As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: Am I Narrow or Wide?

arms wide - deposit photos

In indie publishing, we use the words “narrow” or “wide” to differentiate between two vastly different strategies. Selling narrow means utilizing only one vendor—typically Amazon—and essentially putting all of your eggs in one basket. It can have its own rewards, as with the ranking thing, but you are also subjecting yourself to the whims of one vendor. And if they ever decide to shut you down, which Amazon has done before, you are entirely at their mercy. If instead you decide to go “wide,” it means you are selling your books through multiple different vendors. I started out my indie … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

POINT OF VIEW: Amazon vs. Going Wide

going wide - Deposit Photos

If you spend much time in indie-pub circles, you’ll hear a lot of discussions about “going wide.” This is short-hand for “selling through many/most/all available book vendors. You’d think it would be a no-brainer, right? Put your book in front of as many different audiences as possible? Surprisingly, it’s not. And it’s mostly because of a little thing called Kindle Unlimited. You see, Amazon sells books. Tons and tons and tons of books, along with hoses and candles and snow tires and just about everything else under the sun. But they always want to sell more books, and to find … Read more