...and they said KDP Select wasn't worth it!

When I first posted the book on Kindle, I had a lot of questions on the process and visited the Community Pages for answers.  What I learned was that people thought KDP Select was a complete sham.  Posts said it wasn't worth it, it was waste of time, etc.  It made me quite skeptical of the program.  But, I never let others dictate what my overall goals are...

I signed up.  For 90 days, it will be completely free to Kindle Owners (I originally thought it was just prime...) and I will receive 5 days of promotion on the site.  Now, I am not sure where that promotion is or how it is being pushed to Kindle people, but 47 people have taken advantage of the text in the past three days.  That is a lot of people checking this thing out!  AND, CreateSpace has the option up for purchasing a hard copy...But why is it not on the same link.  Need to check that out...

I find this information helpful because before the KDP Select do-hickey I had no idea if anyone was even coming across the text.  Amazon will show you the purchases (obviously), but not the views.  Although I am not making money, the positive part is simply knowing people are taking a look at what I have put out there.  This has really motivated me to keep outreaching.

I definitely think a new book description is in order.  I am going to rewrite that portion and see if that drives sales.  Although Prime is not making me a profit right now, it has given me a great boost in my confidence.

KDP Select - Why not...

So, CreateSpace has encouraged me to enroll my book on KDP Select.  This is Amazon's doodad.  I suspect the goal is to encourage Kindle purchasing?  I am not sure what the end result will be.  What I am hoping for is that readers will post comments so I can get a sense of how people react to the text.  See if they highlight any issues, concerns, or (better yet) praises.  

KDP Select also permits 5 free days of advertising.  I went ahead and took advantage of that.  I am sure I wouldn't forget to do it later, but why not start it ASAP.  Again, simply hoping for a little buzz.  

Ordered 12 Copies!

I have the great fortune of having parents who own their own store.  They have graciously offered to put the book front and center on their front counter.  Today, I took the plunge and ordered 12 copies off www.createspace.com and I am having them shipped to them.  I hope with a little encouragement from my folks people will actually buy the book!  That would be novel.

Since publishing the book and informing friends and family, I have sold a whopping 5 copies.  I am thinking that my description of the book is not totally clear.  I believe improving the way the piece is marketed would be better.  I am going to think outside of the box on this.  Maybe write the description from the perspective of a "marketer" and not the "author".    

So each book was around $2.15 + shipping and handling.  My investment thus far is around $45.  I am also going to investigate filing for a business license.  My hopes are that I will be able to deduct costs from publishing off my personal income taxes.  If this thing sells, I will have to pay business taxes anyway!  Might as well get that paperwork going.  Plus, there are some pretty pricey additions to this whole marketing portion.  Here is where I think some bigger checks are going to be written:

Printing press release with full color
Printing invoice slips for mailing
Stamps
Full color flyers
Purchasing a list of businesses in the state

My thought is to target parishes one-by-one.  I could avoid purchasing and simply identify businesses online and drop a press release in the mail.  I will continue to keep you posted on these developments.  Happy publishing!  

Camille
http://amzn.com/B008A0UVPG

Espresso Book Machine - Holy Moly, That is Cool (...to me)

In the little research I have done regarding printing hard-copies of our self-published works, I discovered the Espresso Book Machine.  This is by far the coolest invention I have seen in a long time. 

The genius of the machine is that it can print a text on-demand at any location where it resides.  Say it is at a library and you want to own the book, bam!  There is your book.  Say you want to order 100 copies of your text, bam!  It will simply print away.  

Below is a short video on how the contraption works.  For the location of an EBM near you, visit: http://ondemandbooks.com/ebm_locations.php

Video of Proof from CreateSpace

I thought it might help others to see what I received in the mail.  This is the actual book and the way it will look when ordered.  You receive an ISBN number that is through Amazon.  I believe this was free, but there is another option of letting them purchase a universal one for you for a fee.  I went with the Amazon one since I really want it at their location and I can always purchase a universal ISBN number at a later time and have those printed on a sticker and slapped on the back, if necessary - I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

As for the copyright, I decided against wasting space at the Library of Congress.  Yes, To Kill a Mockingbird should be filed at the Library of Congress, but this?  Again, I will cross that road if I get to it.

