Up until now my ebooks have only been available on Kindle. Amazon offers various promotional incentives for being exclusive to them (primarily the ability to easily run price promotions and inclusion in their subscription service – Kindle Unlimited), and I wanted to be able to try them out.
For my next release, Glitch Mitchell and the Unseen Planet, I’ve decided to “go wide” and launch on all the major platforms – Amazon, Kobo, iBooks and Nook.
The reason is very simple – I want as many people as possible to be able to read the book. Although there is a Kindle app for tablets and phones, not everyone uses it. If you’re an Apple user then you’ll probably go with iBooks. Nook readers will go with the Nook app. Kobo owners will go with the Kobo app.
Although Amazon is the big player, there are a lot of readers using those other platforms and they’re loyal to them. Personally, I have a soft spot for Kobo. It isn’t as well known as Kindle in the US, but it’s much bigger in other countries – particularly in Canada. I bought my wife the first Kobo when it was released here – I had to queue outside the bookshop before it opened to make sure I got one because they were selling out so quickly. Although I’ve got a Kindle, my wife has recently upgraded to the newer Kobo Glo. It’s a good reader, certainly just as good as my Kindle Paperwhite.
The downside to offering the book on multiple platforms is that it won’t be available on Kindle Unlimited which will, frankly, cost me sales. It takes time to build up a presence on the other platforms and I’m not expecting many sales there initially. A lot of indie authors stay exclusive to Amazon for that very reason – they don’t want to lose out short term.
But this is a long term play. I’ll probably still make some titles exclusive to Kindle in the future but they’ll all go wide eventually – The Girl in the City is Kindle only right now but in September I’ll release it on all platforms.
So, if you have friends that read on Nook or Kobo or Apple, point them at Glitch Mitchell and the Unseen Planet when it’s released on 25th August. Let’s see if we can get some traction for it on those other platforms. And if your friends prefer to read physical books, Glitch will be available in print as well and it’s looking fantastic.
For a limited time, I’m giving everyone who signs up to my mailing list 4 free books.
[Glitch Going Wide by Philip Harris first appeared on Solitary Mindset on 19th August 2015]