Amazon debuts Kindle Countdown Deals in US, UK, allowing authors, publishers to run price promotions, reach more readers; limited-time deals must be at least US$1 off regular price

Cindy Allen

SEATTLE , October 31, 2013 (press release) – New program allows authors and publishers to run compelling price promotions which can help them earn more royalties and reach more readers

A countdown clock displays the time remaining for each book deal—today’s deals include West of the Tularosa by Louis L’Amour, The Other Guy’s Bride by Connie Brockway, and Sun Moon Star by Kurt Vonnegut

Amazon today announced a new program for Kindle in the US and UK that allows authors and publishers to reach more readers in a compelling way: Kindle Countdown Deals. Kindle Countdown Deals provide readers with limited-time promotional discounts on Kindle-exclusive books. Customers can see the regular price and the promotional price on the book’s detail page, as well as a countdown clock telling them how much time is left at the promotional price. Live Kindle Countdown Deals can be found at www.amazon.com/kindlecountdowndeals—deals available today include best sellers like Stop the Wedding! by Stephanie Bond, Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath and The Millionaire Mind by Thomas Stanley.

Kindle Countdown Deals can be used by any publisher on any book that is exclusive to the Kindle Store. This includes books published by Amazon Publishing, as well as independent authors and publishers using KDP Select.

“We’re always looking to build features that customers love, and to help publishers and authors get their books discovered—Kindle Countdown Deals achieves both,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content. “And with more than 400,000 books available only in the Kindle Store, there are lots of opportunities to use this feature.”

“Programs like Kindle Countdown Deals are one of the reasons we work to bring iconic content by authors such as Kurt Vonnegut and Stephen Covey exclusively to Kindle. Our goal is to bring great books to more readers, and Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing helps us do this in an easy and effective way,” said Arthur Klebanoff, CEO of RosettaBooks LLC.

“This exciting new program is exactly why my books are in KDP Select—the folks at Amazon are always thinking of creative ways to get authors’ books in the hands of new readers,” said Christopher Smith, best-selling author of the Fifth Avenue series. “I’m thrilled to be part of this new venture, and the program underscores once again why Select is the way to go.”

Authors and publishers determine both the length of the Kindle Countdown Deals promotion and the level of discount, offering them control and flexibility. KDP Select authors now have more choices for running promotions: each 90-day term, they can schedule one Kindle Countdown Deals promotion per available marketplace, or use up to five free promotion days. For KDP Select books, here’s how it works:

Time: Publishers control how long the book is discounted, choosing any time between one hour and seven days.
Discount: Publishers set the level of discount, which must be at least $1 off the regular price.
Royalty: Publishers will earn royalties based on their regular royalty rate and the promotional price. As a result, publishers using the 70% royalty option will earn 70% even if the price is below $2.99.
Reporting: A new KDP report displays sales and royalties at each promotional price side-by-side with pre-promotion performance, so it’s easy to compare.
Customer Experience: It’s simple for customers to see the great deal they’re getting, as the regular price is included on the book’s detail page, right beside the promotional price. Customers will see the countdown clock with the time remaining for the promotion. It’s also easy for customers to discover Kindle Countdown Deals on a dedicated webpage, www.amazon.com/kindlecountdowndeals.

The ability for authors to set Kindle Countdown Deals is the latest benefit of KDP Select—to learn more visit http://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/KDPSelect.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the world’s best-selling and most advanced e-reader. It features new display technology with higher contrast, the next generation built-in light, a faster processor, the latest touch technology, and exclusive new features designed from the ground up for readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, features improved fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX features a stunning exclusive 7” or 8.9” HDX display, a quad-core 2.2 GHz processor, 2x more memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as exclusive new features of Fire OS 3.0 including X-Ray for Music, Second Screen, Prime Instant Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday button. The all-new Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display, high-performance processor and dual speakers at a breakthrough price.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.es, www.amazon.com.br, www.amazon.in, and www.amazon.com.mx. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

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