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There's probably a decent way to do it without impacting legitimate use but it's all moot anyway because it's down to Amazon to decide whether (or how strictly) to enforce a 'reasonable returns' policy, and of the elements involved, Amazon is going to prioritise satisfying Amazon, then the Customer, then Potential Customers, then lastly the Author/Publisher. And Amazon barely gives out enough data to sell books as it is, they're not going to start letting authors know how many of their returns are illegitimate. Assuming there's even a problem. Impossible to know for sure.
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Dec 20, 2014 21:35
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Jalumibnkrayal posted:I've enjoyed watching you argue against yourself. It was a close match, but in the end you came out on top. You're right, anyone who gets a single return and then gets worried about customers stealing thousands of ebooks is not being objective. None of what you imagine happened actually happened but I hope you got a little rush out of coming up with your zinger on an internet message board
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Dec 20, 2014 21:38
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So how was 2014 for everyone?  Any amazing breakthroughs or things you're particularly proud of accomplishing? For me, I'm happy to have beaten the national average household income with writing royalties this year because it finally got my family to shut the gently caress up about how much they disapprove of me "wasting my time writing." Thank god. What're your best moments in self-pub this year?  Any particular topics or content you folks want added to the OP / reserved first post for next year? I have some vacation days coming up and will put some time aside to add content and update everything for 2015.
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Dec 21, 2014 22:59
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Sundae posted:Any particular topics or content you folks want added to the OP / reserved first post for next year? I have some vacation days coming up and will put some time aside to add content and update everything for 2015. I don't know if this is too much to ask, but a little bit about pricing would be helpful. I know that there's a lot of research and strategy for the well-established folks, but for someone who's publishing their first 2-3 books it seems like it's a little more cut and dried according to length and genre.
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Dec 21, 2014 23:42
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Pinky Artichoke posted:I don't know if this is too much to ask, but a little bit about pricing would be helpful. I know that there's a lot of research and strategy for the well-established folks, but for someone who's publishing their first 2-3 books it seems like it's a little more cut and dried according to length and genre. When in doubt, choose $2.99 (and the 70% royalty rate). In any case, always choose your price to end with x.99, and never pick $1.99 (it is a dead zone). Come January 1, the price you type into KDP for Euro countries will be the price that appears on the page (so you don't need to calculate a 3% reduction for VAT or whatever).
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Dec 22, 2014 00:08
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Sundae posted:So how was 2014 for everyone? 2014 was awesome. So many milestones achieved. Learned a ton, got to help other writers navigate the waters of self-pubbing. Got an email list going for fans (I HAVE FANS!). Earning a solid income that I hope to grow at a reasonable rate in 2015. My biggest decision is whether to give the Appalachian Trail another try this spring. I wish Amazon would let me pre-load everything to release a book without doing their pre-order bullshit. All I want is a "pretend I physically push Publish on the following day:" button. If I go on the trail, my publishing schedule would slow down or perhaps stop for six months. That's probably not going to be easy to recover from.
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Dec 22, 2014 01:33
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It was a great year for me in that I started writing with a goal to finish something. Haven't published anything yet, but now I know that eventually (aiming for February) I will. Don't laugh, we all have to start somewhere! I'm loving my own story. Since I'm already working two jobs while being a full-time grad student, I treat this as a pleasant mental diversion. It actually helps cope a lot. Even if I don't publish it, this will still be a good experience. It fits my currently pitch-black sense of humor. Sundae posted:Any particular topics or content you folks want added to the OP / reserved first post for next year? I have some vacation days coming up and will put some time aside to add content and update everything for 2015. Self-publishing is scary. You write your heart out and hope it will stick with someone. This is very intimidating for noobs such as myself. In the past years I would have published twice now, if not for this. Starting is hard. With that in mind, what I would love to see is a babby's foolproof first publication guide. Something anyone can follow to get a decent result. It does not have to be great, but just something that lets you give birth to your art just that much easier. The OP is pretty good for that, but I think a checklist or numbered list is a good thing here. 1. Write. 2. Go to publishhere.com 3. Sign up. 4. Tick the first checkbox, but not the fourteenth. 5. Remember to have adequate weapons. 6. Etc..., Etc... 16. Delete your pen name due to death threats and go to 1. Yeah, a lot of work and will become out of date sometimes. I still think it may be nice. Also checklists. [] - Blurb [] - Cover [] - Bribes [] - Solid plot [] - Source of controversy [] - Murder your competition [] - Have an alibi
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Dec 22, 2014 01:45
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No Gravitas posted:With that in mind, what I would love to see is a babby's foolproof first publication guide. Something anyone can follow to get a decent result. It does not have to be great, but just something that lets you give birth to your art just that much easier. The OP is pretty good for that, but I think a checklist or numbered list is a good thing here. If you're looking for just a "how do I hit publish?" I wrote up a guide like that for Pub Yourself Press. It has pictures and everything. You are welcome to sign up for the newsletter ~absolutely free~ http://howtopubyourself.com/
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Dec 22, 2014 02:08
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2014 has been an absolute waste of a year due to e/n bullshit and my procrastinatory reaction to it. Salvaged only during the last 2 months, during which I've published four 'romance' shorts (fifth hopefully up next week). If I could ask one thing of 2014, it would be the motivation to keep going at my current pace. Unfortunately I suspect Xmas is going to knock me out of what little routine I've managed to scrape together and set me back a couple months. I'd also like a way of editing the back matter on a published title without it putting the whole book into reverification and resetting the counter on kdp promos. Or at the very least, a way of editing the book's Amazon link in before publishing.
