Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
As a self-published author, is it possible to steer readers into buying from you directly versus following Amazon’s suggestion engine? It might seem like a battle worthy of David and Goliath, but there are pros and cons to selling books on Amazon versus direct to reader. Here at BookBaby, we help you do both. Here’s what to know so that you can decide and move ahead with greater confidence (and income!)
Table of Contents:
• Amazon: the reach machine
• Drawbacks and the real costs of using Amazon
• The benefits of going direct to reader
• What to know before you go with direct-to-reader sales
Amazon: the reach machine
Amazon is truly a reach machine. It has gone from being “Earth’s biggest bookstore” to having its digital fingers in every conceivable pie. To help cement its status as one of the top dogs when it comes to online shopping, it has a few major benefits going for it.
Massive discoverability
Millions of book buyers are on Amazon. If someone’s casually browsing, Amazon’s search and recommendation engine to people who would likely love it. That discovery power is real and significant.
Built-in buyer trust and easy checkout
People are used to buying on Amazon. With One-Click, Prime shipping, and a familiar returns process, Amazon has pulled out all the stops when it comes to truly frictionless buying.
Kindle-first ecosystem and subscription exposure
Enrolling in Amazon’s Kindle-first ecosystem, KDP Select, gets you into Kindle Unlimited as well as lets you take advantage of other Kindle promotional tools. That means added page-read payouts and greater discoverability among KU subscribers.
Clear royalty structure (but with caveats)
Amazon offers two main tiers when it comes to eBook royalties: 70% and 35%. They also have specific price and territory rules as well as delivery fees on the 70% option. For high-volume sellers, these are attractive numbers, but there’s also a good bit of fine print you should know about.
Drawbacks and the real costs of using Amazon
Even with all of its benefits, huge discoverability, and built-up trust, there are still some issues with using Amazon exclusively as your sales channel.
You don’t own the customer
Sales on Amazon means Amazon — not you — owns the buyer data. That email address is often not included in your sales data, which means the potential for follow-up is limited.
Price control and price matching
Amazon can (and does) adjust perceived pricing in order to stay competitive ahead of other online booksellers like Barnes & Noble. If you sell your book cheaper elsewhere, Amazon will often match the price, which can nibble away at your profit margins.
You’re dependent on the algorithm
One day you’re visible, the next day you’re not. A promotion, a bad review, or the wrong category or keywords can cause your sales to plummet. For this reason, it’s so important to optimize your metadata, or have the experts at BookBaby handle it for you!
You trade perks and exclusivity with KDP Select
KDP Select’s perks like KU Reads, countdown deals, and free days are definitely tempting. However, that same exclusivity means you can’t sell your eBook anywhere else while you’re enrolled in KDP Select. That means no direct sales channels, like driving traffic to your own digital storefront, such as your BookBaby Bookshop page.
The benefits of going direct to reader
Now that you know more about what to expect in terms of the pros and cons of publishing with Amazon, what should you know about going direct-to-reader instead?
You own the relationship
Selling from your own storefront means that everything from buyer emails to lifetime customer value and remarketing to your customers is all within your reach. This makes it an excellent option for follow-ups, like short stories, special editions or even merchandise.
Higher per-sale revenue and faster payouts
Many direct-to-reader storefronts like BookBaby Bookshop offer higher royalty splits for authors selling directly. We also provide clear data on which promotions are working, so you can clearly see what needs to be refined, or what you should double down on. You can get detailed information on all your payments and sales directly from your seller dashboard.
Creative control over packaging and offers
Want to create and sell signed copies, eBooks, and print bundles? Limited editions? A preorder bonus? Direct sales can let you do that and turn casual readers into superfans.
No price matching or surprise demotions
You’re in complete control of the pricing and promos, and you keep more of the income generated as a result.
What to know before you go with direct-to-reader sales
All of that being said, there are some points to keep in mind before you wholeheartedly leap into direct-to-reader sales.
You bring the audience
You need to bring the traffic. That means investing in marketing ads, email lists and even potential partnerships with other authors. Thankfully, BookBaby offers numerous marketing services and options to help you get the word out, so you’re not stuck figuring it out by yourself.
Fulfilment, returns, and customer service
Print On Demand or POD lets you sidestep the need to warehouse inventory, but you still need to choose how you’re going to handle fulfillment and support. BookBaby’s global distribution network makes this much easier; we print and ship on demand and can distribute your book and eBook to retailers for you, but you’ll need to plan out your timeline carefully.
You’re in charge of conversion
On Amazon, many people buy simply because they trust the platform and are familiar with it. With your own storefront, you’re in charge of handling the copy, images, and more. With BookBaby, you don’t need any prior website design or graphics experience. Your Bookshop page features a beautiful image of your cover as well as links to third parties like Amazon where users can opt to purchase if they feel more comfortable doing so.
So which option do we recommend? You don’t have to choose one or the other. Many independent authors choose the best of both worlds: Amazon for greater discoverability and Bookshop for special options like preorder exclusives, signed editions, and bundles.
If you already have a newsletter or an engaged audience, make direct sales your priority. If not, start building one now. We recommend you compare the per-unit profit on Amazon vs. your direct storefront using BookBaby’s POD quotes to see your real margins.
There’s no one “right” choice, but by taking into account the pros and cons of each, and using each for their strengths while sidestepping the weaknesses, you’ll be the smart, savvy author that comes out on top.
