liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Aug 16, 2016 15:49:13 GMT -8
I found once my KDP free sales were over then my movement died, and it was a fun way to get stuff out there at the time. I am keeping track on my dashboards etc, it actually shocks me when I get a small spike or a big one from iBooks out of nowhere. It's been kind of a game/project to keep me occupied while I work on other things on the side. I've learned a LOT switching from Zon to SW and then trying to break the premium barrier.
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Post by garyweston on Aug 16, 2016 15:55:49 GMT -8
I've done with their meatgrinder. Keep it simple, I reckon
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Post by garyweston on Aug 16, 2016 23:55:41 GMT -8
it seems we can't actually un-publish a paperback with createspace. All we can do is to cancel all the sales channels which I have done. So in about two or three years Barnes and Noble will react and hopefully just leave the ebook version. Will that impact on doing a new version with D2D? Dunno. Past caring.
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liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Aug 17, 2016 1:04:47 GMT -8
D2D looked really interesting but a bit over what I'm after. And I have a weird thing about going paperback without some kind of assistance to get something professional out there if I did use createspace or something similar. Would it be because they printed copies and have them available to order still?? I'd check the T&Cs if you're bothered at all but I know what you mean.
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Post by garyweston on Aug 17, 2016 3:00:12 GMT -8
It's print on demand. No stock. Press a button and a book pops out. Quality is ok. Create space offer "services" to create covers and do the head hitting, etc but you don't have to use them. For your own covers you can use the ebook one for the front and select one of several spine and back cover options for free and add back blurb etc. Sometimes "bleed" can be an issue if text etc is too close to edges and they'll ask you to modify it. Several book sizes available and the initial cost will be production costs as it is a physical entity. Then you add your mark up on top. I found the templates a nightmare for fitting doc into. Put me off. D2D have hopefully taken the stress out of it. So if you are more patient than I am, have a go with createspace yourself. Of course D2D will take a cut. as will Zon, etc. The only reason I did any was for prezzies. All the money (about 90$ worth) from paperback sales is going to an animal charity. The only time I'll bother with another paperback will be when I'm selling a squillion ebooks. In other words, probably never.
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Ria Stone
SWF Writers
Posts: 1,055
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 14:12:26 GMT -8
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Post by Ria Stone on Aug 17, 2016 6:58:12 GMT -8
D2D looked really interesting but a bit over what I'm after. And I have a weird thing about going paperback without some kind of assistance to get something professional out there if I did use createspace or something similar. Would it be because they printed copies and have them available to order still?? I'd check the T&Cs if you're bothered at all but I know what you mean. From my past research, with CreateSpace, I would have to price my small booklets too high to be attractive to readers. Unfortunately, with Lulu, the number of pages in RKFNC pushed it into the perfect bound category and it is priced a bit too high but my reason for seeking a POD vendor is because I often get requests for my books in hard copy. So, at least now I can point my readers to Lulu for RKFNC for a POD. I published Mocktails, locally, as a saddle-bound booklet. I have no plans to create a POD for Budget Guest Accommodations. I used a small publisher to create a POD for my dual book, Gina's Dream/El Sueno de Gina. I am glad I did. They saved me a ton of grief and produced a good-looking book! It did cost more than a self-publishing option.
