Kindle Scout

[Kerrybuchanan]

Apologies if this question has been asked elsewhere. If so, please would moderators delete this to spare my embarrassment and direct me to the post?

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/about

A friend sent me this link with a recommendation to try it myself, but it seems to my cynical and suspicious mind that it could be a typical Amazon trick to get lots of suckers to advertise their own work and do Amazon's job for them.

Does anyone have any experience of this or comments?

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Seems like crowd sourced book picking. I wonder will it work? The danger is you'd get what the public wants instead of what it should have.

I can't explain what I see as the problem very clearly. But what I see as the problem is possibly different from what you see.

1) Amazon accept unpublished books to the program
2) Designated unpaid Readers vote
3) After a period of time the book hits the eBin OR gets "published."

Only submit mass market stuff like you see in Tesco to the program is the solution.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Amazon Publishing normally doesn't accept unsolicited submissions. It looks to me as though they are now looking to find writers with high popularity, which might translate into sales volume. I can't see it as anything more than a popularity contest, though - or, at least, how the game would in practice be played there.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

I think that's what was worrying me, Brian. I can see some authors with no knack for self-advertising/social media, etc being swamped by their cannier rivals who could fling money and other resources into the battle. A sort of X-Factor for writers.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I suspect someone thinks this is a "good idea" but it may end badly.

 

[HareBrain]

Not being particularly sharp this morning, I got the name confused with Kinder Scout. Except that was a case of lots of little people sticking it to the big guys, and this will probably turn out to be the reverse.

 

[Nick B]

Looks a bit vague to me, it seems the only advantage is Amazon advertise you, and that costs you 20% of your royalties. If they printed your book too, I could see the benefit but you still only go on kindle.
Only open to US writers by the looks too.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

I hadn't noticed it was only open to US writers. Going back to see what else I missed. Not that I'm anywhere near ready to submit yet!