Tag Archives: global fund

Jan 15 2018

Wow: Kindle Unlimited Clears Half a Penny per Page (December, 2017)

KINDLE UNLIMITED UPDATE FOR DECEMBER, 2017

The Kindle Unlimited per-page rate finished 2017 with a Bang, paying over $0.005 per page read ($0.00506394 to be precise).

The per-page rate has climbed above half a penny per-page a few times in the past, but usually it is under $0.005.

Part of the explanation appears to be KENPC v3.0. Amazon KDP introduced the new KENPC calculation when the per-page rate had dropped to the low $0.004’s in July. The per-page rate has climbed steadily ever since.

Part of the explanation may also be that December is a very busy holiday sales month.

The KDP Select Global Fund also increased to $19.9 million. While the KDP Select Global Fund has consistently increased over the life of the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, what’s different now is that for five months the per-page rate and global fund have both increased together. It’s a nice trend.

While it’s nice to see the per-page rate and global fund both rising, be prepared. The per-page rate is generally a bit of a roller coaster ride, and when it peaks above $0.005 per page, it may not last long. Be prepared in case it dips back below $0.005 per page, but be hopeful that it stays above $0.005.

The global fund tends to climb over time (with only an occasional exception), but history suggests that the per-page rate won’t continue to climb forever (though I’d love to see it prove me wrong).

Enjoy it while it lasts, hope it continues, and realize that it has been fairly stable in its oscillation between $0.004 and $0.005 ever since the per-page concept was introduced.

Really, neither the per-page rate nor the global fund are the points to worry about.

The trick is to get more people to read more of your books. 🙂

Copyright © 2018

Chris McMullen

Dec 15 2017

Kindle Unlimited Per-Page Rate Continues to Rise (November, 2017)

KINDLE UNLIMITED PER-PAGE RATE, NOVEMBER, 2017

Through July, 2017, the Kindle Unlimited per-page rate had been spiraling downward.

But Amazon introduced KENPC v3.0 before it could drop below $0.004 per page.

The per-page rate has steadily climbed since.

  • November: $0.00463 per page
  • October: $0.00456 per page
  • September: $0.00443 per page
  • August: $0.00419 per page
  • July: $0.00403 per page

The KDP Select Global Fund also hit a new record high.

  • November: $19.8 million
  • October: $19.7 million
  • September: $19.5 million
  • August: $19.4 million
  • July: $19.0 million
  • June: $18.0 million

It’s nice to see the per-page rate rising alongside the KDP Select Global Fund.

However, at some point the per-page rate will reach a plateau, whereas the KDP Select Global Fund has risen steadily for years.

I remember the days when the KDP Select Global Fund was below $10M. I remember the people who claimed that $10M would just be the gravy to entice authors into KDP Select, and that it would surely drop once it got settled. But it’s since doubled, continuing to rise.

I also remember every time the Kindle Unlimited rate dropped to near $0.004 per page several people crying the end of the world, that it would drop below $o.004 and never return. But yet again it has bounced back.

The Kindle Unlimited per-page rate is a bit of a roller coaster ride with peaks and valleys. After it peaks and drops a bit, try not to panic. 🙂

Overall, the KDP Select per-page rate has experienced relative stability between $0.004 and $0.005 (occasionally rising slightly over $0.005).

Copyright © 2017

Chris McMullen

Nov 15 2017

Kindle Unlimited: October, 2017 Marks Steady Improvement

KINDLE UNLIMITED PER-PAGE RATE, OCTOBER, 2017

The Kindle Unlimited per-page has continued to increase ever since the inception of KENPC v3.0.

  • October: $0.00456 per page
  • September: $0.00443 per page
  • August: $0.00419 per page
  • July: $0.00403 per page

The KDP Select Global Fund has increased steadily over a much longer period (just a couple of years back, it was half as much).

  • October: $19.7 million
  • September: $19.5 million
  • August: $19.4 million
  • July: $19.0 million
  • June: $18.0 million

Copyright © 2017

Chris McMullen

Aug 17 2017

The Kindle Unlimited Rate Drops to Nearly $0.0040 per Page for July, 2017

Images from ShutterStock

KINDLE UNLIMITED PER PAGE RATE FOR JULY, 2017

The per-page rate for Kindle Unlimited dropped down to $0.004034 per page for July, 2017 compared to the rate of $0.004223 per page for June, 2017.

This downward trend has now continued for several months.

  • $0.00497 for February
  • $0.0046 for March
  • $0.00457 for April
  • $0.00433 for May
  • $0.004223 for June
  • $0.004034 for July

The KENP per-page rate is at a current low. It dropped down to $0.00411 eighteen months back in January of 2016 (last year, not this one).

Back in January, 2016, the KENP idea was relatively new and there were many naysayers speculating that the rate would drop below $0.04 per page and never return.

