Amazon has announced that it's launching its crowdsourced publishing platform, Kindle Scout, to authors around the world.
Amazon first launched Kindle Scout in the U.S. back in October 2014, letting the general public read snippets from unpublished books and give their approval if they like what they see. They're effectively nominating which titles should receive the backing of Amazon, under a Kindle Press publishing contract.
From today, authors across Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, Japan, India, and more can submit English-language books and potentially be epublished by Amazon within 45 days. It's notable that the platform remains an English-only affair, given its supposed launch in non-English speaking markets.
In addition to the weight of Amazon's marketing might, selected authors also receive a $1,500 advance, and 50 percent on eBook royalties.
However, it's worth noting here that Amazon still has the final say in which titles are selected. In its FAQ section, the company says:
"Nominations give us an idea of which books readers think are great; the rest is up to the Kindle Scout team who then reviews books for potential publication."
If Kindle Scout editors simply listened to the crowd, authors could get all their extended family and friends to up-vote their book for selection, regardless of whether it's any good. So it makes sense that Amazon reserves the final say. This platform could be merely a way for the company to get the public to do a lot of reading on its behalf.
Amazon says that 75 books have been selected for publication by Kindle Press since launch.