Amazon authors are all a tizzy on October 14, the day that the huge online retailer announced a program that writers on the Kindle Direct Publishing forum had been whispering over and wondering about for weeks now.
The newly launched program is called ‘Kindle Scout,’ and writers can submit their never-before-published manuscripts here on the Amazon page that spells out more details about the venture.
The rules are pretty straightforward, with Amazon’s ‘Kindle Press’ now offering a $1,500 advance for those blessed writers that win a Kindle Press publishing contract via the quest. Also, 50% eBook royalties will be paid monthly, which falls smack near the center of the 30% or 70% royalty rates that current Kindle Direct Publishing authors can choose from.
What’s the minimum page count for Kindle Scout books?
Of course, the first thing plenty of writers want to know is the minimum amount of words or pages that this new Kindle Scout program requires. Well, among other things – like a book description, a one-liner, an author biography, photo and thank you note to readers – Kindle Scout participants would do well to stick to Amazon’s wishes to receive Microsoft Word documents that contain approximately 50,000 words, so this is no fly-by-night fare, unless the writer already has an unpublished manuscript ready to submit.
That means that a 14-point font Word document that’s double-spaced with normal defaulted margins could run 300 to 350 pages, quite a hefty novel – and apparently Amazon seems to be seeking out fiction-based works first, seeing as though this Kindle Scout program is scouting out the genres of romance, mystery & thriller and science fiction & fantasy this fir go-round.
Reader-powered publishing, Amazon calls Kindle Scout
The promo and explanation video presented on the Kindle Scout homepage is geared toward readers who can help the retailer discover the next generation of Kindle talent, allowing them to vote on new offerings and share them via social media and leave reviews for the works.
The sample Kindle Scout page – an intriguing fake book called Idempotency by Joshua Wright – helps readers get a taste of how books will appear on the site, and lets writers know how to step up their games and go for the gusto, especially since the Kindle Press authors will receive “5-year renewable terms [and] $25,000 in royalties.” If the book doesn’t earn the $25,000 in royalties, during the 5-year contract or during any 5-year period after the first, authors have the right to stop publishing the book on Amazon.
The best part of this Kindle Scout program is the fact that it’s a crowd-controlled publishing process, with those books that readers enjoy and share the most – there’s a mention of potential Goodreads promotion in the Amazon explanations – apparently positioning their writers in a good spot for a possible contract to publish with Kindle Press. Let the games begin!
via Examiner National Edition Gadgets & Tech Channel Articles http://ift.tt/1wAWDOs