Ruthless Desires is Leaving Kindle Unlimited—Here’s Why

Written By Elira Firethorn

Important info first: I’m pulling the Ruthless Desires Series from KU on May 31st, 2024. If future titles end up in KU, it’ll only be for a short period of time.

I know this is really disappointing to a lot of my readers. For transparency, I want to explain why I’m moving, because I truly believe this shift will be better for me and for you!

When I first enrolled my books into Kindle Unlimited, I never thought I’d take them out—because I never thought I’d be able to make a full-time income otherwise.

Now? Well…I’m not so sure that’s true. In fact, I know it’s not because I see many romance authors flourishing outside of KU!

This Move Will Actually Make My Books More Accessible

The truth of the matter is that KU is not sustainable for all authors and is actually quite limiting in terms of wider reach for readers. Why?

Kindle Unlimited, with its notable exclusivity clause, is based off a business model whose very purpose is to make the books enrolled in the platform as inaccessible outside of Amazon as possible.

For example, when Ruthless Desires was going viral on Instagram in 2022, I had a ton of people from India who were really interested in reading my books! The problem?

The first three Ruthless Desires books are banned on Amazon India.

Since the ebooks were unavailable, a lot of people couldn't read the books unless they pirated them.

This is just one example of KU making ebooks inaccessible to readers. I’ve had people ask to buy my ebooks directly from me because they don’t read on Kindle, and I can’t do that because it goes against KU’s terms for authors.

The Benefits of Leaving Kindle Unlimited are… Unlimited

Let's look at just a few of the benefits from switching out of Kindle Unlimited: 

Diversity of Access

Removing my ebooks from KU will allow me to have so much more freedom. It’ll also allow me to reach more readers, have my ebooks in libraries, and make more money (which means I can spend less time marketing and more time writing, which means more books for you).

Better Pay

Amazon pays their Kindle Unlimited authors very little. For every person who reads through Blissful Masquerade, I make about $0.64, compared to the $2 I make when someone purchases the ebook. It might look like a small difference, but over time, that really adds up.

Less Censorship

Amazon is making it harder and harder for authors who write explicit content (that’s me). They already hide many erotic books from search, which makes it hard for readers to find our books.

If you haven’t been made aware, Audible recently added a new setting to all accounts to automatically hide explicit content. I’m already seeing a drop in audiobook sales on their platform due to this. I already have plans to move away from exclusivity with Audible, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I was given the opportunity to be able to.

Less Anxiety

Amazon is constantly shutting down author’s accounts without warning, often for “violating” the exclusivity clause of KU. Typically, the author hasn’t violated it, rather it's that the book has been found on a pirating site (or someone uploaded a pirated copy to a retailer).

Most pirating sites ignore takedown notices, which leaves us stuck between a rock and a hard place. Oh, and did I mention that if Amazon shuts down an author’s account, they keep all unpaid royalties? (It takes two months to get paid, so that can be quite a lot of money.)

Being Able to Sell Direct

A lot of indie authors have started running their own stores so we don’t have to have retailers cutting into our royalties. Not being in KU means I’d be able to do this, which I’m planning on!

There’s a Lot More

I could go on and on about all the benefits of leaving KU, but I think you get the picture. The main reasons I’m excited to be leaving KU are:

  • Getting to have an ebook version of the special editions I’m making available in the Kickstarter I’m running in July

  • Sell directly from my own store

  • Reach readers who normally read on other platforms like B&N, Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books, etc. Speaking of…

I Understand That KU is the Most Talked About, Inexpensive Way to Read Lots of Books

Trust me, I get it. There was a time not all that long ago when I couldn't afford to buy ebooks, either. I relied on a KU subscription to get access to books, too! At the time, I believed KU was the only way to make books more accessible to me. Why? Because I wasn't aware of the alternative resources available to me.

What are those resources? Let's talk about them! :)

Resources you might want to consider, that have proven to be much friendlier to both readers and authors are:

  • Kobo

  • Libraries

  • Buying directly from authors

Kobo Plus is Just Like KU—but also with Audiobooks (it’s cheaper, too)

Yep. You read that right.

Kindle Unlimited is $11.99/month and gets you access to all the ebooks enrolled in their platform.

Kobo Plus is $9.99/month and gets you access to all the ebooks and audiobooks enrolled in their platform.

