RealorimaginedDec 18, 2022
Clarkesworld
In an absolutely devastating announcement (right before the holidays) Amazon has informed us that they are ending their Kindle Subscription program in Sept. 2023 and trying to get magazines to switch to Kindle Unlimited. Asking for more details, but this is bad. Magazine subscriptions are guaranteed revenue from each subscriber. KU is not like that. It will effectively cancel thousands of subscriptions since there's no migration path.
Dec 16, 2022 at 4:26pmWeb
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
It's hard to even say how much we'd get from a single subscriber. This completely removes our ability to control our price if we want to be in the dominant ebook ecosystem.
I've scheduled an appointment to talk with Amazon later this afternoon. Have many questions. Fellow editors of mags on Amazon: feel free to DM/email me. We should be talking.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
Further information: It appears as though other editors I've spoken with received slightly different emails. Those didn't include an invite to the KU program, so it may mean that only a few of us will be asked to stick around.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
Ok, call completed. Happy to report that I did not shoot the messenger. Received a lot of useful information that will take some time to digest. Also expecting their terms and contract details along with a quote late next week.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
I was told it was ok to share, so I will. KU for Magazines is different than KU for books. It will not prevent us from publishing/selling our magazine elsewhere. It is not paid per-paid, but based on an annual projection based on "qualified borrows." On the tech side it functions quite a lot like the KPP program they are discontinuing. Same infrastructure and ingestion process. (Makes me wonder why it is necessary to end the program if this is being maintained.)
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
Back issue management appears to be the same for readers and publishers as it is in the current program. Will lose our .FR subscribers as there is no KU path for them. There will be communication with our subscribers and publishers will have input in that (they hope). The existing program ends on 9/1/2023. In our case, that means the 8/1/2023 issue is the last one that will go out that way. If we participate in the new program it can overlap with the old one.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
I won't know how this looks for us financially until next week when I receive a preliminary estimate. Payments would be made twice a year (Jan/July) as opposed to monthly. A fixed rate means the sudden drop to 0 wouldn't kill us. It's year 2 that worries me more.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
I was correct in my earlier statement that the new program is not being offered to everyone. There is a chance that some will be reconsidered.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
What does all this mean? It's still a big bomb to drop on the small group of genre magazines that were in the Kindle subscription program. Not the seasons greeting we would have liked to have received. It's yet another reminder of the importance of diversifying revenue streams.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
When you work in a field that lives on razor thin (or thinner) margins, every loss stings. Several of us are stinging tonight. Some more than others. There is still much uncertainty as to how much impact this will have. The support from everyone today is appreciated.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022

If you are subscribed to a magazine at Amazon, please let them know how you feel. Over the next few months, publishers will have a better handle on how you can continue to support them. Don't lose touch. Each one of you is important to us (all magazines here, not just me).

Thank you. More details coming as I know them.

Show threadAmberJFrostDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld I just want to say how much I appreciate your being so open about this whole process and what it can mean for the different pubs out there. Anyone who thinks a genre magazine is making piles of cash is wrong. They're labors of love. Anyone who's able, consider subscribing to your favorites to help keep them alive!
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@AmberJFrost Thanks!
Show threadNickyDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Makes me tempted to go ahead and subscribe to a few magazines now to be all "look, people do want and use this".
Show threadJules 🍺Dec 17, 2022
@clarkesworld
I'm probably telling you how to sick eggs but have you all thought of trying to pull the power back into your court? Perhaps talk to the the people who run kobo? Have your own app on ios and android? Have your own website where you are all published?
By you all I mean all the independent mags
Show threadUncle JoshDec 17, 2022
@clarkesworld I've been meaning to translate my subscriptions to weightless books anyway. Now I have impetus to actually get around to doing it.
Show threadDan SugalskiDec 18, 2022
@clarkesworld @aliettedb I’m glad you’re making this public. I suspect there is no way that the participants won’t be screwed over by the change within a year or two, unfortunately.
Show threadD. G. MarshallDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld If the only real difference is that some magazines are being asked to stick around, and some are not, maybe that's the reason why the program is ending while still being maintained.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@davidtheeviloverlord Well, control over pricing is a big thing that is being lost in the transition... it's also trying to pull more people into their subscription service, KU
Show threadElizabeth BearDec 16, 2022