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Ria Stone
SWF Writers
Posts: 1,055
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 14:12:26 GMT -8
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Post by Ria Stone on Aug 17, 2016 7:01:48 GMT -8
I expect to get plenty of flack over this, but here it is anyway. I backed off this site, mostly because of how boring it has become. Hardly even any input in the general section for weeks by the look of it. But that isn't what I'm calling terminal, but the non-Amazon sites like smash and the affiliates. Like you I had a read of M. Coker's moan.(sorry, blog) about how big bad Amazon has been naughty again with their kindle unlimited. Boo hoo. Poor us being left out in the cold. And isn't it up to Indie writers to resist the urge to plunge into the abyss of K U. I have said this before and I'll say it here, expecting it to be ignored. M C. Once an innovator and an inspiration. As your bunch of affiliates drop off one by one, get proactive and combine forces and offer us Indies a viable alternative to Amazon and especially Amazon K U. What? In the too hard basket? Gas tank empty? Can't work together? I read one contributer to that blog who was saying he hadn't had any extra sales from tossing a few of his titles in the K U pot. I checked him out and guess what? He had pathetic sales and only a few scathing reviews BEFORE KU. What was he expecting to change? Barnes and Noble ran with the ebook / Indie ball before they dropped it and Amazon took over. If B and N had the ball now they wouldn't know which way to run with it. Apple has probably the worst navigational site for ebooks on the planet. Etc. And they wonder why big bad Amazon can rule the world. So, M C. Impress me as you once did by building a collective force of all non- Amazon retailers and offer us Indies a serious alternative before even more affiliates fall by the wayside. Two things will happen now. A couple of one book wonders will have a go at me and Mark Coker will completely ignore this. At least it might ignite some debating fireworks this site was once known for. Your turn. Gary, I understand your frustration. From the time I was researching POD vendors to the time I began formatting for specific vendors, I got the sense the eBook market is changing rapidly. I get the feeling that "profits" just aren't there for many online publishers.
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Ria Stone
SWF Writers
Posts: 1,055
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 14:12:26 GMT -8
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Post by Ria Stone on Aug 17, 2016 7:08:59 GMT -8
I am an expert after five years with Smash and friends. That is, I am an expert on how to fail as a writer. The dreams were strong for the first couple of years and then, then cometh the fall from fantasy to reality, from fantasy to flop. Yes, my covers suck (can't afford Adobe or an artist), my content sucks because editors aren't free and self editing is kind of like self mutilation. I have little time left in my life to go all gung ho into publishing. I've done my best on a poor man's income. I had some sales with Sony, but of course they are gone and now I'm averaging one giveaway book a week. Author maybe, published? I don't think so. Stun: I wrote for 17 years before I was shortlisted in a fiction competition and got my 'break' into trad publishing that way. It's not realistic for any of us to truly believe we have created the magic story that will go viral (and then have our hearts shattered when it doesn't come to pass). We can only hope. It's like winning the lottery - gotta be in it to win it. Most who take a ticket never win the big one, but there is always someone out there who does. The vast majority of ticket holders collect minor prizes. If your covers are bad, fix them. Study other covers in your genre. You do not need Adobe programs. If you hate editing, sorry, it's part of the process, or at least, it should be. Draft 1 = the skeleton. Draft 2 = add some flesh. Draft 3 = (a fortnight later) a final read through, coming at it afresh. Use text to voice for this if you can. You will hear errors instead of seeing them. So much indie work I try to read is obviously first draft. Rushed. Hurrying to get over that finish line cos you never know, this one might be IT... But being an author is hard, grueling work. By the time the work is ready for 'publication' you're well over it, and never want to read it, ever again. Put your best out there. Don't be in a hurry to hit the publish button. Don't think of yourself as a failure. What you do is not who you are. Give us a link or two, Stun. Julie and Stun: Luckily, my reason for self-publishing is not because I think I've written the next great American novel but more for the experience of self-publishing. I write for myself, if anyone else likes, great. But, Julie's points are valid. I do want to be a good writer and editing is part of that process. All my research, writing and self-publishing efforts have been a great education. At this point, after my last publication, all that's on my plate is my next Recipes from the Kitchen of a Frugal Non-Cook V2 and another novel but it will probably years before they are done. What I do see - is that texting is replacing emails. News is being replaced by rumor. And while eBooks seem popular, not sure books in general are as popular as "reality tv shows."
