So this has happened– Amazon has introduced a new program called “Kindle Unlimited,” where for a flat fee of $9.99 a month you can download and read as many books as you want on your Kindle and keep them for as long as you’d like, so long as you keep paying the $9.99 a month.

I’m not sure what kind of deal they worked out with the actual publishing companies, but apparently us lowly independent folk get paid the same way we did for the Kindle Lending Library– if you’re enrolled in Kindle Select, you’re in, and you get a portion of the money they set aside for KS people every month each time your book gets borrowed.  Which, I should point out, isn’t a bad deal at all, or at least it doesn’t sound like one on paper.

Except:

The Benevolence Archives has moved nearly 500 copies– significantly more as a free book than paid, but that’s still not nothing– and has never once been downloaded by someone on the lending library.  So this is not really a thing that appeals to me as an author, although as a reader I’m thinking about checking it out.

Here’s the interesting thing, though: since they’ve altered the terms of the Kindle Select deal by creating this program, they’re allowing anyone currently involved in Kindle Select to remove their book from the program even if they’re not through with their 90 days yet.  Mine don’t run out for a few more weeks, but I’d already decided that I didn’t see the advantage of the program, so I’m gonna pull it early.  Which means that 1) I can make it available at the various other online services (Barnes and Noble! Smashwords! Apple!) and 2) I have a bit more flexibility about price.

I’ll let y’all know what ends up happening with that as soon as it’s happened.