New programme 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 Marco’s Pendulum by Phil Rickman, The Thursday Friend by Catherine Cookson, War Brides by Helen Bryan and Somewhere to Hide by Mel Sherratt

Luxembourg, 31 October 2013 – Amazon today announced a new programme for Kindle in the UK and US 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.co.uk/kindlecountdowndeals — deals available today include best sellers like, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut , Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath, A Serpentine Affair by Tina Seskis and Nickel Plated by Aric Davis.

Kindle Countdown Deals can be used by any publishers 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 Jorrit Van der Meulen, Vice President, EU Kindle. “And with over 400,000 books available only in the Kindle Store, there are lots of opportunities to use this feature.”

“Programmes 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.

“The great thing about KDP Select is that the team are always coming up with new ideas and promotional tools for readers to discover our books, “ said Mel Sherratt, best-selling author of The Estate Series and Somewhere to Hide. “Visibility is everything and Kindle Countdown Deals works for me. I can just set it up and get on with writing — and who doesn’t like a bargain?”

Authors and publishers determine both the length of the Kindle Countdown Deals promotion and the level of discount, offering them a lot of 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’s list price 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 £1.49.
• 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.co.uk/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.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk opened its virtual doors in October 1998 and strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavours to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.

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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 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.