Plus it has extra benefits for indie authors, like:

  • Getting paid for rereads (we don’t in KU)

  • Having our books on other retailers (we can’t in KU)

➡️ Moonflower is already in Kobo Plus! I’m planning on enrolling Ruthless Desires, too.

Aside from Kobo Plus and other retailers, I don’t want us to forget about the way we can all read books for free. No $9.99 or $11.99 a month subscriptions required.

Can We Not Forget About Public Libraries, Please?

Did you know that indie authors can’t make their ebooks available to libraries if they’re enrolled in Kindle Unlimited? Sure, we can make our paperbacks available, but that’s a lot more expensive for libraries, and a lot of readers (especially in the romance and erotica genres) prefer ebooks.

Remember, the goal of Kindle Unlimited is to make ebooks as inaccessible as possible outside of Amazon so readers have no choice but to read on Kindle. Not only does this hurt international readers, but it hurts people who can’t afford to buy ebooks or a KU subscription. (And it hurts authors, too.)

But you know what just about everyone (in the US, at least) can afford? A library card, because more often than not, it’s free!

➡️ If your city has a small library, don’t give up. Keep reading. I’ve got resources for you, too!

Libraries are the Coolest

Not only are they a place to read lots of physical books without having to pay for them, but lots of libraries have their systems hooked up to free apps like Libby and Hoopla that let you read ebooks for free, too!

Not to mention, libraries often have lots of other programs that benefit their local communities. Seriously, look your local library up online and see what services and programs they have. Mine has a Cricut that anyone with a library card can use! Pretty cool, right?

“But my library doesn’t carry the books I want to read!”

Yeah, this can be a problem for two reasons:

  • The books you want to read are in KU, which means they can’t be in libraries

  • Your library is too small to buy all the books everyone wants

For the first problem, the solution circles back to supporting indie authors even if their books aren’t in KU. That way, there won’t be such a dependence on KU (and such a fear of leaving). More authors will feel comfortable pulling their books out and putting them in libraries!

For the second problem, there are workarounds. Mainly…

You Can Have Multiple Library Cards!

(Even if you don’t live in the place where that library is!)

I live in Pennsylvania, about as far away from Philadelphia as I can get in the state. But guess what?

  • I can still get a library card from the Free Library of Philadelphia at no cost, and I can sign up online!

  • I can still get a library card from Carnegie Library at no cost, although this one I’ve gotta register in person for.

  • I can also get a library card from the New York City Public Library, for a small fee, but it's also gotta be in person.

It’s worth noting that some states have statewide library programs to give their residents better access to books—you just have to ask!

Resources for Getting Non-Resident Library Cards

(Note that some of these are free and some have a fee that’s usually at or under $50.)

Online Libraries to Check Out

Currently I only know of one, but I’m hoping to add to this list as I find more!

➡️ We have to remember that supporting smaller businesses, indie bookstores, and libraries are essential if we want to live in a world where corporations don’t rule our lives.

How My Releases Will Work Going Forward

To be honest, nothing here is set in stone. But I do understand that I have a lot of Kindle Unlimited readers, and while I know some of you will follow me to other platforms for my ebooks (appreciate you all dearly), I’m aware that a lot of you won’t! So here’s my plan:

➡️ Release my ebooks into Kindle Unlimited for one 90-day term and then pull them out and sell them on other retailers and in my own store.

I’m not sure how this will go—hell, pulling Ruthless Desires might go poorly enough that I have to stick them back in KU—but I’m gonna give it a try!

My Big Hope

My big hope is that, someday in the future, romance authors won’t feel like they have to be in Kindle Unlimited to survive. My hope is that there will come a day when KU is seen as something you could do, not something you have to, and that leaving won’t cause so much fear and anxiety.

There are plenty of authors who’ve moved wide and have found great success. I know I’m not starting anything new here, nor am I pretending to be. But I am hoping that another voice added to the mix will show even more authors that we don’t have to bend over backward and sacrifice our reach and dignity for Amazon. That’ll lead to a better world, both inside and outside the publishing industry.

A big thank you to Ashley Michele’s feedback and edits to this post.

Elira Firethorn
Next

Ruthless Desires Updates, Special Editions, & Kickstarter Questions Answered