However, it rose well above $0.004 in February, 2016, and continued soaring. While it has fluctuated a little here and there, it has held fairly steady, and approached nearly $0.005 earlier this year.

When it dropped to $0.0046 for March and April, it seemed to be returning to a more modest rate, as the $0.00497 was higher than usual.

When it dropped further to $0.0043 and $0.0042 for June and July, we hoped this might be a temporary downward fluctuation.

But here we come to $0.0040. The big question is: Will it finally drop below $0.0040 per page?

Of course, NOBODY KNOWS! (Well, maybe Jeff Bezos knows.)

We can hope we’ve reached the bottom of a valley, and that the rate will head back up. This happened in January of 2016.

But it’s common for the rate to drop in January for the holiday season, especially with a new version of Unlimited in place (which there was in 2016), and return upward starting in February.

We’re in August now, with the holiday season ahead of us. This is different.

However, there is another big factor involved. Amazon KDP just introduced KENPC v3.0. If you haven’t already done so, you should check the current KENPC’s of your books. You can check your current KENPC from your KDP bookshelf. Click the Promote and Advertise button next your title (or click the … button to find this option, if necessary), and scroll down.

If your KENPC happens to be longer than it had been, that will help compensate for the lower per-page rate. If your KENPC happens to be shorter now, the lower rate will hurt even more if it continues.

There is some good news, however. The KDP Select Global Fund for July, 2017 was $19M, which is a clear million dollars above the $18M payout for June, 2017.

This is part of an upward trend. It was $16.8M back in December, 2016, and $13.5M in December, 2015.

So while the per-page rate has dropped recently, overall Amazon KDP is paying even more in combined Kindle Unlimited royalties.

The problem is that we don’t know what will happen over the next few months. If you did, it would be easy to plan for it.

A couple of months may provide some helpful data, if you can wait.

Personally, I’m content with Kindle Unlimited (as both an author and a customer), but I’m just one author. My KENPC’s are about the same as they were, my pages read are holding fairly steady despite the tens of thousands of new books added to the market each month, I believe that Kindle Unlimited helps my sales indirectly, and I feel that I’m able to derive enough benefits from KDP Select to make it worthwhile for me. These are the things that each author must decide for him- or herself.

The Kindle Unlimited market, for which KDP Select authors see $19,000,000 per month in royalties on top of sales (and this is also on top of All-Star bonuses), draws a very significant indie audience.

However, I am very interested to see what happens to the per-page rate over the next few months.

Have you noticed any change with KENPC? How do you feel about Kindle Unlimited with regard to your books? Your feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

Copyright © 2017

Chris McMullen, Author of A Detailed Guide to Self-Publishing with Amazon and Other Online Booksellers

Click here to view my Goodreads author page.

  • Volume 1 on formatting and publishing
  • Volume 2 on marketability and marketing
  • 4-in-1 Boxed set includes both volumes and more
  • Kindle Formatting Magic (coming soon)

Follow me at WordPress, find my author page on Facebook, or connect with me through Twitter.

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May 21 2017

Kindle Unlimited KENP Pages Read for April, 2017

APRIL, 2017 KINDLE UNLIMITED PAGES READ RATE

The KENP per-page rate for Kindle Unlimited held steady in April, 2017.

The KENP per page rate for April, 2017 is $0.00457, which is nearly identical to the rate for March, 2017, which was $0.00460 per page.

The KDP Select Global Fund also held steady in April, 2017.

The Global Fund is $17.8M for April, 2017, which is slightly up from March, 2017, for which the Global Fund was $17.7M.

Copyright © 2017

Chris McMullen

Jan 14 2017

Kindle Unlimited above Half a Penny per Page 3 Months in a Row!

Image from ShutterStock.

Image from ShutterStock.

KINDLE UNLIMITED

The Kindle Unlimited KENP per-page rate for December, 2016 is $0.00524.

That makes three months in a row that it stayed above half a penny per page.

Amazingly, the per-page rate didn’t drop during the holiday season. That’s great news.

At the same time, the KDP Select Global Fund has risen from $16.3M to $16.8M.

It’s a nice trend that the global fund continues to rise, while the per-page rate is holding steady at a plateau above half a penny per page.

Copyright © 2017

Chris McMullen

Dec 16 2016

Kindle Unlimited Per-page Rates for 2016

ku-per-page-2016

Kindle Unlimited rates (in dollars) for KENP pages read in 2016

WHAT DID KINDLE UNLIMITED PAY FOR PAGES READ IN 2016?

In 2016, Kindle Unlimited began by paying just over $0.004 per KENP page read, but finished strong, paying over $0.005 per KENP page read in the final months, showing a steady increase over the last four months.

