In a recent issue of The Hot Sheet, we discussed Amazon’s new plan to implement tougher formatting standards on self-published ebooks uploaded via Amazon KDP. Author Elizabeth Spann Craig, one of the authors affected, has posted an update on some of the difficulties she experienced updating her book and getting acknowledgment from Amazon that the situation was resolved. If you’ve received a warning email from Amazon, we highly recommend reading Craig’s account of how to handle it.
And a side note for self-published authors in Kindle Unlimited: Amazon has released version 2.0 of its “normalized page count” (known as KENPC). Ever since Amazon switched to per-page payouts for indie books read via subscription or lending, what defines a page has become critical to author earnings. According to Amazon, the average KENPC will change less than 5 percent under version 2.0, but there’s now an earnings cap of 3,000 pages per title per customer. A more in-depth analysis of the change can be found at author Chris McMullen’s blog.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