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Ria Stone
SWF Writers
Posts: 1,055
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 14:12:26 GMT -8
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Post by Ria Stone on Aug 17, 2016 7:14:04 GMT -8
I tried the first KU, gave away a lot, sold a few, but like you Gary, twas the few that were already selling at the time. I say 'at the time' loosely. I went wide again, republishing all through D2D and unpublishing completely from Smashwords as I just couldn't deal with the meatgrinder's many foibles, the lack of customer service and the time it took for any minor change - like cover or pricing - to go through. Don't make me start on the Premium Catalog. So after putting all back out via D2D, lo and behold, Zon brings in the KU2... per page read payment. I missed the boat again. Before KU2 I was getting the equivalent of your beer money, Gary. After KU? I am now one of the many who have sunk into the mires of the undiscovered abyss. Advertising/constant promoting seems to be the way to maintain visibility but how many of us can afford to do that every two weeks? Do we knock out a story every 28 days just to keep appearing on the new release list? Do we do this by writing in the current on-trend genre as well? Last I heard it was step brother romances, but that was a couple of weeks ago so who knows what it is now... Most of my stuff is non classifiable bordering on literary fiction anyway, although I am tinkering with a paranormal series. I read somewhere on KBoards that series and KU aren't a good mix. KU2 is for standalones, the bigger the better. There's no answer, Gary. We can all rant and rave about the unfairness of it all, and authors can scream 'buy my book' from the rooftops but those voices get lost amid the millions of others out there screaming the same thing. These days I fill in time by editing and formatting etc. and guiding others into the abyss. What I hoped would be a retirement 'career' has morphed into what it was at the beginning, way back in the late 70s: a hobby. Back in those days I still had dreams. I have to see it as a hobby now, there is no other choice that leads me to a happy place. While I still get a kick out of creating something new, can walk away from the desk with that satisfied feeling all writers comprehend, I will keep on doing it, but in my own time, at my own pace. I've had to harness my dreams of 'making it'. I came close once or twice while trad published, and once while indie, but there are only so many times a mere mortal can have the fire door slammed on the same foot before the message sinks in. Amazon won't stop until it has driven all of its competitors out of business and I'm 99% sure the competitors know this. It might take some time, and during that time, who knows what will happen. But I know one thing for certain: when you're hot on Amazon, Amazon helps fuel the flame. Zon rewards the already rewarded and doesn't give a rats about those in the abyss. That's business for ya. There's probably nothing else MC can do except complain/whinge/grieve. But authors will go to the marketplace that holds promise, and Amazon spends millions of dollars to be that marketplace. Julie, interesting you had such negative experiences with Smashwords. In my case, I have had few negative experiences. Most of my submissions get an error or two and I fix them and then resubmit and they are ready to go. I get quick, useful responses from SW customer service. But, I think your experiences with D2D have been the reverse of mine. Can't use D2D.
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Post by garyweston on Aug 17, 2016 9:00:39 GMT -8
Unfortunately, smash has stopped evolving whereas D2D strive to be innovative. I still feel in my creative bones that something is going on generally and people like me are responding by dumping K U. The more people like me does that, it fuels the change. That's good on many levels. It's a lifeline to the other retailers and it should be a wakeup call to Zon. Even their bean-counters see between the figures eventually. If I'm an example of what is happening now, that represents a significant shift. As Julie rightly predicted, Zon have been screwing payments for K U pages read, apart from the chosen few. Of course if a company kept bunging me thousands on a regular basis, on top of the big royalties, I would sing that company's praises. However, if the (perceived) backlash is anything like I think it is, then eventually, the chosen few will find themselves in a gradually less popular basket and will start removing their eggs from it. I've just finished yet another book and I'm drained of ideas for now, although I do have another Craggy on the go somewhere. Will I write regardless? Dunno. It will have to be a cracking story to get me fired up again. Shortly I'll be meeting a local wannabe writer and I think she'll soon realize being an Indie is a lot more than just pounding the keys.
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Ria Stone
SWF Writers
Posts: 1,055
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 14:12:26 GMT -8
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Post by Ria Stone on Aug 17, 2016 9:06:11 GMT -8
Unfortunately, smash has stopped evolving whereas D2D strive to be innovative. I still feel in my creative bones that something is going on generally and people like me are responding by dumping K U. The more people like me does that, it fuels the change. That's good on many levels. It's a lifeline to the other retailers and it should be a wakeup call to Zon. Even their bean-counters see between the figures eventually. If I'm an example of what is happening now, that represents a significant shift. As Julie rightly predicted, Zon have been screwing payments for K U pages read, apart from the chosen few. Of course if a company kept bunging me thousands on a regular basis, on top of the big royalties, I would sing that company's praises. However, if the (perceived) backlash is anything like I think it is, then eventually, the chosen few will find themselves in a gradually less popular basket and will start removing their eggs from it. I've just finished yet another book and I'm drained of ideas for now, although I do have another Craggy on the go somewhere. Will I write regardless? Dunno. It will have to be a cracking story to get me fired up again. Shortly I'll be meeting a local wannabe writer and I think she'll soon realize being an Indie is a lot more than just pounding the keys. I agree. I think Z is dropping support for free and low-cost eBooks and PODs. Whereas I am trying to support other online eBook/POD online, terra publishers.
