17,500 readers with a corrupted ebook file–learn from what I did wrong
The correct Kindle version of BLUFF is now available! If you purchased the corrupt file, please go into your Manage My Kindle and press Update. That should give you the new version. If not, email Amazon and tell them about the problem. OR, wait until tomorrow when I will once again offer a free giveaway of the book and download the new version for free.
Panic is not my go to emotion. Well, I didn’t think so. Having grown up in the chaos of a very large, boundary-less family, I’ve worked really hard on developing intrinsic strength in times of crisis and calamity.
Or so I thought… Until yesterday, that is, when I found out that the Kindle version of my debut novel, which had been available free as part of a three-day giveaway, was unreadable. Yes. Unreadable. Not just problems with formatting, but completely unreadable.
It was an offhand phone call to my sister that set the nightmare in motion. Her best friend picked up the phone instead and after a few minutes of happy chit chat, I asked her if she had read BLUFF yet. I then heard the words that shot through me like a Medusa stare. “I downloaded it but there’s something really off with the formatting. I can’t read it at all,” she said. My heart turned to stone and my stomach launched out of my body into the chasm of panic.
I rushed to my computer and checked my Amazon reviews. Yep. There they were. Two reviews tanking the Kindle version of the novel that readers had downloaded free, saying they couldn’t read it. In sheer reactive mode, I stopped the free giveaway and checked my numbers on KDP Select. 17,500 people had downloaded the corrupted version of my book. I don’t have heart problems, but I swear I started to feel pressure in my chest.
Immediately I put out an all-points alert to my marketing consultant, Pavarti, who works under the umbrella of Novel Publicity. As we narrowed through what exactly happened, it became abundantly clear that the formatting for the Kindle version, which I did myself, was the wrong one. You can’t upload a PDF version of your book and expect it to be readable.
Because of my budget, I tried to cut corners. As a novice, despite advice from the professionals, I thought I knew better. Well, I didn’t. I also didn’t know so many readers would download my book. But I barely enjoyed this victory, because of the pickle I was in. Thanks to a recommendation from my marketing friend, I contacted a professional (Rik Hall, he’s great) and he converted the file to the necessary formats. He even uploaded it for me, since I know had developed some serious cold feet about even doing the most menial of tasks online. Panic has a way of doing that to someone. I had forgotten.
But uploading a revised file of a book on KDP doesn’t mean the problem is fixed. I had to first unpublish the book to stop the bleeding, which meant no one else would have to suffer through the horrors of trying to decipher what truly looked like a novel in broken English. Or something generated by a computer that you might see in your spam file.
With the blood draining from my face, leaving me tingly and feeling faint, I started posting comments to the negative reviews, explaining that anyone who downloaded the free version would be able to get the new version free as well. I would do anything in order to rectify this human error, which was now costing my book review stars.
As I sit here, waiting for the revised, perfectly-formatted Kindle to make it through the proofing process, I am silently kicking myself. I should have listened to the pros, especially because I am a babe in the woods in this self publishing game. I should have spent the money to have my novel professionally converted into the proper ebook formats. What was I thinking?
Thankful beyond belief for my marketing guru and my supportive husband, they are the reason I didn’t have a complete breakdown. I have learned something truly priceless. When trying to navigate your ship in this whole new world, trust those who have the maps.
Order your copy here.
Panic is not my go to emotion. Well, I didn’t think so. Having grown up in the chaos of a very large, boundary-less family, I’ve worked really hard on developing intrinsic strength in times of crisis and calamity.
Or so I thought… Until yesterday, that is, when I found out that the Kindle version of my debut novel, which had been available free as part of a three-day giveaway, was unreadable. Yes. Unreadable. Not just problems with formatting, but completely unreadable.
It was an offhand phone call to my sister that set the nightmare in motion. Her best friend picked up the phone instead and after a few minutes of happy chit chat, I asked her if she had read BLUFF yet. I then heard the words that shot through me like a Medusa stare. “I downloaded it but there’s something really off with the formatting. I can’t read it at all,” she said. My heart turned to stone and my stomach launched out of my body into the chasm of panic.
I rushed to my computer and checked my Amazon reviews. Yep. There they were. Two reviews tanking the Kindle version of the novel that readers had downloaded free, saying they couldn’t read it. In sheer reactive mode, I stopped the free giveaway and checked my numbers on KDP Select. 17,500 people had downloaded the corrupted version of my book. I don’t have heart problems, but I swear I started to feel pressure in my chest.
Immediately I put out an all-points alert to my marketing consultant, Pavarti, who works under the umbrella of Novel Publicity. As we narrowed through what exactly happened, it became abundantly clear that the formatting for the Kindle version, which I did myself, was the wrong one. You can’t upload a PDF version of your book and expect it to be readable.
Because of my budget, I tried to cut corners. As a novice, despite advice from the professionals, I thought I knew better. Well, I didn’t. I also didn’t know so many readers would download my book. But I barely enjoyed this victory, because of the pickle I was in. Thanks to a recommendation from my marketing friend, I contacted a professional (Rik Hall, he’s great) and he converted the file to the necessary formats. He even uploaded it for me, since I know had developed some serious cold feet about even doing the most menial of tasks online. Panic has a way of doing that to someone. I had forgotten.
But uploading a revised file of a book on KDP doesn’t mean the problem is fixed. I had to first unpublish the book to stop the bleeding, which meant no one else would have to suffer through the horrors of trying to decipher what truly looked like a novel in broken English. Or something generated by a computer that you might see in your spam file.
With the blood draining from my face, leaving me tingly and feeling faint, I started posting comments to the negative reviews, explaining that anyone who downloaded the free version would be able to get the new version free as well. I would do anything in order to rectify this human error, which was now costing my book review stars.
As I sit here, waiting for the revised, perfectly-formatted Kindle to make it through the proofing process, I am silently kicking myself. I should have listened to the pros, especially because I am a babe in the woods in this self publishing game. I should have spent the money to have my novel professionally converted into the proper ebook formats. What was I thinking?
Thankful beyond belief for my marketing guru and my supportive husband, they are the reason I didn’t have a complete breakdown. I have learned something truly priceless. When trying to navigate your ship in this whole new world, trust those who have the maps.
Order your copy here.
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