KU vs Wide: Choosing Your Distribution Strategy
You hover over the publish button and feel it: that small, sharp question behind the excitement. Do you check the box for KDP Select, lock your ebook into Amazon’s world, and reach Kindle Unlimited readers—or do you take your book wide and plant flags at every major retailer? You can’t do both at once for the same ebook, and whichever path you choose will shape your launch, your cash flow, and your audience.
The good news: this choice isn’t permanent if you treat it like a plan, not a pledge.
You face a tradeoff between depth and breadth. Depth looks like page reads, algorithmic lift, and concentrated momentum in one store. Breadth looks like multiple storefronts, price promotions, long-tail sales, and less platform risk.
You don’t have to guess. You can map the money, the timing, and the workload in concrete terms.
A quick grounding in terms helps. KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s self-publishing platform. KDP Select is the program that requires ebook exclusivity for 90-day periods and grants access to Kindle Unlimited (KU), Amazon’s subscription reading service.
One more useful acronym: KENP means Kindle Edition Normalized Pages. Amazon pays for KU reads based on KENP—how many normalized pages readers consume in your book—at a variable per-page rate funded by a monthly pool.
With that, let’s make the call with clear eyes.
Pros and Cons of Exclusivity
The most common confusion here is mixing up KU and KDP Select. Readers join KU. You join Select to make your ebook eligible to be read in KU.
Exclusivity only applies to the ebook edition of the enrolled titles. You can keep your print and audio wide while your ebook is in Select.
Here’s what exclusivity can give you quickly. It concentrates attention and can accelerate your early traction.
- Faster discovery from KU readership and Amazon’s algorithms
- Simplified marketing with one retailer and a strong free/Countdown tool
- Smoother cash flow from page reads when price is low or the book is short
- Binge-friendly economics for long series with strong readthrough
Now here’s what going wide can give you steadily. It spreads your risk and opens more doors.
- Diverse income streams across Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play
- Access to retailer promos and library distribution for long-tail sales
- Price flexibility (including permafree) without risking Amazon’s price-match issues
- A more resilient audience not tied to one store’s rule changes
Every pro carries its mirror-image con. When you lean into one, you step away from the other.
Exclusivity limits your ability to reach readers who never shop on Amazon. If your genre has strong communities on Kobo or Apple Books, you’ll feel that ceiling sooner than you expect.
Wide distribution trades some early velocity for broader base-building. If you need a faster spike to recoup cover, edit, and ad costs, a slower start can feel risky in the short term.
Example: A romance author launches a six-book, tightly linked series into Select. KU readers binge it in a weekend, driving tens of thousands of KENP reads, rank lift, and spillover sales. That same series wide might take months to find placement and feature spots at other stores.
Measurable next step: Look at your last three releases and calculate the share of revenue from Amazon versus non-Amazon. If your non-Amazon share is under 10% and your genre is KU-heavy, flag exclusivity as your default test for the next launch; if it’s over 25%, flag wide as your default.
The takeaway: exclusivity is a lever, not a belief system.
Royalty Math by Scenario
You make a better choice when you see how the numbers stack up for your specific book. That means page count, price, readthrough, and delivery costs—not guesses.
Start with ebook royalties outside KU. For list prices between $2.99 and $9.99, Amazon pays 70% minus a small delivery fee based on file size. Outside that band, it’s typically 35%.
Delivery fees add up over volume. Most text-only novels land between $0.05 and $0.15 per sale. If you’re unsure, export your EPUB and note the file size before you upload.
For KU, Amazon pays you per KENP read. The per-page rate changes each month; recent averages often hover around $0.004 to $0.005 per page, but the exact rate varies. Plan with a conservative estimate.
Series economics matter even more than single-book math. If book one pulls a reader into book two, the value of a free read or a KU page read shifts. Readthrough is where profits hide.
Let’s run four clean scenarios and compare KU page reads to outright sales. Use your real price and page count to mirror the math.
Scenario 1: A 300-page novel at $4.99. At a 70% royalty, minus a $0.10 delivery fee, your per-sale revenue is roughly $3.39. In KU, 300 KENP at a $0.0045 rate yields about $1.35 if fully read.
Example: If your readers finish the book in KU, a fully read KU copy pays roughly 40% of a full-price sale. But if you get 2.5 KU reads for every one sale you would have had, your total revenue evens out.
Measurable next step: Check your category’s KU penetration. Pick five comparable titles on Amazon, scan their “Read for Free” badge, and note if they’re in KU. If 4 out of 5 are in KU, assume KU will account for at least half of your reads and model that.