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Dec 22, 2014 03:05
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Bobby Deluxe posted:I'd also like a way of editing the back matter on a published title without it putting the whole book into reverification and resetting the counter on kdp promos. Or at the very least, a way of editing the book's Amazon link in before publishing. You think you have it bad... Oh and it doesn't reset the counter on KDP promos when you update the book.
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Dec 22, 2014 03:43
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EngineerSean posted:Oh and it doesn't reset the counter on KDP promos when you update the book.
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Dec 22, 2014 10:14
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Bobby Deluxe posted:Oh. The warning on the kdp site seemed to imply it did - it says something about the book needing to have been published for a month without changes before you can schedule a deal. Otherwise I'd have everything on offer over new year, instead of only half of them. You can't change the price for 30 days before a Kindle Countdown Deal, but you can change whatever you want inside the book. You were talking about changing the backmatter.
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Dec 22, 2014 15:02
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Ah, that makes sense. I thought it was ANY changes. Let's Get Visible arrived today, so there's that to look forward to.
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Dec 22, 2014 22:39
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It was a great year. The numbers are still going. But not including audiobooks and the rest of the year, I can that my first full year as a professional writer, I made more than my first full year as a senior computer scientist. OH, and some other fun: -I search now and then for links to bootleg sites and such and have them de-googled. It's something to do before bed, not that it does much good. But I also end up seeing places where my work is mentioned. I saw one link that caught my attention and a gal had it on her OKCupid profile that she had just finished reading my 2nd novel. I just thought that was pretty cool to have some random person mention that in their Interests section. -I went to my local comic shop to give them some 11x17" posters to put up and I gave them three autographed books. One of the guys behind the counter said he had seen my book before. Another author had recommended it. So among Minnesota Lonely Hearts and a few comic geeks, I'm famous.
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Dec 23, 2014 09:17
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Sundae posted:Any particular topics or content you folks want added to the OP / reserved first post for next year? I have some vacation days coming up and will put some time aside to add content and update everything for 2015. Self-marketing for beginners, especially social media marketing.
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Dec 23, 2014 15:11
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You've got your work cut out for you, Sundae.
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Dec 23, 2014 21:34
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EngineerSean posted:You've got your work cut out for you, Sundae. Joke's on you - I'm outsourcing it all to internet marketers.
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Dec 24, 2014 17:01
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Sundae posted:Joke's on you - I'm outsourcing it all to internet marketers. The weird leaked guide about ebook marketing that everyone should see before they die! This guide will prove you've been marketing books wrong your whole life! 19 crazy ebook marketing tips that will be fact checked by NSA rabbits! An author tries to market his book like a pickle. You won't believe what happens next. A procrastinating novelist got into a fist fight with Jeff Bezos. The reason will shock you! 27 lies all writers cry about. 7 unusual tricks that will be solved by eunechs.
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Dec 24, 2014 17:53
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I just wanted everyone here to see my new avatar.
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Dec 27, 2014 04:01
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EngineerSean posted:I just wanted everyone here to see my new avatar. It needs some kind of text to indicate its prurient origins. Otherwise it's pretty fine.
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Dec 27, 2014 04:11
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well I never even saw Super Hornio Bros, I think this is more fitting anyway
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Dec 27, 2014 04:13
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EngineerSean posted:well I never even saw Super Hornio Bros, I think this is more fitting anyway Me either. I just realized I can't even see title text on awful app. Had to click on your profile to read it, looking good.
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Dec 27, 2014 04:19
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EngineerSean posted:I just wanted everyone here to see my new avatar. I'm going to miss the mesmerizing dance of the old avatar.
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Dec 27, 2014 08:09
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She will always keep dancing in our hearts.
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Dec 27, 2014 17:46
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Just got an email from Amazon saying that they'd noticed that I had a book on sale somewhere else for less than they had it at -- and I had five days to make the prices match, or they'd pull it. I guess the old days of price-matching are pretty much done.
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Dec 27, 2014 23:52
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Ghostwoods posted:Just got an email from Amazon saying that they'd noticed that I had a book on sale somewhere else for less than they had it at -- and I had five days to make the prices match, or they'd pull it. Whaaa? Oh crap!
