[kbenson]

> It’s a raw deal for most authors, the exception being prolific/well-known authors

I've been reading almost exclusively authors I've never heard of before (but they are rated fairly high). In that respect, you may be right and they may have been known, but they were unknown to me. Usually I would stick to my own short list of who I think are the best in a genre, occasionally venturing outside of that to see who's getting accolades recently. I imagine if you put some effort into it and got a push from some fans you could break into a wider audience on KU without too much work.