Self-published authors in Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform will soon be rewarded for writing lengthier books. Beginning next month, Amazon is set to pay independent authors based on the number of pages read, in contrast to its previous method of paying authors based on the number of times their books get borrowed.
The payment model that the e-commerce behemoth is set to implement applies to books published through the Kindle Direct Publishing service. The publishing service allows authors to set prices, on top of allowing revisions to the published works at any given time, according to CNBC.
The payment scheme, which echoes much of Spotify's successful pay-per-track model, is applicable to e-books that are made available on the Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners' Lending Library programs, reports Reuters.
The previous payment scheme implemented by Amazon involved paying the self-published authors by the number of times their book was borrowed from the e-commerce giant's massive e-book store, according to CNBC.
Amazon is optimistic about the new payment scheme, stating that feedback from the authors themselves drove the change forward.
"We're making this switch in response to great feedback we received from authors who asked us to better align payout with the length of books and how much customers read," a company statement said.
Self-publishing has changed the literary landscape and transformed what it means to be an author. With the advent of free and open e-book platforms such as Kindle and Smashwords, countless individuals have taken advantage of technological revolutions that have ushered in a new era of literature.
