Prime Reading -- what to expect

[eb1986]

Hi folks, longtime lurker, first-time poster. I got an invite last week to participate in Prime Reading and accepted. Just wondered what I should expect in terms of visibility and sell-through to the rest of my series? I'm in the cozy mystery genre, if that matters. Thanks to anyone who has insight!

[shrouded1]

From what I've heard from others, my experience with the Amazon Prime invitation wasn't typical, but I decided to mention it since you're asking. I got the invitation at the end of 2018. After a few months of not hearing that my book was going in, I contacted Amazon and asked when. They said "it could be 30 days, 90 days, 180 days or longer." And if it was put in, they'd let me know.
I'd been planning to go wide, but I waited because I thought my book would get into Prime. It's now been 9 months, and I've accepted that it won't happen. I'm moving the series wide in the next month.
I've never heard of this happening to anyone else, but I'm curious if it has and people just don't talk about it?
Anyway, I hope it works out better for you.

[Denise]

After a few months of not hearing that my book was going in, I contacted Amazon and asked when. They said "it could be 30 days, 90 days, 180 days or longer." And if it was put in, they'd let me know.

Oh, no. That sucks. I've actually heard from a few people that had the same experience.

I had Prime Reading and it certainly helped with ranking. I'd do it again. It wasn't career changing, mind you, but improved ranking.

[WasAnn]

I had a book in prime reading and I think mine was a more typical experience. I got a LOT of prime borrows...based on rank...and moderate sell through on the rest of the series. I did some calculations based on

A) Sell through prior to Prime Reading
B) Sell through when the book was permafree for 6 months
C) Sell through when the book was 0.99 for 6 months
D) Sell through when the book was priced at 2.99

I'm pretty numbers savvy, and this is my conclusion. Sell through is better than with permafree, but less than when the book was priced at any price above zero. Subsequent study using some other kind authors number who were in Prime showed very similar patterns.

Based on some other stuff and info, it looks like there are a not-insignificant number of Prime readers who use that as their primary (possibly only) source of books. Very similar to the number of folks who only read free...or who only read KU. It's just their lane.

That said, the increased visibility due to the higher rank, meant I had more actual SALES of the book at 2.99 and THOSE sales have a much higher sell through rate.

All in all, it was a win-win.

[shrouded1]

Oh, no. That sucks. I've actually heard from a few people that had the same experience.

I'd never heard of that happening, so it was a big surprise to me.

Anyway, I feel like people should know that it's a possibility.

[eb1986]

Thanks to everyone for the insight! @shrouded1, that's terrible, but I'll know not to get my hopes up too much!

[shrouded1]

Thanks to everyone for the insight! @shrouded1, that's terrible, but I'll know not to get my hopes up too much!

OP: I hope that only happens to a small percentage of people and that you're not one of them. Good luck 

[Bill Hiatt]

Thanks to everyone for the insight! @shrouded1, that's terrible, but I'll know not to get my hopes up too much!

OP: I hope that only happens to a small percentage of people and that you're not one of them. Good luck 

Since it isn't that commonly reported, I think it's safe to assume it's not typical. Still, in a well-run system, it wouldn't happen at all. I can't see why Amazon would ever invite someone and then not follow through. It's unfortunate that happened to you.

[twicebitten]

It varies. Is it a hot genre for KU? (that's where you'll make a lot of your money.) If so, expect good things. (I had a writer friend hit top 200 without any other effort during Prime Reading months, from a prior position of about 25K in store.) If you're cross-genre or in a more obscure genre, you'll get a bit of a bump but probably nothing spectacular. I tracked six months' worth of books in all genres, via Kindle Nation Daily, to conclude this. As Denise said, it's unlikely to change your career or tax bracket.

It also paints a big target on your book for pirates. I ad theft/torrent uploads and for that reason (and because Amazon doesn't care about it when you point it out to them), I did not do it a second time. People who believe piracy is just the cost of doing business in the 21st century would not be bothered.

[eb1986]

I'm in the paranormal subset of cozy mysteries, so not a massive genre but definitely healthy in terms of KU readership. As much as I hate piracy, and have seen my books on those sites, I try not to worry about it too much because I figure there's not too much I can do. Better off focusing on writing the next book!

Thanks again to all who have responded. I very much appreciate it!