Self-published fantasy author Matthew Ballard's initial distribution plan was to go wide and sell his books through all online channels including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Google Play. After he discovered about 95% of his sales were done through Amazon he made the decision to go exclusive with this channel. Amazon's new marketing programs for exclusive authors have been beneficial for Ballard and he is now able to better maintain his marketing content and pricing. Ballard has also had success with audiobooks and highly recommends this as another format option for generating income. His experiences with self-publishing through Amazon have been very positive and it is a path he recommends to other authors who plan to self-publish. But, he advises authors to first do your own research and understand your goals before making any publishing decisions. He believes new authors should start small with one channel like Amazon, get some proven sales and a better understanding of the market, then consider going wide.