Scenario 2: A $0.99 promo. At $0.99, you get 35% outside of the 70% band, or about $0.35 per sale. In KU, the same 300 KENP read at $0.0045 pays $1.35. KU beats the $0.99 sale handily if readers finish the book.
Example: During launch week, you drop to $0.99 for visibility. If you’re in KU, page reads can offset the low price, especially if you hit charts. If you’re wide, your $0.99 sale still helps as a feeder to book two.
Measurable next step: For your next price promo, document the revenue per reader for both states—sale versus full KU read—and commit to a target ratio. Example: “I need 1.0 KU read for every 3.0 $0.99 sales to match revenue.”
Scenario 3: A 900-page box set at $6.99. Outside KU, you earn around $4.79 after the 70% royalty and a slightly higher delivery fee. In KU, a full 900 KENP read at $0.0045 pays about $4.05. Closer than you might expect.
Example: Box sets in KU do well because binge readers consume them end to end. The small gap between KU and sale revenue often closes with the rank lift KU provides.
Measurable next step: If you have a three-book series, compile a box set EPUB now and record its KENP length. Set a goal: “I will test a KU-exclusive box set for 90 days and aim for 50% completion rate or higher.”
Scenario 4: A 120-page novella at $2.99. Outside KU, you earn about $2.00 after delivery. In KU, 120 KENP at $0.0045 pays $0.54. The gap is wide unless KU drives significantly more units.
Example: Short fiction often earns more per reader via outright sales, especially if your audience is niche and loyal. KU can still work if you stack novellas into a bundle.
Measurable next step: List your short works and calculate per-reader value in both models. Flag titles where KU pays under 40% of a sale as “sales-first,” and consider bundling them before testing KU.
Now layer in readthrough. If book one is a breakeven or loss-leader that pulls readers into three more books, everything shifts.
Assume this path: Book one at $3.99, books two to four at $4.99 each. Readthrough 60% to book two, 70% to book three, 80% to book four. Outside KU, your revenue per new reader might land around $3.99 x 0.7 + (0.6 x $4.99 x 0.7) + (0.6 x 0.7 x $4.99 x 0.7) + (0.6 x 0.7 x 0.8 x $4.99 x 0.7). The rough mental math puts that north of $8 per initial reader.
In KU, book one’s full read might pay $1.35 at 300 KENP, and subsequent books similar. With the same readthrough, your per-reader value could be around $1.35 + (0.6 x $1.60) + (0.6 x 0.7 x $1.60) + (0.6 x 0.7 x 0.8 x $1.60), assuming later books average 350 KENP. That can approach $4–$5.
Example: If you can get double the number of book-one starts in KU compared to wide sales, your total series revenue per marketing dollar may match or beat wide. If you can’t, wide wins on value per reader.
Measurable next step: For your last completed series, compute actual readthrough by sales (or page reads) to books two, three, and four. Create a one-line rule: “If KU doubles book-one starts at similar ad spend, I go exclusive; if not, I go wide.”
Consider genre norms. KU is strong in romance, urban fantasy, litRPG, and some mystery subgenres. Wide tends to be stronger in literary fiction, historical fiction, and nonfiction.
Example: A cozy mystery series with rapid release often thrives in KU because binge readers chew through multiple books quickly. A literary standalone with review-driven sales may do better wide where Apple and Kobo merchandising matters.
Measurable next step: Open your top category charts on Amazon and on Kobo. Count how many of the top 50 on Amazon have the KU badge. If it’s over 70%, add points to the KU side for your decision.
Price bands matter too. If your books do best at $5.99–$7.99, the 70% royalty keeps wide sales attractive. If you rely on frequent $0.99 promos, KU can act like a cushion.
Example: A thriller author with a $5.99 price can rely on 70% royalty and occasional Kobo promotions to keep the backlist moving. A new-to-market author experimenting at $0.99 might prefer KU’s page-read floor during testing.
Measurable next step: Write down the median list price that maximizes your conversion. Use that price in your math models instead of a launch discount.
Lastly, remember that KDP Select’s exclusive terms apply per title and per language for ebooks. Print and audio are free to go wherever you choose, and so are translations if you enroll only the English ebook in Select.
The takeaway: model your money with your real numbers, not averages.
Switching Paths Without Pain
You can switch, but you need a plan. Chaos loves a rushed changeover.
