UK Expanded Distribution for KDP Print

[JackT]

Just saw this on another site: there is now a UK option for expanded distribution on KDP Print. It's a separate tick box from the US one and it has to be filled in manually for each book.

I've updated all my paperbacks. No idea if it will lead to any more sales, but it can't do any harm!

[LilyBLily]

What’s the author royalty break? Usually expanded isn’t profitable.

[Simon Haynes]

Yep I find to enable expanded I have to raise the sticker price considerably.

Plus when you enable expanded, mostly it allows third party sellers to list your book on amazon, undercut your retail price, and make more from each copy that you do. I switched it off when I realised what was happening.


E.g. (prices simplified, page count not specified.)

Regular distribution.
US retail price: $10
Amazon cut: $7
You make: $3


Expanded distribution: $10
Amazon cut: $7
3rd party cut: 2.70
Your cut: 30 cents.

Third party lists it for $9.50, all your readers buy from them, and they make 2.20 while you get 30 cents instead of the $3 you would get if you switch off expanded distribution.

Not to mention you'd have to charge about $14 on expanded distribution to get $3 back.

I always thought expanded distribution was about allowing people to order in bookstores, but sadly that's not how it works out.

Once I switched off expanded, all the third-party copies of my paperbacks disappeared from the product pages. I sell around 150-200 paperbacks per month so it's not pocket change.

[JackT]

The third party thing used to be an option on Createspace which you could disable.

I have expanded distribution in the US through KDP Print and the alternative sellers only seem to offer the books at the price I stipulate or at a higher price (with p&p). I don't know if that's policy or if I'm just very lucky! I suspect it might be because I price the paperbacks fairly low anyway.

You certainly do get paid a lot less through the expanded sales.

[LilyBLily]

I can't see any point in expanded distribution through KDP when it can be through Ingram at a reasonable profit. The bookstores that hate Amazon obviously would rather deal with Ingram.

There is no advantage to pricing paperbacks low. Amazon wants us to, but the readers who want paper are inured to higher prices and don't cavil at them for our books. Which reminds me I should probably increase some of my paperback prices.

[JackT]

I don't set them ridiculously low. Usually in the 12.99 region, so I make at least a couple of pounds on each book.

I use Ingramspark as well, and Lulu, for mass market paperbacks.

[alhawke]

JackT, I wouldn't click expanded for Amazon if you're already using Ingram. Are you referring to the same book? If so, they'll conflict because Ingram defaults to wide expanded distribution.

KDP expanded has been available for a while in the US. KDP does not distribute as favorably as Ingram wide so for all my paperbacks I use Ingram wide and don't click KDP expanded.

[JackT]

Same books, different editions/sizes etc. It hasn't caused any problems so far. The Ingrams are much better quality, of course.