POD or Kindle? Which version to release first for the self-publishing author?

There is something so pleasant about hold the newly arrived proof copy of your book! It is physical, tangible proof your hard work has paid off. Your book is now a reality and ready to be unleashed on your reading public!

I do not get the same feeling when I see the file appear on my Kindle. It just isn't the same. Perhaps it would be if I had grown up with all the electronic devices my children did. They view digital content much differently than I do. Except for my son, our oldest child, vinyl records just take up space!

With the rapidly changing world of publishing, there are so many decisions a self-publishing author must make. Just one, and it is an important one, is whether to publish a Kindle edition first or the POD paperback edition first?

Actually, for some authors, depending on the niche or genre, the question to consider is should a POD version be published at all? That is another topic for another blog post.

Given the wide range of tools and methods available to promote Kindle books as compared to a POD, the most important of which is the ability to offer free versions for a period of time and a lower price point at any time, it makes sense to release the Kindle version first!

Building an audience for a book, regardless of whether it is a Kindle edition or a POD edition, is essential to generating sales. In this current state of the industry, it is easier to launch a Kindle edition than a POD edition.

So why do I always launch my POD version first? Because the final version of my books is always ready to launch sooner on Amazon in the POD form than in Kindle! I just don't have the patience to wait for the Kindle conversion to be done and then launch the book!

If I could develop some self-discipline, it makes sense to launch the Kindle version first and then release the POD version a week later.

Please disagree with me and comment if you have a better approach to dealing with this issue! I would love to hear what has worked for other authors in this regard, both for my own benefit and the authors who read this blog.