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Post by garyweston on Aug 18, 2016 6:32:29 GMT -8
We can't deny the power of free. At the risk of contradicting myself, which I do on regular basis regardless of counseling, I wish all FULL sized novels had a price on them and Freebies relegated to shorts and novellas. Never gonna happen. So I have to go the boring old "first in a series free and a few free shorts here and there" rigmarole to stand a chance. And it does work, which is annoying. Can hardly contain myself (need a bigger belt) until Zon price matches Craggy one free. I know good things happen when that happens. And yet, in that strange Zon like alternative dimension, they do appreciate the power of free. They just don't like "Those 'orrible little writer creatures" being in control of it. So. I put the last couple of books still shackled to the K U misadventure as a five day free promo and 24 hours later they are in the top 60 in their freebie categories. So nice to be entertaining the bloody world. Better still if it paid for my beer!!! On a positive note, Barnes and Noble once again acknowledges there actually exists a free Craggy 1 on nook albeit with the shitty paperback cover. The paperback I un-circulated on createspace is still available on B and N but as we all know, somebody at B and N, festering in a dark and smelly basement, has to physically throw a switch during an electrical storm before eating his hunchback. OOps, I meant lunchpack. So there in a nutshell is Weston's world. Time to put the pie in the oven.
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Post by djmills on Aug 18, 2016 10:05:46 GMT -8
I've been asked to redo the tax form since it's due to expire so I don't get slapped with 30% but I don't list on Amazon anymore. I'm still making "sales" on SW but I have no idea if anyone's reading this stuff since I'm never reviewed so it just sits out on the ether like a message in a bottle . I did have a nice review from someone here that ended up on my Goodreads. Other than tweeting/instagraming I can't justify spending money on this project because I'm not generating an income. Any non US people filling out tax forms atm for KDP? Yes, I got the email from Amazon. I expect I will get notice to update TAX form from S/W and Createspace any day now. I tried to do the Tax Interview. Totally refused to sign the W-8ECI "Certificate of Foreign Person's Claim that Income is Effectively connected With the conduct of a Trade or Business in the United States" so exited. Wrote an email to Amazon advising them that the IRS advised me I only needed a W-8BEN form filled out. (IRS never mentioned I had to to so every 3 years). Just heard back from Amazon, advising once I complete their "Tax Interview" they will generate an W-8BEN form for me to sign on line with an electronic signature. Being the non trusting little soul I am, my brain said "Danger" at the thought of signing something online, without a printed copy for myself, to check all details before signing. :-) So, I will download/print out 3 copies of the W-8BEN form and copy what I wrote in the first three forms and post off to amazon, Smashwords, Createspace in USA. :-) All fun and games.
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Post by Julie Harris on Aug 18, 2016 13:34:09 GMT -8
Good luck with that, Diane. I think you will find Amazon want it all electronic now, and I doubt paper will be accepted. Am sure you can take a screenshot or print the W8 Ben form that is generated when all steps are done. It's actually easier to do electronically, and you're able to use your Australian TFN instead of EIN.
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Post by djmills on Aug 18, 2016 14:43:11 GMT -8
Good luck with that, Diane. I think you will find Amazon want it all electronic now, and I doubt paper will be accepted. Am sure you can take a screenshot or print the W8 Ben form that is generated when all steps are done. It's actually easier to do electronically, and you're able to use your Australian TFN instead of EIN. What?! After all the effort to get the EIN in the first place, I can now use my Australian Tax File Number? :-) I actually used both EIN and TFN numbers on the W-8BEN form. I am guessing it worked for you when you did the online form? And you actually knew what you were doing when you filled in answers to Amazon's electronic interview questions? :-) What about Createspace? And Smashwords? And any other distributors you use? Are you sending paper W-8BEN forms to them, or doing them electronically, the same as Amazon? Any and all information will be very much appreciated by me. :-)
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