Start with the contract clock. KDP Select locks your ebook in for 90 days at a time. You can opt out for the next term, but you must wait until the current term ends before your ebook can be listed anywhere else.
Going from KU to wide means building a runway. You’ll be pulling your book off auto-pilot in one place and introducing it to several new stores at once.
A clean switch takes six to eight weeks of prep. That gives you time to rework your backmatter, line up promotions, and build store-specific links.
Example: Your KU term ends on June 30. You start prep on May 15, set wide preorders by June 1, and go live wide on July 1. You tease the change in your newsletter on June 20 and again on June 28, with fresh store links ready.
Measurable next step: Open your KDP dashboard and note the end date of your current Select term for each enrolled title. Put those dates on your calendar and add a reminder 45 days before each one.
You’ll do four jobs during the runway. First, get your metadata ready for each retailer. Second, decide whether to use direct dashboards (Apple Books, Kobo Writing Life, Barnes & Noble Press, Google Play Books) or an aggregator that distributes to multiple stores and libraries. Third, update your backmatter with store-neutral calls to action. Fourth, update your website with store pages and links.
Metadata consistency matters. Keep titles, subtitles, series names, and numbers identical across stores. Use a single canonical series name to prevent shelving errors.
Example: If your KDP title is “Shadow Key (City Cipher Book 1),” then your Apple title should match exactly. Resist the urge to tweak series names per store.
Measurable next step: Create a single “Master Metadata” document for your series. Copy-paste from that file whenever you publish or update across stores.
Direct vs aggregator is a workload choice. Direct gives you more control and access to retailer promos. Aggregators simplify the process, distribute to libraries, and pay out from one place.
Example: You might go direct to Kobo and Apple to access their promo tabs, and use Draft2Digital for everything else. That hybrid approach cuts friction while preserving your promo options.
Measurable next step: Decide your distribution stack in writing: “Direct: Amazon, Kobo, Apple. Aggregator: Barnes & Noble, Google Play, libraries.” Execute that choice for one backlist title first as a system test.
Preorders smooth the transition. Most retailers let you set preorders weeks or months in advance. Even if you don’t have a final file, you can list a preorder and upload the file later.
Preorders give readers a destination when you announce the switch. You’ll also start building organic placement in those stores before go-live.
Example: Set a $3.99 preorder at Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble two weeks before your KU term ends. Upload your final EPUB 72 hours before release. Your newsletter links go to those preorders.
Measurable next step: Pick one title that leaves KU next. Schedule three preorders for it across non-Amazon stores within the next seven days.
Backmatter is a small hinge that swings a big door. Replace “Buy the next book on Amazon” with a neutral call to action like “Find the next City Cipher book at your favorite ebook store,” and link to a store page on your site that holds all retailer buttons.
When you’re still in KU, add a note on that store page: “This book is currently exclusive to Amazon and available in Kindle Unlimited. Join my list to know when it’s live everywhere.”
Example: A simple site page with four buttons—Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble—removes friction. Readers pick their store without you swapping links constantly in your ebooks.
Measurable next step: Build one evergreen “Where to Buy” page for your series on your website this week. Add it to your backmatter on your next file update.
Price strategy during the switch matters. When you exit KU, you lose Countdown Deals and free promo days. Consider a one-week price promo across wide stores to get traction.
You can also set book one to free permanently (permafree) outside Amazon. If you need to keep it at $0.99 on Amazon to avoid price-matching issues, plan for that difference at launch.
Example: You set book one permafree wide for 90 days and use Kobo promos and Apple features to drive traffic. Book two sits at $4.99 with a limited-time $2.99 coupon code on Kobo.
Measurable next step: If you plan to go permafree on book one, draft a two-sentence pitch for retailer promo submissions and put your next Kobo promo date on the calendar.
Now, consider the opposite direction: going from wide to KU. That’s less about adding stores and more about a clean takedown and link overhaul.
The core risk is accidental exclusivity violation. Your ebook must not be available for sale or included in subscription programs anywhere else while enrolled in Select.
Start by removing your ebook listings from other retailers at least a week before your intended Select start date. If you use an aggregator, process times vary; allow buffer.
Example: You set Select enrollment for August 1. On July 20, you initiate takedowns across all non-Amazon stores. On July 27, you check that pages redirect or show unavailable. On July 29, you update your backmatter to Amazon-only links and enroll in Select.
Measurable next step: Create a one-page “KU Switch Checklist” with three dates: takedown, verification, enrollment. Fill those in for your next test title.
