Most libraries would allow me to borrow a book for 2 weeks, and I would read the book in my own time and return it when I was done. Based on library fee for the year, my total cost to borrow one book was less than 10 cents. But that was in 1990s.

Now, since late 2011, Amazon has kick-started a new venture for digital readers – kdp select.

What is kdp select?

Kindle Direct Publishing project allows self-publishers (and publishers) to distribute books through the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library and reach the growing number of US Amazon Prime members. KDP Select has provided over $6 million throughout $12 million, allowing participating authors to earn royalty through the lending library. The program offers other benefits including:

• Promote your book for free to readers worldwide - The newly launched Promotions Manager tool will allow you to directly control the promotion of free books.
• Instant feedback - Check real-time performance of your books in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

Enrolling in kdp select is very simple. If you have already published a book to Kindle, you can enroll existing book by visiting the bookshelf. New books can be enrolled during the publishing process. You can simply select the “Enroll this book in KDP Select” option and proceed to publish the book as you normally would.

The catch? Your book has to be available exclusively on Kindle for a period of 90 days. During the period of exclusivity, you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, blogs, etc. However, you can continue to distribute your book in physical format, or in any format other than digital.

Recently, I wrote a post about Neal Bogosian, on how his book The Adventures of Chip Doolin reached #8 in Amazon’s paid Kindle store in the baseball category. He tried a unique and innovative approach to add to his fame, and bottom line.

Its time that you should too.

What are you waiting for? Order your Kindle Edition Today and become a bestseller!

Here’s this week’s Featured Book-of-the-Week available now on Amazon.com!

Command Influence

by Robert A. Shaines

 (8 Customer Reviews)

Price: $26.95

A story of Korea and the politics of injustice…

Here’s this week’s Featured Book-of-the-Week available now on Amazon.com!

Danger Has a Face

by Anne Pike

 (5 Customer Reviews)

Price: $17.95

The most dangerous psychopath is educated, wealthy, and socially skilled…

Here’s this week’s Featured Book-of-the-Week available now on Amazon.com!

Tierra Red

by K. P. Vorenberg

 (15 Customer Reviews)

Price: $21.95

Will Lily and her true love survive the consequences of learning the truth?

Our new Amazon-Branded Featured Book-of-the-Week option allows self-publishing Outskirts Press authors to do just that.

Your book will receive it’s own permanent blog post here at http://blog.outskirtspress.com. We also send out an email blast with your book’s information and a link to purchase your book directly from Amazon.

There are only 52 weeks each year. Since only one author will be featured each week, only 52 authors can be featured in a year’s time. More specifically, there are only 7 more weeks before Christmas! Therefore, only 7 more authors will be featured during this critical time in the world of book promotion.

We schedule book features in order of payment received. This is a very limited promotional opportunity, so don’t wait!

Want to learn more about this new option? Ready to reserve your spot?

Of the 7,302 books published by Outskirts Press that were for sale on Amazon as of July, 55% have received a rating.

Compare that with the other five major online publishers, where that percentage is 42%, 30%, 25%, 21%, and 15%. Since one-star ratings are included among all these percentages, receiving a rating doesn’t necessarily equate to “quality.”

But receiving a rating does relate to engagement by the author in terms of marketing effort, and engagement by the consumer in terms of readership, which ostensibly relates to higher readership and higher author royalties, a consensus shared by the book Top Self-Publishing Firms by Stacie Vander Pol that lists Outskirts Press as #1.

Outskirts Press is also #1 in terms of percentage of reviews that are 4 stars or higher, which does relate to quality. In fact,  Outskirts Press is significantly higher than the other five major online publishers on this front:

When you figure that these percentages are coming only from the percentage of books that received any sort of rating, that means 95% of Outskirts Press books that receive a rating are rated four stars or better.

“We have always known Outskirts Press helps authors publish a stellar book and have an exemplary publishing experience, especially in comparison to the other options out there,” said CEO Brent Sampson. “It’s nice to see Amazon readers confirming this fact with their ratings and reviews.”

In August, Outskirts Press is giving all new authors an incredible incentive to experience this kind of high-quality self-publishing for themselves.  With the purchase of the top-of-the-line Diamond book publishing package or the full-color Pearl package, new authors can enter a promotion code good for a free custom cover design. See all the details at http://outskirtspress.com/promotion.html

April 5, 2011 – Denver, CO – Outskirts Press, the fastest growing self-publishing and book marketing company, announced today it is offering three of its most popular marketing options (a $300 value) to authors who start their publishing process by Tax Day, April 15^th.  These options include the Amazon Kindle Edition, Amazon’s Search Inside the Book submission and Amazon Keyword Search/Tagging. Also included is a free paperback copy of Sell Your Book on Amazon by Brent Sampson.

