[Guest]

Hi. I thought I posted this question last night, but I don't see it in any of the threads, so I thought I would try again. I recently learned about Kindle Scout, and I would just like to hear about other authors' experiences. All opinions and stories welcome and appreciated. Thank you.

 

[dianapersaud]

It's a new program, so there are few people who have experienced it. I thought there was a thread asking about it sometime last week.

 

[Donna White Glaser]

I've got a book in it right now-- A Scrying Shame in the mystery category. I can tell you that while the nomination process has been going on I've been a nervous wreck. I check the book's placement in the Hot & Trending list about once every 4.2 seconds. If you want to ask someone whose book has been accepted by Amazon Press you can contact Fiona Quinn. She's on FB under that name and has a website. She's in contact with several Scout participants so you can meet others as well. My book has 10 more days in the nom process. You can see it here if you're interested. https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/3DINC9H95O80

 

[Guest]

Hi, Donna. Enjoyed the preview and nominated it. Good luck!

 

[Kristy Tate]

Just nominated you. Please keep us posted. Super curious and sort of wanting to try it, but the thought of asking for nominations makes my belly ache.

 

[Guest]

I agree with you, Kristy, but the thought of the advance turns that ache into a warm and fuzzy feeling. I hope to put my cozy mystery on Kindle Scout in June.

 

[B.A. Spangler]

I submitted my book thirty days ago -- Killing Katie in my sig.
Today is my last day and then the decision goes to Amazon.

Overall the experience has been very positive. An immediate upside is exposure to new readers. A huge downside is the waiting game. You get thirty days to rack up nominations and hope that the Kindle Press editors select your book.

Best of luck.

 

[Donna White Glaser]

I submitted my book thirty days ago -- Killing Katie in my sig.
Today is my last day and then the decision goes to Amazon.

Overall the experience has been very positive. An immediate upside is exposure to new readers. A huge downside is the waiting game. You get thirty days to rack up nominations and hope that the Kindle Press editors select your book.

Best of luck.

Brian, I nominated your book weeks ago. It's an awesome premise and I've watched it doing very well in the Hot & Trending. Good luck!
And thank you to everyone who nominated Shame! Can't tell you how much it means to me. It hasn't been difficult to ask for nominations because 1) you have to do promotions anyway and 2) if readers nominate your book and AP accepts it into publication the readers get a free advanced digital copy. So win/win for them. And they're part of the process. It gives them a sense of ownership in the book which is WAY cool.

 

[B.A. Spangler]

Brian, I nominated your book weeks ago. It's an awesome premise and I've watched it doing very well in the Hot & Trending. Good luck!
And thank you to everyone who nominated Shame! Can't tell you how much it means to me. It hasn't been difficult to ask for nominations because 1) you have to do promotions anyway and 2) if readers nominate your book and AP accepts it into publication the readers get a free advanced digital copy. So win/win for them. And they're part of the process. It gives them a sense of ownership in the book which is WAY cool.

Thank you.
Love the premise and cover of your book and have watched how well it's doing. Fingers crossed.

Although the squeamish type, I'm hoping Amazon rips the bandaid off fast in delivering the news to me. I'm super anxious and suddenly the world feels like it's been covered in bubble wrap. :-(

I'll report back the news (good or bad) as soon as I hear something.

Good point about marketing. When you submit a book, treat it like a new release and do all the same work. Think of the KS submission as a measure of all indie aspects: cover, writing, marketing, etc. and some luck.

 

[Guest]

Great information, Donna and Brian. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Donna White Glaser]

Love the premise and cover of your book and have watched how well it's doing. Fingers crossed.

Although the squeamish type, I'm hoping Amazon rips the bandaid off fast in delivering the news to me. I'm super anxious and suddenly the world feels like it's been covered in bubble wrap. :-(

I'll report back the news (good or bad) as soon as I hear something.

Good point about marketing. When you submit a book, treat it like a new release and do all the same work. Think of the KS submission as a measure of all indie aspects: cover, writing, marketing, etc. and some luck.

Oh my gosh, I totally understand feeling super anxious. I haven't been able to write since I put Shame into Scout. Hope you hear soon!!

 

[Anya Monroe]

I had a book in Kindle Scout and while it remained *hot* throughout the campaign, it wasn't awarded a contract. I had never published before I applied, although I had spent a long time with an agent hoping for a book deal. After the rejection from Scout I had this realization that I was tired of waiting for other people to make my dreams come true. I can't say I haven't looked back— doing this on my own is freaking hard! The  hand holding that would have come with a contract is appealing on the days when I'm fumbling with organizing promo and trying to figure out what sort of book cover is appealing.

Still, I am so glad I went for Scout. It helped me see that I had options and control. Honestly, not getting accepted changed my life. I have now published seven of the novels I sat on while waiting for someone to pick me.