Here is a little video of the book I received:

Time to Light a Real Fire

I must say, writing this book came so easily compared to the process of actually selling it.  When you are writing, you are in your own cocoon.  You struggle with returning to mundane writing tasks, but it is an overall pleasurable experience.  You read and reread.  You edit and reedit.  By the time it comes to print, you are ready to shelve it.

Here comes the hard part (and I now see why many don't go this route), marketing.  I have to write a press release and then find bookstores or other retail locations to sell the book.  Unlike email, stamps cost money.  Even a list of stores who may be interested in carrying it is going to cost me money.  I could develop something and simply go door-to-door, but, honestly, do the owners of stores really work there?  Isn't that what employees are for?

I am SERIOUSLY considering printing several copies and just paying to participate at local markets.  Simply sell the product directly to the customers.  My other thought is to get one of those cigarette girl contraptions and just walk the markets.  Is that legal?

So, here is where the numbers come in and the publishing houses.  They have the moolah and the staff to make these things happens.  Writers who are fortunate to be chosen into their castles really do just sit back and watch the small (or large) checks roll in.

I never even shopped this text around to area publishers.  I figured I would prefer to receive the majority of the royalties.  That said, I am starting to see how receiving 6% on profits can be WAY easier.

Seriously, I need to light a fire under my toosh and get the word out about the texts availability.  If I don't, it will languish out there like a toad on a log.  Means nothing, just exists.

Trulia Article on Couples and House Buying

This sounds like an interesting article for a couple who are home buying.  

It is called, "5 To Do’s When You and Your Mate Want Different Things in a Home."  

Trolling KDP.Amazon Community Discussion Boards

There is some great information in here!  I love this community of self-publishers having a virtual discourse.  Just learned about another e-book platform:

http://www.smashwords.com/

Something to check out...

Requesting a Softcopy Before Uploading Recommended

Regrets, I have a few.  One of the major ones would be uploading my book to Amazon and telling ALL my friends prior to seeing it in printed form.  I just finished re-reviewing the softcopy...Hand to face, embarrassing.  

First off, when I uploaded it to Amazon, I was so happy it was over.  It was just out there and I thought I had crossed a major milestone.  I obviously sold five copies to family and friends.  Very cool.  Thank you for the donations.

Then, I went to CreateSpace.  There, they recommended I receive a softcopy to proof.  Oh, boy.  There were missing verbs!  Little, tee-tiny errors, but errors nonetheless.  

Since then, I have fixed them all up (at least the ones I can spot) and I am republishing.  This will bring the book "down" on the Amazon site while it reviews, but I would rather have it in perfect form then in poor form.  It is just a shame that some of my closest friends may have seen the errors.

It is not the end of the world though.  The one bright light?  I was able to walk away from the project and return with fresh eyes.  That helped immensely.  The errors were always there, I was just in too much of a rush to notice them.

Words of advice from moi?  Walk away from something.  Give yourself a day or a week or even a month to process it all.  AND ORDER THE SOFTCOPY!  So worth the 5 bucks.

Softcover Book Arrived Early!

CreateSpace sent my softcover book a little early.  It truly felt like Christmas.  Essentially, the site recommended I receive a hardcopy to proof prior to offering it to the public.  I am so glad they did.  Having the opportunity to see it in black & white (with full-color cover) was ah-mazing.

The errors!  They were so blatant.  Paragraphs needed to be made.  Exclamation points needed to be deleted.  There are still problems, but having this clean-up time was obviously necessary.  It only makes me cringe when I think people purchased it with those mistooks.  C'est la vie.

After cleaning it up a bit, I am going to reload on Amazon and then order a few copies.  I am thinking a press release is necessary and figuring out who to market it to locally.  Hmmm.  This should be an interesting challenge...