Here is a breakdown by month, from January, 2016 thru November, 2016 (in dollars):

January 0.00411
February 0.00479
March 0.004779
April 0.004957
May 0.004686
June 0.004925
July 0.00481
August 0.004575
September 0.00497
October 0.00519
November 0.005375

The KDP Select Global Fund showed continued growth throughout the year (the following figures are in millions of dollars):

January 15
February 14
March 14.9
April 14.9
May 15.3
June 15.4
July 15.5
August 15.8
September 15.9
October 16.2
November 16.3

This means that Amazon is paying approximately $186,000,000 in royalties for Kindle Unlimited (and Amazon Prime) pages read in 2016, just for KDP Select books (the traditionally published books in Kindle Unlimited evidently receive a separate payout), and that’s on top of the royalties that they receive for sales.

Actually, Amazon paid even more money because on top of the $186,000,000 they also pay All-Star bonuses (when I inquired, KDP informed me that the All-Star bonuses are paid separate from the global fund).

Paying nearly $200 million in royalties for borrows (primarily) through Kindle Unlimited, this is a very significant share of the royalties paid for e-books.

The KDP Select Global Fund continues to rise (now over $16 million per month), and the per-page rate has also steadily risen the past four months. This data suggests that Kindle Unlimited is growing stronger. Of course, the number of e-books enrolled in Kindle Unlimited also continues to rise (across most categories) significantly.

Chris McMullen

Copyright © 2016

Chris McMullen, Author of A Detailed Guide to Self-Publishing with Amazon and Other Online Booksellers

Click here to view my Goodreads author page.

  • Volume 1 on formatting and publishing
  • Volume 2 on marketability and marketing
  • 4-in-1 Boxed set includes both volumes and more
  • Kindle Formatting Magic (coming soon)

Follow me at WordPress, find my author page on Facebook, or connect with me through Twitter.

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Oct 15 2016

Kindle Unlimited vs. the Naysayers #PoweredByIndie

Images from ShutterStock

Images from ShutterStock

KINDLE UNLIMITED: CURRENT STATUS

Back in January, Kindle Unlimited had taken a little dip (which happens every holiday season), and the naysayer propaganda was in full force.

It’s now October. For the year 2016, Kindle Unlimited has beaten the propaganda.

  • Paying $0.00497 per KENP page read for September, Kindle Unlimited has been amazingly stable since February.  That’s 8 months strong.
  • Presently at a relative high of nearly half a penny per Kindle page read, the payout hasn’t suffered the continual drop that had been predicted. There have been some pleasant jumps, and not just with the September payout.
  • Here’s another cool fact: There are now 1.4 million books enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. There were 860,000 books enrolled in February, 2015.  That’s an increase of over half a million books in 1.5 years (a 60% increase). Remember all the stories about indie authors running for the hills? The data shows otherwise.
  • My favorite number is $15.9 million. That’s the KDP Select Global Fund for September, 2016, another of many record highs. Amazon continues to pay more and more money in Kindle Unlimited royalties. Amazon will pay close to $200,000,000 in royalties for Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime borrows for the year 2016 (that’s aside from the royalties for the sales of those books; we’re just talking borrows), and that’s in addition to what they pay for All-Star bonuses (that’s right, the All-Star bonus isn’t taken out of the Global Fund, it’s paid in addition to it; I asked KDP about this specific point).

$200 million in royalties for Kindle Unlimited pages read in one year: That’s a significant share of the e-book market, and a rather indie-friendly share, too.

The continued rise in the KDP Select Global Fund and a fairly stable payout of just under a half-penny per page (though it will probably take its usual dip in December and January, and then likely return next February) suggest that the Kindle Unlimited customer base continues to grow. A great sign.

With 1.4 million books to choose from, with nearly 50,000 added just in the last 30 days, there is also growing competition for this customer base. The way to deal with the increased competition is to keep writing, try to write better, and try to improve your marketing skills. Competition is a good sign. It helps to bring in more customers, and it shows that this market is worth competing for. Good writing and marketable ideas help to provide good long-term prospects.

Celebrate Great Indie Writing with the #PoweredByIndie Hashtag in October, 2016

You can find some great indie writing in Kindle Unlimited, for example.

Many of those 1.4 million books were self-published. There are 100,000 or so traditionally published books in the mix, too; it’s not exclusive to self-publishing. But indie authors have really helped to make Kindle Unlimited strong enough to attract and grow a significant customer base.

Kindle Unlimited, in a strong way, really is #PoweredByIndie. But we must also give credit to Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Amazon’s imprints, and other great titles, too, to help attract customers. It’s great writing that attracts customers, regardless of how it is published.

Strive for great writing and good things are bound to happen.

Chris McMullen

Copyright © 2016

Chris McMullen, Author of A Detailed Guide to Self-Publishing with Amazon and Other Online Booksellers

Click here to view my Goodreads author page.

  • Volume 1 on formatting and publishing
  • Volume 2 on marketability and marketing
  • 4-in-1 Boxed set includes both volumes and more
  • Kindle Formatting Magic (coming soon)

Follow me at WordPress, find my author page on Facebook, or connect with me through Twitter.

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