Two subscription reading services, two very different author strategies. One locks you into Amazon exclusivity with massive volume. The other lets you go wide and win in markets Amazon barely touches. Here's how to decide.
| Factor | Kindle Unlimited | Kobo Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 150M+ | ~5M |
| Exclusivity required | Yes — KDP Select (90 days) | No — wide distribution OK |
| Primary markets | US, UK, Germany, Australia | Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, Australia |
| How authors earn | KENP per page read (~$0.004–0.005) | Royalty per download/read |
| Enroll via | KDP dashboard | Kobo Writing Life or distributor |
| Best for | US/UK heavy genre fiction | International or wide authors |
Kindle Unlimited is Amazon's all-you-can-read subscription at $11.99/month in the US. With over 150 million subscribers, it's the dominant subscription reading platform by a massive margin — and for many genre fiction authors, it's where the majority of their income comes from.
Every month Amazon sets a global KDP Select fund (typically $30M–$50M+) and divides it by total pages read across all enrolled books. The resulting rate — around $0.004–$0.005 per page — is your KENP rate for that month.
A 400-page novel fully read earns approximately $1.60–$2.00. A reader who only reads 50 pages earns you ~$0.20. Series authors benefit disproportionately because binge readers accumulate thousands of pages across a series.
Kobo Plus is Rakuten Kobo's subscription reading service, available in Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and a growing number of markets. With approximately 5 million subscribers, the raw numbers look modest beside KU — but the geography tells a different story.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, Kobo is the dominant ebook platform, not Amazon. In Canada, Kobo competes directly with Kindle. For authors with European or Canadian audiences, Kobo Plus is not optional — it's the primary subscription income channel in those territories.
Whether you're in KDP Select earning KENP or distributing wide to Kobo Plus and Apple Books, ARC reviews are essential. iWrity connects you with readers who post honest reviews on Amazon and Goodreads — building the social proof that converts browsers into buyers regardless of where they discovered you.
Get ARC Reviews for Your BookNo. Kindle Unlimited requires KDP Select enrollment, which makes your ebook exclusive to Amazon for 90-day terms. While in KDP Select you cannot distribute to Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, or any other retailer. To enroll in Kobo Plus you must be publishing 'wide' — meaning you have opted out of KDP Select.
Kindle Unlimited pays via the KENP (Kindle Edition Normalized Pages) rate, which fluctuates monthly around $0.004–$0.005 per page read. A 300-page book fully read earns roughly $1.20–$1.50. Kobo Plus pays a royalty per download or per read depending on your distribution deal — typically 45% of list price per qualifying read through a distributor like Draft2Digital, or direct royalties through Kobo Writing Life.
Kindle Unlimited has 150M+ subscribers globally, vastly outnumbering Kobo Plus which has approximately 5 million subscribers. However, Kobo Plus readers are concentrated in high-value markets: Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Australia — where Kobo's market share rivals or exceeds Amazon's.
If your readership is primarily US-based, Kobo Plus adds marginal incremental value because US Kobo market share is small. However, if you write in genres popular in Canada or the Netherlands (literary fiction, translated works, general fiction), Kobo Plus can be a meaningful revenue channel. The key question is whether you want to be Amazon-exclusive (KU) or wide.
Yes. iWrity ARC reviews are delivered as ebook files compatible with any device or platform. Reviewers read your book and post honest reviews — those reviews can be posted to Amazon, Goodreads, or both. The reviews you collect through iWrity boost your book's credibility regardless of which subscription platform it appears on.
Joining KDP Select requires you to remove your ebook from all other retailers including Kobo Plus. You typically need to give distributors 30–60 days notice before your KDP Select start date. Failing to unpublish from Kobo before your KDP Select enrollment can put your account in violation of Amazon's exclusivity terms.
KU browsers and Kobo Plus readers both check reviews before reading. iWrity connects your book with genuine ARC readers who post honest reviews on Amazon and Goodreads — building the credibility that drives reads on any subscription platform.