@clarkesworld

ARGH

Show threadazteclady has movedDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld This is even worse. Wholesale destruction of viable creative careers for thousands of people, from writers to artists to editors/publishers.
Show threadRachel HandleyDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld oh wow that's terrible
Show threadP H Lee 🪬Dec 16, 2022

@clarkesworld well that's some extra bullshit.

good luck. let us know if you need a torrent of angry letters.

Show threadErik Jay WeberDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld atrocious. It will not be a lot but after I clear away some debt in the spring I'll see if I can contribute more. Always love getting the monthly paperback. Read a tale each night til done. Really a valued part of my life.
Show threadKira Leigh 🏳️‍⚧️Dec 16, 2022

@clarkesworld Please do let people know what happens w/the meeting.

Tech-creative SME spidey-sensed this was going to happen, which is why I consolidated to self eComm early. Not saying this is the option, because getting reader cross-adoption is extremely hard, but it offers more control.

Amazon feels like it will just keep doing this, though I hope your words will reach them.

Good luck. Rooting for you.

Show threadMartin McGrathDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Sorry to hear this. As a happy Kindle subscriber and someone who has enjoyed the magazine for years, this sounds like a disaster for publishers.
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@martinmcgrath It's going to be a VERY messy transition. It's basically like hitting cancel and restart on one of our largest subscription options. We're fortunate enough to have alternatives, but this will make '23 and '24 difficult.
Show threadAnna HudakDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld I currently am not a subscriber (unemployed), but have been planning to get a subscription once I do have a job. So, where should I subscribe that's best for you? I was never going to subscribe via Amazon because I hate Amazon, but which method of subscribing is best for you?
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@cityhoosier Patreon, ClarkesworldCitizens.com, and Weightless are all good options. Pennies in the difference.
Show threadWiredfire Dec 16, 2022

@clarkesworld kindles are pretty great devices utterly hampered by a horribly controlling ecosystem they sit it.

I get why and how they became dominant, and also why Amazon would not embrace open standards, but it's still such a shame that the wider public haven't voted with their wallets and gone to other less restricted devices.

I bypass the issues for books at least with judicious use of a certain Calibre plugin, but that still needs a little technical understanding 😣

Show threadGraydonDec 16, 2022

@clarkesworld Amazon's whole business model is about controlling prices. ("you buy at our price and you sell at our price".) That's why Bezos got all that investment a decade-plus back; he could convince the investors he could pull it off.

Which sucks flint, but from Amazon's point of view this is The Plan, rather than an unreasonable oversight.

Show threadChristine SandquistDec 16, 2022

@clarkesworld Oh nooooo that's not good at all. KU is great for self pub things that are more about quantity, but much less great for magazines!

This is awful.