Though some may say it's cheesy, I think it's true: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." <3

 

[Guest]

Hello, Anya. I don't think believing in your dreams is cheesy; I think it's everything!
Good for you for self-publishing seven books! Wow. That's awesome.
The thing that appealed to me with Scout was the advance. I'm going to be honest. But...I am totally prepared for rejection. I have heard "no" a lot. But even if it is rejected, I'll still have my first cozy mystery completed, and if people like it, maybe it will turn into a series. I sure hope so. I also like Kindle Scout because unlike the small press I signed a contract with, Scout doesn't demand first right of refusal on sequels. So, if my first mystery is accepted and does okay, I can self publish the next one. The e-book royalty of 50% is higher too than the small press I currently have a contract with. Also, I like working with an artist to design the cover art. Who knows the book better than the author?!? Sheesh. So, those things appealed to me.
And once my book is accepted and waiting for nominations, I plan on writing another book in a different genre. I hope I won't watch the Kindle Scout page with fear and trepidation. Okay. I probably will. But meanwhile, I'll be writing my first historical romance.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with Kindle Scout.

 

[Carrie Rubin]

My book is on Kindle Scout right now. The wait is a bit stressful, no doubt. It's tempting to check the 'Hot and Trending' list all too frequently. Mine is in the mystery/thriller category and involves a fight with the food industry that turns deadly. Here's the link if anyone's interested: https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/GEBLLHAQ3XY5

It's a nice program Amazon has, and even if my book doesn't get selected, I'd still do it again. Seems those who have been published by Kindle Press are happy with the arrangement.

 

[Kessie Carroll]

What I'm most interested in is what nobody talks about--how are sales and marketing for Scout books? It's been speculated that Amazon would advertise them pretty heavily, but nobody has said anything.

Do Scout books SELL? Or are you better off staying out, keeping royalties, and doing all the marketing yourself?

 

[Nick Marsden]

I would think that the experience would be similar to other authors in Kindle Imprints, which I've heard nothing but positive things about.

 

[Donna White Glaser]

What I'm most interested in is what nobody talks about--how are sales and marketing for Scout books? It's been speculated that Amazon would advertise them pretty heavily, but nobody has said anything.

Do Scout books SELL? Or are you better off staying out, keeping royalties, and doing all the marketing yourself?

Hi Kessie,
I've had a book accepted by the Scout program, which will be published by Kindle Press in the next few weeks. I'm just finishing up their editing process. (Yes, they definitely edit!) They also promote the books within their program, although the type and amount of promotions vary by individual book just like trad press. If you're curious about sales, then I suggest going to the Scout site and researching the books already published. You can do that by clicking Browse Categories, and then clicking the bottom menu option: Published by Kindle Press. There's a list there of all the books they've accepted and when. Mine is A Scrying Shame, so you'll see it was accepted May 1st. If you go to the books that have already launched you can find the link to their Amazon page and check out their ranks. You'll find a lot of variability because of differences in genre and whether the author has other series out or an established platform. I will say that from my tracking of their results (and you can believe I was doing that both before and after my campaign) the Kindle Press books tend to have a higher selling rate, although the variable of genre, platform, individual marketing reach all factor in just like anywhere else. I do think that since Scout has only been up and running for about 9 months or so that they're still working out kinks and figuring out what they can do marketing-wise.

I've been super happy every step of the way so far. The editing team are incredibly nice and responsive to questions. My fellow Scout winners are in contact with each other and extraordinarily supportive. My book is tentatively scheduled to go up for preorders on the 22nd and launch wide on July 7th. So from the time I put it in Scout (Apr 1st) til publish will have been a tad over 3 months. No complaints there at all!

 

[Carrie Rubin]

nominated! Good luck!

Thank you!

 

[Carrie Rubin]

I've been super happy every step of the way so far. The editing team are incredibly nice and responsive to questions. My fellow Scout winners are in contact with each other and extraordinarily supportive. My book is tentatively scheduled to go up for preorders on the 22nd and launch wide on July 7th. So from the time I put it in Scout (Apr 1st) til publish will have been a tad over 3 months. No complaints there at all!

Thanks for this info. Really helpful for those of us trying this route.

 

[TromboneAl]

Thank you.
Love the premise and cover of your book and have watched how well it's doing. Fingers crossed.

Although the squeamish type, I'm hoping Amazon rips the bandaid off fast in delivering the news to me. I'm super anxious and suddenly the world feels like it's been covered in bubble wrap. :-(

I'll report back the news (good or bad) as soon as I hear something.

Good point about marketing. When you submit a book, treat it like a new release and do all the same work. Think of the KS submission as a measure of all indie aspects: cover, writing, marketing, etc. and some luck.

Congratulations, you won!