First 10 Kindle Scout Titles Available For Pre-Order

Amazon’s new discovery and upvoting tool Kindle Scout lets the people who matter most in the publishing process–the readers–have a say in the titles that get published. Through the company’s ebook imprint Kindle Press, books that have been nominated for publication have a chance to get published and put in front of consumers with the power of Amazon’s marketing efforts to give them a  boost.

“Since we opened our doors we’ve been busy weighing the feedback of over 29,000 enthusiastic Scouts who have nominated the books they want to read next,” said Dina Hilal, general manager for Kindle Scout, in a press release. “These first 10 titles signal a new option for authors, who can choose to have their books discovered and supported by Amazon customers even before they are published.”

“Having Eddie & Sunny chosen for publication by Kindle Press has been nothing short of a dream come true,” said author Stacey Cochran. “The reader enthusiasm galvanized during the Kindle Scout campaign was exciting beyond anything else I’ve experienced as a writer, but the thing that’s been most surprising in all of this is the community experience and friendships I’ve made with the other writers I’ve come to know through Kindle Scout after connecting on social media.”

The first ten reader-selected titles, which are available now for pre-order and will release on March 3rd, are:

· G1 by Rigel Carson – Science Fiction

· A Highland Knight’s Desire by Amy Jarecki – Romance

· Eddie & Sunny by Stacey Cochran – Mystery/Romance

· L.A. Sniper by Steve Gannon – Thriller

· Pit Bulls vs. Aliens by Neal Wooten – Science Fiction

· Royal Date by Sariah Wilson – Romance

· Running from the Past by Alan Orloff – Thriller

· The Game Master by William Bernhardt – Thriller

· The Omega Connection by Allan Leverone – Thriller

· Unpaved Surfaces by Joseph Souza – Mystery

Amazon has put its support to this program in order to provide an outlet for books that have been vetted by actual readers while still leveling the playing field to some degree. While the traditional publishing industry has long been accused of being the “gatekeepers” to publishing while basing their book decisions around the ability to see a financial return, Kindle Scout alleviates a lot of that upfront investment by utilizing the ebook-first publishing model.

Authors whose submitted manuscripts move forward through the program will enjoy a five-year contract (as opposed to the typically decades-long contracts in the industry), a $1,500 advance against royalties, 50% royalty split on all ebook sales after the advance has been met, and the option to regain their rights if the book does not reach $25,000 in sales within a set time frame. Of course, Amazon is betting that its marketing efforts will make the deal one that authors don’t want to miss out on.