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Dec 27, 2014 23:59
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Ghostwoods posted:Just got an email from Amazon saying that they'd noticed that I had a book on sale somewhere else for less than they had it at -- and I had five days to make the prices match, or they'd pull it. They'll price match to free with no problem but if you have a book in the 70% zone ($2.99 or higher) and they feel that they have to price match it to the 35% zone ($0.99 to $2.99) they will get mad about it.
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Dec 28, 2014 00:50
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EngineerSean posted:They'll price match to free with no problem but if you have a book in the 70% zone ($2.99 or higher) and they feel that they have to price match it to the 35% zone ($0.99 to $2.99) they will get mad about it. Well, this was $4.99 to $3.99, both firmly within the 70%. But it's good to know they're still matching to free, at least.
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Dec 28, 2014 01:07
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Yeah I've never heard of people getting a nastygram for that but people might be more hush hush about it since the Most Favored Nation clause is a well known part of KDP.
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Dec 28, 2014 01:10
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The New York Times has a doom-n-gloom article about Kindle Unlimited from Saturday suggesting that the bell is tolling. Your mileage may well vary, but it could be of some interest.
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Dec 29, 2014 14:13
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I've read a discussion about it on a subreddit and the general mood seems to be: - author/example cases don't seem to know their market or the business at all (i.e. "This author's lovely book hasn't sold a single copy this month! Writing books that sell is so super easy that even monkeys can do it, so clearly the failure here lies with Amazon, which every journalist loves to hate because they're massive, constantly growing and trying new things, and never pay dividends to shareholders!") - KDP Select is still working well for a whole bunch of people who have enough data to compare it, on a case-by-case basis, against other platforms - KDP Select also varies by genre. Long 400k romance or sci-fi authors probably won't see much value in it but people doing 10k shorts with a ravenous readerbase are laughing all the way to the bank. One funny comment was something along the lines of: "This is a great article! Not because it's true but because if it gets any traction Amazon might be encouraged to dump more money into the KDP Select payout pool for December and we'll all get an extra 10% on our borrows"
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Dec 29, 2014 14:37
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I have pretty much been ignoring Kindle Select for a long time because god forbid I give the Amazon monster exclusivity, I might miss out on the $100/month I get from b&n every month! I too, though, have dropped 75% on my sales and am pretty anxious to try new things and by golly if people aren't actually partaking in same of my new stories via select borrows. I'm a bit confused though - from the way I understand it, do select books get paid out a set amount regardless of the book price? Ie my .99 stories get paid out the same as the 2.99s?
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Dec 29, 2014 16:03
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Roar posted:I have pretty much been ignoring Kindle Select for a long time because god forbid I give the Amazon monster exclusivity, I might miss out on the $100/month I get from b&n every month! Set amount regardless of the book price.
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Dec 29, 2014 16:10
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:One funny comment was something along the lines of: "This is a great article! Not because it's true but because if it gets any traction Amazon might be encouraged to dump more money into the KDP Select payout pool for December and we'll all get an extra 10% on our borrows" Ha! Love it
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Dec 29, 2014 16:33
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For all the doom and gloom about KU, it's actually the thing that has me interested in writing to publish again. I really love short stories, both as a reader and a writer; the notion of writing a big frickin' doorstop novel that I wouldn't want to read in the first place has always been a hurdle. I can see the potential in KU as a market for shorter-form work. I realize it's probably still not a path to a living wage, but that's fine with me at this stage.
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Dec 29, 2014 21:47
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I just got offered the production of a few short non-fiction audiobooks on ACX, my first offers ever. It's almost certainly because nobody else ever offered on these products, but it makes me feel a little bit nice anyway. It's something I wouldn't mind getting into. If anyone in this thread has things up on there let me know I guess.
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Dec 30, 2014 12:54
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PoshAlligator posted:I just got offered the production of a few short non-fiction audiobooks on ACX, my first offers ever. It's almost certainly because nobody else ever offered on these products, but it makes me feel a little bit nice anyway. It's something I wouldn't mind getting into. As the voice actor or as the rights holder?
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Dec 30, 2014 13:08
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EngineerSean posted:As the voice actor or as the rights holder? As in me, I am the voice actor. My own ebook isn't up on there. Not sure how well ACX does really.
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Dec 30, 2014 15:27
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PoshAlligator posted:As in me, I am the voice actor. I wonder the same thing, especially when it comes to my kinda stuff. The inability to set the price means you can't be as active in promotions. The only numbers I've seen for stuff on my genre talk about double digit earnings per year per book. But these were books that looked like poo poo with ranks over a million.
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Dec 30, 2014 20:14
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PoshAlligator posted:As in me, I am the voice actor. As the voice actor, if you can get paid per finished hour, it's fine. The standard rate is $225 per finished hour, though if you're new at it it can be a lot less. I would NOT take the 50/50 split of sales. As Jalum points out, the rights holder has no control over price, promotions, and the people at Audible and Amazon basically use it as promotional material to pimp their service more than anything.
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Dec 30, 2014 21:00
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