Business of Writing

Moving from CreateSpace to KDP Print

August 31, 2018August 30, 2018Business of Writing, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Always leery of more work, I’d put off moving my print books from CreateSpace to KDP Print. With about 20 titles to transfer (the rest were trad-pubbed), I was concerned that it would be a long, problem-riddled process.

There were originally other concerns, too. I was used to buying cheap author copies on CreateSpace and for a while, there was not an avenue to buy those copies on KDP Print. That changed as of November 2017.

A full list of differences between CreateSpace and KDP Print can be found on Amazon here.

But I changed my mind about not making the move when I received an email Tuesday from Amazon, stating:

In a few weeks, we’ll start automatically moving your CreateSpace books to KDP. Your books will remain available for sale throughout the move and you’ll continue to earn royalties. Once we begin this process you’ll be unable to edit existing titles or create new titles on CreateSpace.

If you have a release planned soon or you would like to start the move yourself, we are making updates that will allow you to move your entire catalog in just a few steps. During this transition, you can contact KDP customer support by email and access phone support in English.

I decided to stop putting it off and make the move myself. If there were going to be issues, better to go on and address them now and before we all started having issues at once. And I have a fair number of titles.

Here’s what I found: Continue reading

Keeping Your Reviews After Rights Revert to You

August 20, 2018August 19, 2018Business of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve written on rights reversion a couple of times and each time I’ve received emails from traditionally published authors concerned about one aspect or another relating to the process.

The biggest concern appears to be keeping those hard-earned reviews after a rights reversion.

ISBNs do need to be changed in some circumstances, most notably when the content of the book is changed. These changes are due to significant alteration of the book’s content, not fixing typos, etc.

But ISBNs do not need to be changed when changing a book’s cover, for example. Or when changing publishers. With no change, those reviews are not in any danger.

This is fresh on my mind because I’ve just recently received the long-awaited ebook rights to the first Myrtle Clover book from Midnight Ink (as of July 1).

Here is US ISBN agency Bowker on changing ISBNs: Continue reading

Update on Translations

August 13, 2018August 12, 2018Business of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Thought I’d provide a somewhat belated update as to the translation platforms I’ve been working with alongside my Spanish translator, Freddy Moyano.

As you may remember (and here’s a link if you don’t remember), I wasn’t exactly pleased by my experience working on the most well-known royalty sharing translation platform, Babelcube. I found the customer service slow and didn’t like the fact that the contract was a bit constricting. Freddy and I wanted to have a translated book in audio format but the terms of the Babelcube contract precluded that. Also, I thought the distribution was a little too limited. I’m still at Babelcube though, because my other translators did not feel they could leave the platform.

Freddy and I started a new project…easy-reader versions of my Myrtle books for English speakers interested in learning Spanish. This time we decided to try something else. Here are my thoughts on BundleRabbit and TekTime (known in Italy as Traduzione Libri): Continue reading

Using CafePress for Book Merchandise

August 6, 2018August 5, 2018Business of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Writers are frequently advised to ‘go wide’ with their books. It’s advice that I’ve followed: my books are in about every known format (paperback, hardcover, translations, digital, audio) and with as many distributors reaching every market that I possibly can.

Another way to make more income with your books is to offer something for your biggest fans (or for the family members of these readers who want to buy gifts for them). CafePress is an easy way to set up a store for book or series merchandise.

First set up your profile on the site, including your bio, picture, your payment details, notification preferences, etc.Continue reading

3 Hacks to Publish Your Book on a Shoestring Budget

August 3, 2018August 2, 2018Business of Writing, Uncategorized

by Emmanuel Nataf, @EmmanuelNataf

81% of Americans want to write a book in their lifetimes. However, a much smaller percentage actually goes on to publish a book. So what’s stopping them? You’ll hear that it usually comes down to two familiar resources:

Time
Cash

Time is the factor that everyone already talks about. But what about that second obstacle: money? The problem is that publishing a book can be expensive. Traditional publishers spend a ton of money to edit, design, market, and promote books. If you’re self-publishing, you’d need to take on those responsibilities yourself — which means that you’d need to take the cash straight out of your own pocket.

Luckily, there is a way to publish a book on a shoestring budget. Here are my three favorite tips for the self-publishers who want to get your book out there and save money at the same time.

Take advantage of book review blogs

When you see a book that’s got a summary that interests you, what do you do next?

Chances are, you’ll scroll down to read the reviews. Then you’ll decide to buy a book based on the number of four- and five-stars you see.

That’s why reviews are so important — and the good news is that you don’t necessarily need to pay for one these days because book review bloggers exist on the Internet.

Who exactly are they? It’s all in the name: they’re bloggers who read and review books — for fun! It’s a win-win for both parties: these bloggers get to read more books, while you get a free book review under your belt. You might need to spend some time researching the right book review blogs for you, but in general it’s a clear (and free) opportunity for you to gain the reviews that your book will badly need.Continue reading