Authors who start publishing with Outskirts Press by choosing the Diamond, Ruby, or full-color Pearl publishing services will receive over $300 of Amazon marketing options free: the Amazon Kindle edition of their published book, Amazon’s “Search Inside the Book” submission service, and the Amazon Keyword Search tagging function once their book is listed on Amazon.com.  These authors will also receive a free copy of the Amazon bestseller Sell Your Book on Amazon by Outskirts Press CEO Brent Sampson.

“The combination of these Amazon marketing tools are not available with any other publisher,” said Outskirts Press Director of Author Support Kelly Schuknecht.  “Taking advantage of these proven Amazon promotional functions is the perfect — and perfectly economical — way for authors to launch their book sales with gusto by choosing to publish now with Outskirts Press.”

The first prong of the Outskirts Press triple marketing approach is a free Kindle edition of the author’s book.  An Amazon Kindle edition is the proven method to introduce an author’s book to the fast growing audience of Kindle e-book reading device owners.  More than eight million Kindles were sold in 2010 alone.  Because Amazon.com customers love reading actual books, Kindle is an inexpensive way for them to sample a book before buying the paperback or hardback edition.  This is especially true for readers who love fiction.

With Amazon’s Search Inside the Book feature, authors can also dramatically increase their chances to sell their books.  Amazon has found that books that participate in this program are significantly more successful, on average, than books that do not participate.  Being able to browse through sections of the book increases the confidence the customer has in the product and makes it far more likely they’ll purchase a copy of the book.

The third marketing strategy of the Outskirts Press marketing package for authors who begin publishing before April 15^th is the Amazon Keyword Search tagging service.  Customers who are looking to buy a book are not usually familiar with an author’s name or even the title of the book.  They search instead by keywords or phrases that describe their interest.  Books participating in this option are “tagged” with ten applicable terms and keywords on Amazon’s Product Detail page.  This encourages other visitors to “tag” the book with the same keywords or phrases and this can give more weight to those terms – and hence the author’s book –  in Amazon’s search results.

Authors who wish to receive high-quality publishing services and over $300 in Amazon marketing services need only enter the valid promotional code while they order their publishing package and place it in their online shopping cart. For details and the promotion code, visit http://outskirtspress.com/promotion.html .

About Outskirts Press

Outskirts Press offers high-quality, full-service self-publishing and book marketing services for writers and professionals who are seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining 100% of their rights, 100% of their profits, and 100% of the creative control. www.outskirtspress.com.

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Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd. – 515, Parker, Colorado 80134

http://outskirtspress.com 1-888-OP-BOOKS

The Amazon Extreme Package is available for all authors, regardless of where their book was published

Save 25% on 3 amazing marketing tactics centered around Amazon.com

(plus receive a free copy of the bestselling book Sell Your Book on Amazon)

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1. Add a Kindle edition of your book to Amazon’s Kindle Store.

The Amazon Kindle is a revolutionary wireless reading device that allows its owner to instantly download books and newspapers. Only books that have been submitted to the Amazon Kindle via the required process and in the required format are available for Kindle readers to purchase and enjoy. Kindle editions of books appear on Amazon and in Amazon search listings just like any other format (such as a hardback edition).

There are several benefits to having your book available on Amazon Kindle.

1. The Amazon Kindle edition will appear in the search results, along with any other formats of your book (such as your paperback and/or hardback editions). This results in an increase of exposure for your book’s cover, which increases the chances of browsers clicking on your cover image, and coming that much closer to becoming a buyer.

2. Sales through the Amazon Kindle are not split with Outskirts Press. Just like with our hardcopy paperback and hardback books, we pay 100% author profits, and sales through the Kindle are ALL profit.

Of course, Amazon will still take their share, as they always do, but your profit will be directly deposited into your checking account by Amazon, without any involvement by (or portion for) Outskirts Press. In other words, your Kindle sales are YOUR Kindle sales.

3. Amazon customers and readers are growing every day. While the Kindle is a unique and revolutionary device designed to make reading more convenient, the majority of Amazon customers love actual BOOKS. A Kindle sale is an inexpensive way to offer your book to a potential reader; if they like it, they are more likely to purchase the paperback or hardback edition, too.

4. While all books are ideal for the Kindle, Kindle readers LOVE fiction.  If you are a fiction author looking for a way to “level the marketing playing field” with non-fiction, the Kindle is the answer!  There have been weeks and months in a row when the bestselling Outskirts Press books on Amazon have been Kindle editions of fiction books!

Here’s how the process works:

1. Order the Amazon Kindle edition now by adding it to your shopping cart.  This can be purchased a-la-carte or with the Amazon Extreme package.
2. Our Marketing Department will contact you via email and send you the necessary submission form.  Since your Kindle sales are directly deposited to your bank by Amazon, providing Amazon with the means to make that deposit is a requirement of submission.
3. Once you have completed that form, send it back to us.
4. That’s it! We’ll take care of the rest. Typically within 4 weeks, your Kindle edition will be online through Amazon.