Show threadSimon PriorDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Oh that is horrible news. I'm signing up via Patreon after pay day to keep the words coming, but I hope they're able to offer some sort of resolution to this.
Show threadSue is Writing Solarpunk 🌞🌱Dec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Ugh. Let us know if there's anything readers can do. Is there a way to set up a subscription service outside Amazon? Patreon maybe?
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@susankayequinn We've been offering subscriptions via Patreon, B&N, Weightless, and direct at ClarkesworldCitizens.com for years now. All viable alternatives.
Show threadregularJimDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Well that's just completely insane. I've been subscribed to Clarkesworld for probably a decade now and the nice part about it is, I don't have to think about it. It just shows up in my app. So if I didn't see this post, I very well could have gone months without noticing my sub had stopped. Ditto for the various other sci-fi prose mags I sub to via Amazon. What are alternative Clarkeworld subscription options? Are there any? Clearly Amazon doesn't want my money.
Show threadStephanieACainDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld And it still won't get me to sign up for KU, either as an author or as a reader.
Show threadbryanspellmanDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld this is horrible. While KU has it's place and perks, the individual subscription model ensures quality content from those sources I subscribe to and makes sure my $$ is supporting those creators!
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@bryanspellman Yeah, I'm concerned that KU revenue will fluctuate more wildly and be less reliable than subscriptions.
Show threadTimo GrünDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld I’m ashamed to admit I wasn’t even aware you existed until this post. I just bought the current issue on Apple iBooks. I notice you’re on multiple platforms: Would it be possible to write to your current subscribers every month with a subscriber one-off purchase price? That would be kind of roundabout, but might bring in more than KU (which I intentionally do not use).
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@khoji You mean offer subscriptions elsewhere? We do. Patreon and ClarkesworldCitizens.com offer direct monthly subscriptions and are viable alternatives for Amazon. We can only sell single issues on Apple... because Apple.
Show threadTimo GrünDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Do you at least have a mailing list of all your Kindle subscribers, or does Amazon handle that like Apple?
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@khoji We don't have access to the contact information for our subscribers there. There was a report that would allow me to see some, but, conveniently, I don't see that anymore.
Show threadTimo GrünDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld That is incredibly frustrating, combined with the shift to KU. 😕
Show threadChristina HsuDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld @khoji What about Apple News Plus?
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@Aloudnoise @khoji I looked into that when it launched and there was some reason we didn't do it. Probably price related.
Show threadIf This Goes On (Don't Panic)Dec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld sorry to hear that Neil. That's a total shit move on their part. I'll keep supporting your patreon.
Show threadNeverthelessShePersistedDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Borrow online from the library. It’s free.
Show threadElizabeth M, stationerDec 16, 2022
@EnaHippie Hi, you may not realising you're replying to a digital magazine affected by these changes?
@clarkesworld
Show threadkelleynnnDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld They just never run out of dirty tricks, do they? I just subscribed on Patreon. I just recently tuned in to the magazines, and I've been enjoying your stories and artwork.
Show thread5klp471Dec 16, 2022

@clarkesworld

Check your local library to see if they offer magazines through an online portal, such as Libby. A library card has a lot of power behind it when you wield it properly.

Show threadNonsuperflousDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld this has prompted me to add a subscription on Patreon. I hope you can weather this without to much stress.
Show threadJohn Mierau, Serving WorldsDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld so sorry...2022 seems to be the year every corporation tightens the reins on control, uncaring of its effects on the ecosystems that symbiotically support them.
Show threadR. Leigh HennigDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Just subscribed via Weightless. If you do a Kickstarter or something, I will 100% donate
Show threadJerry EllsworthDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld This motivated me to finally subscribe… direct from your site. I love the podcast, and I’m looking forward to reading the magazine as well! 🙌
Show threadJ. Brian CoyleDec 16, 2022

@clarkesworld
The migration path is supporting you directly - which I just did with an annual subscription.

Looking forward to those epub files!

Show threadKeith Stevenson 🚀Dec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld A similar thing happened with Amazon's 'upgrade' of Comixology as well. Suddenly all non-US subscriptions were cancelled. Devastating for small presses. 😢
Show threadhuaxixyzDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld what are other non-Amazon dependent ways people can digitally subscribe?
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@huaxixyz We list all of them here:
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy

Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast. This page: Subscribe to Clarkesworld Magazine

Clarkesworld Magazine
Show threadScrithDec 16, 2022
@clarkesworld Wait, what is kindle subscription? I think my GF might be subscribed to that, but I’m not sure
Show threadClarkesworldDec 16, 2022
@Scrith Does Amazon charge them and then send a copy of Clarkesworld to their Kindle each month? If so, then they are probably subscribed. (There are other ways to get it to.)