Mind your backlist bundles and omnibuses. If the same content appears in a different product that remains wide, Select can be triggered. Keep your KU content clean and unmatched elsewhere.
Translations are treated per language. You can keep your German edition wide while the English edition is in KU, or vice versa. But don’t double-list the English text in different packages outside Amazon.
Example: Your English trilogy enters KU. You ensure the English omnibus is taken down at Kobo, but your Spanish translation stays wide at all stores.
Measurable next step: Inventory products that contain shared content. Mark any overlaps and decide which listings will be KU-exclusive and which will remain wide.
Mind the “10% rule” for content sharing. While in Select, you can share up to 10% of your book publicly (on your site, in your newsletter) for marketing. Don’t post full chapters beyond that threshold outside Amazon.
Backmatter links should be KU-friendly when you enroll. Use “Read free in Kindle Unlimited” language, then test every link. You can swap these later if you leave Select again.
Example: You create two backmatter file variants: KU version with Amazon-only links, and wide version with multi-store links. You keep both on hand for quick switches.
Measurable next step: Build and label a KU backmatter template and a wide backmatter template. Save both as separate files you can drop into your master EPUB.
Lastly, set expectations with readers. They don’t care about retailer politics; they care about access. Tell them plainly where and when they can read.
A respectful heads-up reduces complaints and increases trust. Offer alternatives like libraries or print if their preferred store is unavailable.
Example: “This series will be in Kindle Unlimited for the next 90 days, which means it’s exclusive to Amazon in ebook. If you read on Apple or Kobo, the paperback is still everywhere, and I’ll email you the moment the ebooks return to your store.”
Measurable next step: Draft a 100-word note you can reuse for switches in both directions. Paste it into your next newsletter.
The takeaway: switching is a logistics project. Put it on rails and it stops being stressful.
Series vs Standalone
Series behave differently from standalones. That difference should shape where you list and how you price.
Series love momentum. When readers like book one, they want book two now. This is where KU shines, because every next click stays inside the ecosystem and pays when pages are read.
Wide series can thrive too, especially in stores that reward consistent pricing and long-term merchandising. You trade short spikes for steady curves.
Example: A four-book urban fantasy series in KU triples its total consumption because KU readers binge. A four-book historical series wide slowly accumulates placement in Kobo promos and Apple collections, earning more per sale over time.
Measurable next step: For your current series, chart readthrough to the final book. If your readthrough is over 50% after 60 days, add a KU test to your plan; if it’s under 30%, invest in wide visibility before you switch models.
Standalone fiction often sells on pitch and cover more than follow-on momentum. Without readthrough to tap, KU must carry its weight on the single-title economics.
If your standalone is long and priced high, the 70% royalty may make wide more attractive. If you plan heavy $0.99 promos, KU can rescue revenue during those windows.
Example: A 500-page literary novel at $7.99 can keep earning wide for years with the right reviews and store features. A 220-page thriller novella might earn more in KU during a concentrated campaign.
Measurable next step: Assign each upcoming project a label now: “Series-first” or “Standalone.” Pair that label with a default distribution plan.
Your release cadence matters. Rapid release in series—books out every 4–8 weeks—plays well with KU because it maintains subscriber attention and algorithmic momentum.
Wide rewards consistency too, but the benefit often comes from retailer promos, curated lists, and price stability over months, not weeks.
Example: A romance author releases book one, two, and three in 10 weeks in KU, stacking page reads and finishing with a box set. A fantasy author releases two standalones wide over six months and earns Kobo and Apple features that drive long-tail sales.
Measurable next step: Write out your release dates for the next six months. If you can deliver at least three series entries quickly, favor KU. If your cadence is slower, widen your net.
Box sets change the picture for series. KU readers devour them, but wide stores also love them for featured promotions. The trick is timing.
You can run the series individual ebooks in KU for a term, then take the box set wide while the singles finish their KU term, or vice versa. Just avoid overlapping content across stores while in Select.
Example: Books 1–3 in KU for 90 days, then box set wide for the next 90 days, then all titles wide. That sequence lets you capture KU binge benefits and then claim wide promotions.
Measurable next step: If you have three or more books in a series, schedule a box-set production date and a wide promo target month now.
First-in-series pricing is a lever. Permafree book one is powerful wide. It introduces you to readers at Apple, Kobo, and libraries with minimal friction.
In KU, free days and Countdown Deals cover some of that ground. Pair those tools with newsletter pushes and in-store ads to simulate permafree’s effect.
