We often discuss the benefits/disadvantages of KU v WIDE for the author… but we don’t often talk about the benefits of KU for readers. This morning, I got yet another one of those emails where I realize how my books affect readers so much more than I ever expected.
This one was from a disabled vet. She’s on my reviewer list, but life has been hard, she’s getting behind, and she feels bad about all the books she has that she hasn’t reviewed. Reviewing is starting to be a job, and one she’s not sure she even enjoys, even though she loves the books. She wants to be taken off my reviewer list, saying she’ll buy the books that she hasn’t reviewed. I’m like…. O.O…. noooo! I want money just as much as the next person, and my business needs to have an income stream, but reading should *always* be a joy, not a burden. And the last thing I want is a disabled vet buying my books out of guilt on her limited income. Hell, if I could manage it, all vets would get all my books free.
So I sent her a note that I hope will help her find some joy in her reading again.
But it reminded me of something I mentioned in the workshop – that KU readers are often people with limited incomes and a voracious love of reading. These people would normally go to the library or used book stores to feed their habit, but often those things aren’t even available. KU allows them to have the bright spot of reading in their lives, even though they can’t afford to buy all those books. (And in the process, Amazon has monetized that audience.) When we complain that readers won’t pay the price of a latte for our books, we’re really complaining about the people who can *afford* a latte. But the indie market has a lot of bargain shoppers in it, not just because they’re “cheap” (like my dad! Who is a ninja library book borrower and a member of five libraries) but because they legit just don’t have the money. KU gives an unlimited joy of reading to those people.
I’m very business focused, and *authors* have to pay their bills, too. But as I’ve come to know my audience (especially on the romance side), through emails about *their* life stories, I can see why KU continues to grow and be popular in these difficult economic times. And I take some pride in providing top-quality books for those readers who don’t have much but books to brighten their days.
{END KU GUSHING}