UPDATE: April, 2018
RIP Kindle Scout
Amazon has announced the end of Kindle Scout. This was a great program for unknown authors to get noticed. I hope Amazon introduces something similar in the future.
In 2016 after my book The Empathic Detective was selected for a publishing contract through Kindle Scout, I wrote a blog post linking to other authors and their perspectives on the process.
This was very well received and it has continued to get traffic over the last couple of years as new authors and others interested in Scout have read up on the process.
But, it’s getting a little long in the tooth. I decided to write another entry with updated blog entries from authors who have gone through the process, and collect their perspectives in one location. I hope this provides additional benefit for others, as the first post did back in 2016. This entry covers a variety of blog posts from Kindle Scout authors posted in 2017 to present.
Jaxon Reed – Things I Learned from My Kindle Scout Campaigns
Knowledge gleaned and shared by yours truly.
Jim Heskitt – Ways to hit Hot and Trending During Your Scout Campaign
Jim offers several tips for running a successful Kindle Scout campaign. His advice is spot-on for the selection and evaluation process.
Steve Vernon – Does Kindle Scout Suck?
Steve is famous in the Kindle Scout universe for his delightful attitude and consistent assistance to those interested in submitting to Scout. He holds court on the related multi-thousand post thread on Kboards. The question of submitting to Scout or not is answered, hilariously, by Steve on his blog.
Jasmine Silvera – How NaNoWriMo and Kindle Scout Turned One Writer into a Published Author
NaNoWriMo leads to the generation of a lot of manuscripts, inspiring authors to finish up quickly. Jasmine shares how her experiences led to a publishing contract through Kindle Scout.
Keith Yocum – My Experience Scoring a Kindle Scout Deal
Keith gives a great rundown of his time on Scout, and offers potential submitters a good idea of what to expect before, during, and after the campaign.
Sean McLachlan – Winning the Kindle Scout Program
A variety of useful nuggets are offered by Sean for those interested in launching a campaign, including an excellent summary of the benefits Scout has to offer.
Debbie Burke – Kindle Scout a Two Year Performance Review
Scout has been going a while, and Debbie wrote up an excellent article on how it’s doing. She also offers a nice comparison between Scout and KDP.
Debbie Burke – Kindle Scout Step Inside for a Tour
Debbie also offers a week-by-week summary of her experiences during her Scout campaign, including the critical lessons she learned as time progressed.
Walt Mussell – The Opportunity of Kindle Scout
There are several benefits to submitting a manuscript to Scout, and Walt covers them well in this post.
Louis Cole – Publishing with Kindle Press
From across the pond, British author Louis offers her perspectives on the Scout experience. She focuses on the appealing aspects to professional writers.
Carrie Pulkinen Korts – My Kindle Scout Experience
Carrie provides valuable stats from her successful campaign, and some of the steps she took during the month-long endeavor.
Lincoln Cole – Kindle Scout Campaign Promotional Services
Lincoln has helped several authors with his detailed discussions of the Scout process. This post lists various promotional services and his recommendations.
Diana Anderson-Tyler – My Kindle Scout Experience: 3 Lessons Learned
Finally, as in my previous article, I wanted to include the perspective of someone who did not win a contract. Diana offers three important lessons worth considering.
I hope this proves useful for anyone considering submitting a manuscript. I remain convinced that Kindle Scout serves as an outstanding venue for authors, even if their manuscript is not selected. The month a manuscript remains in the running is publicity that is simply unavailable elsewhere.
JR