Why This Romance Author Is Taking Her Books Wide (After Years in Kindle Unlimited)
For years, I was firmly—happily—on Team Kindle Unlimited.
If you’ve followed my work or read my Beguiling Bachelor series, you may know that I chose Amazon exclusivity through KDP Select for a long time. It worked for me. Really well. Kindle Unlimited readers embraced my books, devoured entire series, and helped me build a sustainable career as an indie romance author. In fact, research shows that billionaire romance novels perform particularly well in KU.
So why change now?
Why take books wide—meaning distributing ebooks through retailers like Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and more—after years of success in KU?
The short answer: because what’s right for an author like me can change over time.
The longer answer? Strategy.
Next: A Quick Refresher.
What Is KDP Select and How Kindle Unlimited Works
KDP Select offers a lot, but it requires a commitment in return—ebook exclusivity on Amazon for a 90-day renewable term. In exchange, authors gain:
- Access to Kindle Unlimited readers
- Payment for page reads, not just sales
- Promotional tools like Free Days and Countdown Deals
Going wide means your ebooks are available everywhere else—Apple Books, Kobo, B&N, libraries, international storefronts and yes, Amazon—but you give up KU exclusivity and page-read income.
Neither choice is “better.” They are different business models.
And that’s where strategy comes into play. Authors must choose one or the other.
Why Kindle Unlimited Works So Well for Romance Readers
Let’s be honest: KU is fantastic for romance.
Romance readers are voracious. They binge. They reread. They follow characters across series. And many of them—especially high-volume readers—live almost entirely inside Kindle Unlimited.
For years:
- Over 95% of my ebook readership came from Amazon
- KU page reads made up a significant portion of my income
- Running promotions and launches was simpler in one ecosystem
From a business standpoint, KU made sense. From a reader standpoint, it felt respectful: I was writing for romance readers who loved KU, and I wanted to be where they were.
So no regrets. None.
But then a few things happened at once, a perfect storm if you will. First, sales on my books in KU fell off quite a bit, no surprise when you see the number of books I compete with for reader attention. The solution was advertising, and that can get expensive. Second, readers fell out of love with Amazon. They wanted another way to read my novels.
And I wanted to give it to them.
You can outgrow a platform without it having failed you.
After publishing three series, building a backlist of sixteen—sixteen!—books, and developing a loyal readership, my goals shifted. I wasn’t just launching another book—I was building a long-term, resilient author business.
That’s when wide distribution started to make more sense.
Why I’m Taking the Beguiling Bachelors Series Wide
1. Reaching Romance Readers on Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble
Some readers:
-
- Prefer Apple Books on their iPhones and iPads
- Are loyal Kobo users (especially internationally)
- Borrow through libraries
- Avoid Amazon altogether
Those readers couldn’t access my books before. Now they can.
As a romance author, that matters to me, even if those audiences are small by comparison to KU,
2. Reducing Platform Risk (Yes, Even When Things Are Going Well)
Exclusivity is powerful—but it’s also fragile.
Algorithms change. Payouts fluctuate. Visibility rises and falls without warning. Wide distribution doesn’t eliminate risk, but it spreads it out.
I don’t believe independence means rejecting Amazon. I don’t know an author who can truly thrive without it. But, I do believe it means not relying on a single retailer foreve
3. Serving Different Kinds of Romance Readers
KU readers are incredible—but they’re not the same as wide readers.
Wide readers often:
- Buy books outright
- Pay higher price points
- Follow authors more closely
- Read across platforms and formats
These are the readers who build long-term fandom. Going wide allows me to meet them where they already are.
4. The Timing Is Right (This Matters)
Would I recommend going wide with your first romance novel?
Maybe. Maybe not. Probably not.
But timing matters:
- I now have more than one complete series
- Readers can discover me anywhere and keep reading
- Print editions and expanded distribution make more sense now
Wide isn’t a starting line for everyone—but it can be a powerful next chapter. And moving to wide distribution comes with its own opportunity to launch all over again. And that’s an exciting proposition.
Is This Goodbye to Kindle Unlimited?
No.
And this is important.
KU is still an incredible ecosystem, especially for romance. I will always keep some books in KU. For now, my All’s Crazy in Love series in all in KU, at least while I complete the rollout of all twelve books.
I’m thinking I will rotate titles in and out of KU, but who knows? I may change strategies again.
That’s the real takeaway here for authors:
You’re not choosing once. You’re choosing for now.
Most publishing decisions aren’t permanent. They’re 90-day experiments. You learn. You adapt.
For My Lovely Readers: What This Means for You
If you love my books and:
- Read on Apple Books
- Prefer Kobo
- Shop at Barnes & Noble
- Borrow through libraries
You can now find the Beguiling Bachelor series where you read.
And if you’re a die-hard KU reader? I still see you. I still value you. Romance thrives because of readers like you, and my Crazy books prove that. I have no plans to remove them from KU at least through 2026.
Final Thoughts on Wide Distribution vs Kindle Unlimited
Wide vs. KU isn’t a moral debate.
It’s not about loyalty.
And it’s definitely not about doing it “right.”
It’s about:
- your catalog
- your readers
- your income goals
- your tolerance for complexity
I chose KU when it served me.
I’m choosing wide now because that serves me.
And I’ll keep choosing again as my career evolves.
Because that, too, is what being an independent author really means.
Want to read more? I wrote a blog post in 2022 about why I was committed to KU instead of going wide. You can read it here, for a comparison. Just shows how things change ☺