How does pricing and commission work?

Option 1: Amazon pays 35% and the Kindle price can be whatever you want

Option 2: Amazon pays 70% but the Kindle price must be set between $2.99 and $9.99; and you must live in the United States

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2. Add your book to Amazon Search Inside the Book

Do you feel that your book (which is available either exclusively or primarily online) isn’t reaching your target audience? Have you ever heard anyone say that it’s hard to make the decision to buy a book without taking a sneak peek and thumbing through the pages? Do you wonder why some books sell very well online while yours doesn’t? Well, Outskirts Press has the perfect solution!

Our Amazon Search Inside the Book marketing option (available to order a-la-carte or with the Amazon Extreme package) will allow you to take advantage of Amazon’s online equivalent to browsing a bookstore. Books that participate in this program feature a “Look Inside” icon over their Amazon cover image, which invites potential customers to electronically “flip” through a small section of the book. This increases the level of confidence a customer has in your book – most likely leading up to a higher volume of book sales. According to Amazon, books participating in this program enjoy significant sales improvement, on average, over books that do not.

When you participate in the Amazon Search Inside the Book program, Amazon digitally catalogs the text of your book – which may result in more accurate and targeted search results and recommendations. Ultimately, the more buyers who are exposed to your book, the greater the likelihood that you will sell more copies. Can you imagine the success you’ll have?

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3. Add tags and your top 10 keywords to Amazon’s search engine

The optional Amazon Keyword Search Submission service can help your book appear higher in the Amazon search rankings for applicable keywords.

Customers who browse for new books on Amazon typically do not search by title or author. They search by keywords or phrases: subject-specific words that describe their interest. One goal in book marketing is to do whatever is possible to improve a book’s search results ranking for applicable keywords so that your book appears higher in the search results on Amazon.

The Amazon Keyword Submission option can help. Participating books are “tagged” with applicable terms and keywords. This encourages other visitors to your page to “tag” your book with the same keywords and phrases, which can give more “weight” to those terms in Amazon’s search results.

This option is available to order a-la-carte or with the Amazon Extreme package.

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FREE BONUS:

Receive a free paperback copy of SELL YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON, Outskirts Press CEO Brent Sampson’s bestselling book, featuring top-secret tips guaranteed to increase your Amazon sales. The steps and tactics outlined in this book are the very same marketing efforts Sampson follows for his own book.

Among the tactics and steps suggested in the book are: participating in the Search Inside Program and adding keyword search submissions. You will notice that both of these steps are already included with this purchase of the Amazon Extreme Marketing package.

But there is so much more, like Listmania, Amazon Guides, Amapedia, Amazon Blogs, AmazonConnect, and much more. If you are not already proficient in Amazon listing enhancement, this book is a must-buy. And it’s free with the Amazon Extreme package.

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Ready to start marketing your book with Outskirts Press?

December 14, 2010 – Outskirts Press, the fastest growing self-publishing and book marketing company, today announced it is giving away two brand new Amazon Kindle e-book readers this holiday season to its Facebook fans.  The winners will be randomly selected from Outskirt Press’ fan base – those who have clicked to “like” Outskirts Press on Facebook.  All fans are eligible to win, not just self-publishing authors.  The first winner will be selected today, December 14^th and announced on the Outskirts Press blog at http://blog.outskirtspress.com on the 15^th.  The second lucky winner will be selected on the 21^st and announced on the blog on the 22^nd.

The new Amazon Kindle will make a perfect seasonal treat for any writer or reader.  One can read virtually any book at any time, and the portable, wireless reader also allows users to read their favorite magazines, newspapers and blogs.  The newest Amazon Kindle also has an improved E Ink Pearl display that gives a fifty percent better contrast and makes reading all that much easier on the eyes, and its new batteries now give up to an entire month of reading pleasure.

To enter, contestants – who can be readers and writers alike — need only to go to the Outskirts Press Facebook page at www.facebook.com/outskirtspress and click the “Like” button at the top of the page and they’re in the running for the holiday giveaway.  It’s that simple.  Outskirts Press fans who already “like” Outskirts Press on Facebook are already entered in the contest.

“Our holiday giveaway of an Amazon Kindle is our way of celebrating both writers and readers this season,” said Outskirts Press Director of Author Support Kelly Schuknecht.  “Nothing will ever replace the comfortable feel of a favorite book in one’s hands, but for immediate access — anywhere, anytime — to such a multitude of literature, a Kindle can’t be beat.”

About Outskirts Press, Inc: Outskirts Press, an Inc. 500 company, offers full-service, custom self-publishing and book marketing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.

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Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd. – 515, Parker, Colorado 80134

http://outskirtspress.com 1-888-OP-BOOKS