Kindle Unlimited and Everything Else

[Rainy_TX]

Hey everyone! I know that someone posted a thread a while back about Kindle Unlimited, but I wanted to see how everyone is doing these days in light of the $$ paid for each KU download is decreasing. I went from a 5k+ monthly income from last year to about $500... thankfully designing book covers have saved my bacon!

I know that it's not fastlane to depend on one particular thing (amazon) so I've been tossing around some ideas for a website that publishes romance/new adult/soft erotica since Amazon has been kicking a lot off. My problem is that I'm a writer and a pretty decent graphic designer... not a coder and have no start up capital for it... right now. So I'm working on finding a programmer that might want to partner with me or perhaps trade services for services. Anyway, that's what I have going on. How about you guys?

 

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[Held for Ransom]

@Rainy_TX. I'm still writing and still doing well. If you were able to make $5,000, you could make $10,000... $20,000, who knows? Though it's more difficult today than in years past, it's still achievable.

 

[Andrew Ward]

Programmers get equity requests for development all the time. Typically it will be taken as an insult to ask.

The way around this is to put something into the equation that has high perceived value to your potential partner. For example let's say you have written a whole novel to publish through your platform and some indication of the market demand for it. This way going in to partnership looks more attractive.

If you do go into a 50/50 partnership and set up a company then make sure you put a shareholders agreement into place.

My view though: there is more value in your content than the website coding. It sounds like the coding you are after is a fairly common thing and it is actually the content that is your USP.

Check out themeforest.net . You may be able to find a theme that has been built to do what you want already. If you do then get some hosting, buy a domain, and pay someone to install it for you and be available for ad-hoc support if you need it (this shouldn't be too expensive, it is under an hours work, maybe two with the support time).

As long as you don't mind having to play around with setting it up yourself (you shouldn't need to code anything) then you are ready to roll.

Make sure the theme does what you want before you buy and install it though. Extending or changing features is where it becomes more expensive as you will need a dev to re-write how bits are done and it may not be as simple as you may think.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Rainy_TX]

If you were able to make $5,000, you could make $10,000... $20,000, who knows?

Hey Held for Ransom! Hope you are doing well! Yeah, I know if I made X before, I can do even more.

 

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[Held for Ransom]

Yeah, I know if I made X before, I can do even more.

I'm good Rainy, thanks. Is there a reason you aren't?

 

[Rainy_TX]

Is there a reason you aren't?

lol. How I've missed you! I could blame a million things, but truth be known, I know it's simply a matter of me standing in my own way.

 

[Held for Ransom]

It happens to everyone. Have you moved on from self-publishing?

 

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[Rainy_TX]

It happens to everyone. Have you moved on from self-publishing?

No, not exactly. I have about 24 titles out, but I found that I like designing covers. Been doing decent at it until the other day where I stumbles upon THE forum to market my services. I've sold 18 custom cover designs since then! I am even looking at hiring a freelancer to help me with the designs so I can keep up. lol Perhaps I'll be up to that 6k again soon... and beyond. (Proving you right, once again)

 

[Held for Ransom]

I've sold 18 custom cover designs since then! I am even looking at hiring a freelancer to help me with the designs so I can keep up.

That's great to hear. I don't know where I'd be without my cover designer. I'd pay three times what she charges, maybe more.

 

[GiroudJD]

KU has certainly killed a lot of people's incomes. Shorts are no longer lucrative like they were. It's all about novels these days. So unless you go wide, it's better to try and write longer works.

 

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[Rawr]

Rainy did you advertise on Kboards? People look for covers there all the time.

KU slashed my income in half I'd venture to say. But the basics are still there. I'm adjusting and going to break my previous record.