Example: Wide, you set book one free for six months and hit Kobo promos monthly. In KU, you run a two-day free promo each term, then a Countdown the following month, rotating visibility.
Measurable next step: If wide is your plan, outline three price promotions for book one over the next quarter. If KU is your plan, schedule two free days and one Countdown window per term.
Backmatter for series is where you monetize attention. In KU, your next-book links keep readers inside the Kindle Store. Wide, your store-neutral page sends readers to their preferred retailer.
Consider using short, memorable URLs or QR codes in print to capture series readers across formats.
Example: “ReadBookTwo.com” forwards to your series landing page. Inside KU, that page can prioritize the Kindle edition for a one-click jump.
Measurable next step: Buy one short domain for your series and point it to your series page. Add it to every ebook file by the end of this week.
If you write in genres where KU dominates, you can still cultivate a wide ecosystem by staggering. Launch a series in KU for one or two terms, then take it wide once the early KU surge slows.
If you write in genres where wide storefronts hold power, you can still tap KU strategically with limited exclusivity windows or with spin-off novellas.
Example: A LitRPG series launches in KU to ride the binge and then moves wide with a box set after 180 days. A literary author releases a KU-exclusive novella between wide standalones to grow their Amazon audience without risking their wide base.
Measurable next step: Define a “window” policy you can test: “One term in KU, then wide,” or “First arc in KU, then wide.” Put it in your series plan.
Standalone nonfiction often benefits from wide. Search-driven sales on Apple and Google Play, plus library discovery, can outpace KU’s page-read economics for how-to and reference.
Print can carry nonfiction revenue. KU doesn’t touch print, so your ebook decision is just one part of the mix.
Example: A 40,000-word how-to guide at $9.99 sells best wide, supported by podcasts and blog backlinks. The paperback drives a second revenue stream, and the KU math for pages read doesn’t compete with a 70% royalty on $9.99.
Measurable next step: For each nonfiction title, list its primary discovery channels. If search and podcast traffic dominate, favor wide. If your audience is mostly Kindle-first, test KU for one term.
Libraries matter for wide authors. Through distributors, your ebooks can reach readers via OverDrive, BorrowBox, and others. Those borrows are sales to you and discovery for your next book.
KU can’t replace library reach. If you want to be on library shelves, wide distribution is the path.
Example: A historical author with strong Midwest readership gets dozens of library requests. They list wide, submit to library distributors, and feature a “Request at your library” link on their site.
Measurable next step: If library reach is part of your strategy, enable library distribution for one title via your aggregator and track borrows for 90 days.
The takeaway: match your project type to the model that amplifies its strengths.
A quick word on ads and analytics. When you concentrate on one store, your ads and attribution are simpler. When you go wide, tagging links and separating campaigns by retailer keeps your data clean.
You don’t need complex tools. Use unique links per campaign and store, and track readthrough or KENP changes when you scale spend.
Example: You run two small Facebook ads with identical creatives—one to your Amazon page, one to your series page with multiple retailers. You track which ad drives more book-two conversions over seven days.
Measurable next step: For your next promo, create two tracking links—one Amazon, one series page—and record downstream results for a week.
Finally, consider your personal energy. KU simplifies. Wide diversifies. You may have the bandwidth for one approach right now and the other later.
Pick the fit that lets you execute well. A solid plan beats a perfect plan you never finish.
Example: You’re solo and launching your first series. You enroll in KU for two terms to learn the ropes. Next year, with a bigger backlist, you go wide.
Measurable next step: Write the sentence: “For the next 180 days, I choose [KU / Wide] because [reason].” Put it at the top of your production plan.
The takeaway: align model to series type, genre norms, and your current capacity.
One last pass on risk. Exclusivity concentrates your risk in Amazon’s policies and pool payouts. Wide spreads your risk but increases your tasks.
There’s no zero-risk option. There is a right-sized risk for where you are.
Example: A KU author wakes up to a payout dip from a lower KENP rate one month but enjoys a big page-read surge after a Countdown Deal. A wide author’s Kobo promo gets postponed, but Apple Books features make up for it.
Measurable next step: Decide your risk tolerance in one line: “I prefer concentrated, faster-moving risk” or “I prefer distributed, slower-moving risk.” Use that to break ties.
Now you have a blueprint, not just a debate.
Decision for today: Choose KU or wide for your next launch, write the choice and the one measurable reason why on a sticky note, and put it on your monitor.
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