diversifying. It's literally putting all your eggs in one basket. 

The third advantage is that you own your distribution. KDP Select locks you in for ninety days, and you cannot leave early even if you want to. Going wide gives you the freedom and control to decide where your book lives.

The fourth advantage is that some retailers promote wide books more. Kobo and Apple sometimes give extra visibility to books that aren't Amazon exclusives because they want to compete.

The fifth advantage is access to libraries and subscription services. Some library platforms like Overdrive and Hoopla, and subscription services like Scribd, will not take Amazon-exclusive books. If you are in KDP Select, you lose those revenue streams entirely.

When KDP Select Makes Sense

Even though it failed for me, KDP Select does work in certain situations. It can make sense if you are writing a series in a KU heavy genre such as romance, fantasy, LitRPG, or thriller because readers will binge read and page reads compound across multiple books.

It can make sense if you release rapidly, such as publishing a new book every one to three months, because KU rewards frequent releases. It can make sense if you already have an audience and a mailing list that can drive enough downloads and reads to make KU worthwhile.

It can also make sense if you are in a KU dominated genre where a large portion of readers use KU, because not being there can hurt visibility.

It can make sense if you want to use free days strategically and you have a real plan to promote those free days and generate reviews. It can also make sense if you are testing the market with your first book and you want to see whether there is demand, because ninety days is not a massive commitment.

How to Actually Decide

I understand the irony of telling you that following the advice blindly got me into trouble, and here I am about to impart my advice on you. 

But what I don't want you to do is to guess what to do with your self-publishing. So instead of guessing, you can make the decision by answering a few questions honestly.

First, is your genre KU heavy? Check the top one hundred in your genre or category and see how many are in KU. If 70% or more are in KU, then KU likely matters. If less than 30% are in KU, it likely does not.

Second, are you writing a series or a standalone? Series benefit from KU, while standalone books usually do not.

Third, do you have an audience? If you do, they will read or buy regardless of platform, so the choice is more flexible. If you do not, KU will not save you and going wide will not hurt you.

Fourth, can you release frequently? KU rewards volume, so if you publish once a year, going wide is usually the better fit.

Fifth, do you want to learn multiple platforms? KDP Select is simpler, while wide has a learning curve. The question is whether you are willing to manage that complexity.

There Is No Wrong Answer (The Switch Opt-out)

I get we're all fearful of making the wrong decision. I don't blame you for feeling that way. Thankfully, there is a safety net. 

This is the part most people do not realise. You are not married to your choice. KDP Select runs in ninety-day periods, and when it expires, you can choose not to renew and then go wide. You can also start wide and switch to KDP Select later if you decide you want KU.

I stayed in KDP Select for two renewals, totalling six months, before I realised it wasn't working and opted out. I should have tested both approaches faster.

The Real Answer

There is no universal right answer. It depends on your genre, audience, release schedule, goals, and your willingness to manage complexity.

But if you're unsure, you won't hurt your success by going wide. The reason is simple: going wide teaches you multiple platforms, gives you more data, and does not lock you in. 

• After three to six months, you will have real information.
• You will see whether Amazon accounts for 100% of your sales or 60%.
• You will know whether other platforms are worth your time.
• Then you can make an informed decision about KDP Select based on results rather than guesswork.

It also isn't the make-or-break decision when it comes to selling your self-published book. That's all dependent on how you market and write your book in the first place. 

---

I write about the emotional and practical reality of being a writer - drafting, doubt, discipline, and publishing while still figuring it out.

Mostly for people who write because they have to, need to, want to | https://linktr.ee/ellenfranceswrites