Amazon surpasses 2 million Kindle Singles sales, report says
Singles e-books, which are shorter than full-length novels but longer than magazine articles, have grown in popularity in the 14 months they've been available.
Amazon's Kindle Singles have apparently caught on with customers.
According to PaidContent.org, 2 million Singles e-books, which are shorter than full-length novels but longer than magazine articles, have sold in the 14 months they've been available. PaidContent, a digital-media news site, analyzed pricing for each e-book and estimated that Amazon may have generated $1.12 million in revenue for itself on those sales.
Amazon launched its Kindle Singles category last January. The company said at the time that it would take 30 percent of the revenue generated from the Amazon-vetted titles, which range in price from 99 cents to $4.99 but mostly sell for $1.99.
From a content perspective, the Singles category is rich, boasting everything from essays to memoirs to short stories. A title written by author Mara Altman called "Bearded Lady," which takes a "rare, honest glimpse into the hidden world of lasers and razors," is the current Singles bestseller. All told, according to PaidContent, there are 165 Singles available to readers, and Amazon brings three new titles to the service each week.
Amazon told PaidContent that it receives about 50 unsolicited submissions each week. In order to see a title included in the Singles listing, Amazon must approve it--a daunting task, considering just three titles make it through that process per week.
Still, the potential financial upside is major for those who can deliver standout titles. PaidContent, which spoke with a handful of Singles authors, found that some of those folks had made as much as $130,000 in royalties from the Singles. That said, there's no telling how many have written Singles, only to find them downloaded just a few times.
Amazon did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on Singles performance.