Theodore’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2017)

Theodore’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

Carmel wrote: "Goodness. What a runaround. I'm glad you got better news, and I hope they follow through sooner rather than later."

Thanks.

Just saw that the delivery is on the truck.

What's a shame is that you have to go to these lengths to get printing service that once was standard under CS operations. But perhaps, once things settle down, normalcy will return. I had a long talk with an agent in RSA a week ago, and he said they are going through a rigorous training process as CS moves to KDP, but in the meantime, delays will crop up.

Theodore wrote: "FYI...based on a recent order for books from KDP (a REGULAR order), you can expect to wait THREE (3) weeks for delivery."

I don't know what happened--earlier today I sent a scathing note to Amazon in response to their e-mail following up on my call to their agent this morning (though I complemented the agent)--but I just got an e-mail stating not only would the proof copies of my children's books be delivered by 8 pm tomorrow, but also, some other books I ordered, originally scheduled for delivery by the end of the month, also would be included in the same shipment. Both shipments are to arrive via Amazon courier (their local distribution warehouse is located 2 miles from my home in rural PA).

Ted

PS I may have to cut them some slack...one look at the WX map will tell you things could be a mess overnight in this area (just south of the Delaware River, near where Washington crossed the river to surprise the Hessians on Christmas) because of a major snow storm. T

FYI...based on a recent order for books from KDP (a REGULAR order), you can expect to wait THREE (3) weeks for delivery.

If you're publishing with KDP, prepare yourself for poor turnaround on proof orders.

Proofs I ordered last Wednesday now are not scheduled to be delivered until next Tuesday. So, I called KDP this morning and asked if they might not yet have been printed. The agent couldn't tell me. So, I attempted to cancel the order. No go! (As I recall, CS proofs were turned around in a day, two at most.)

I also noticed the back covers of the last KDP proof order appeared to be out of registration. Because I was going to change the interior, I didn't raise a stink. But, it appeared a new print factory did the job (at least they came from a location I'd never seen before). Just something else to watch out for.

The switch from CS to KDP sure hasn't provided benefits to authors, that's for sure. What else is new?!

Carole wrote: "Check out the terrific interview Esther put on her blog. Please like and share.

https://estherrabbit.com/carole-p-rom..."

Absolutely wonderful interview, Carole!!! Well done.

Carmel wrote: "I wish you well, Ted. I hope the new direction pays off for you. Let us know."

Thanks, Carmel.

Anna Faversham wrote: "All the best for this expansion, Ted. There may come a time when I need to do this too."

Thanks, Anna.

Stephanie wrote: "Do you find that your female pseudonym sells more books?"

Not necessarily...she only writes YA and some flash fiction, neither of which are "best sellers." Now, if she wrote romance novels, she probably would garner a larger audience. I created her for YA books, initially, intuiting readers of that genre probably would be young women.

After years of limiting my eBooks' distribution to Kindle Direct Publishing’s (KDP), and bowing to the requests of my followers, I will, this month, begin shifting distribution as well to Barnes & Noble (B&N) and Kobo.

Below is the schedule of releases for my novels as well as my flash fiction anthologies and illustrated children’s storybooks. Know that the English version of Pepe Builds a Nest as well as my two short story anthologies, The Road Less Taken, Books 1 and 2, already are available through these two additional booksellers.

Release dates for my other eBooks follow, in chronological order:
Pepe Builds a Nest, Spanish edition; January 13
Pepe Builds a Nest, French edition; January 13
Rufus Finds a Home, French edition; January 14
Eighth Circle, Det. Louis Martelli mystery/thriller, January 18
Lilith, Det. Louis Martelli mystery/thriller, January 23
Night Shadows, Det. Louis Martelli mystery/thriller, January 23
House of Cards, Det. Louis Martelli mystery/thriller, January 23
Wheel of Fortune, Det. Louis Martelli mystery/thriller, January 25
Fuzzy Wuzzy, January 30

Finally, Alyssa Devine’s The Hypnotist will be available on B&N and Kobo in eBook format beginning on March 2.

As always, thank you for your continued support! And don’t forget to check out our large library of audiobooks on Amazon’s Audible platform!

Ted (aka Alyssa Devine)

BTW, I ordered proofs from KDP on Friday, and they are scheduled for delivery today. Unbelievable. (I'm in the US.)

PS Being five minutes (!) from the Amazon delivery truck dispatch center (in rural PA) doesn't hurt, either! T

Alex wrote: "I'm back working on the action thriller I put aside back in October/November and I am feeling much happier about it now.

I went back to the beginning and looked at it with fresh eyes, and I am now..."

What a great way to start the New Year, Alex! Bravo!

Anna Faversham wrote: "You have me laughing when I should be crying.

On a serious note, I really, really - nope, I'd better shut up."

And then we have our current insane situation in the US...and here, I'll exit, stage left, as well, make some popcorn, and take my seat in the peanut gallery.

And then you have the State of New York, on this side of the Pond, where 10% of elected officials either are in jail or are indicted!

Anita wrote: "That's true. Proof is stamped across the cover."

Damn! That's not good!

The one thing I don't think I'm going to like about the KDP proof copies (if I'm correct) is that they print PROOF across the covers. CS printed Proof Copy inside, on the last page of a book.

Am I correct. Can someone confirm this?

Anna Faversham wrote: "Huge learning curve, this publishing thing. And I do it all myself!!! Can't work my iPhone very well though... hangs head in shame therefore my children think I am a numpty."

If it's any consolation, Anna, I don't use a cell phone except on the road, as needed. Had access to the Public Switched Telephone Network from my car as early as 1973, and once I retired, I threw my cell phone into the console (charged), gave the new number only to one person, and use the damn thing only in emergencies.

Carole wrote: "Thanks, Ted."

Old dog learning new tricks LOL

I'm in the process of creating another foreign-language edition for one of my children's books, but this time, of course, the publisher will be KDP vice CS . . . which means an entirely different publishing process must be learned and used. Among other things, the document submitted, in my case, was in Word, which caused a few issues never encountered before with pdf docs that threw me for a loop until I figured out what was happening (my text was centered on the page, but if I inserted a hard page break at the end of a line, the preceding text appeared left-justified in the KDP published version). Easily fixed, but still, unexpected . . . and certainly not encountered before with pdf docs.

Another change was the rapid review process using KDP . . . if . . . IF you are patient and do NOT . . . I say again . . . DO NOT . . . click on the previewer until the review process has been completed. It will move along very quickly, BUT if you click on the previewer before it is completed, it will slow the process to a crawl, and you may find yourself waiting up to 20 minutes or more for something that should take only a few minutes.

As to ordering proofs, you will be asked to select the number you want (up to 5) and from what country you want them ordered. Then, you must wait up to four (4) hours until you receive an e-mail that will provide you with a link that can be used to check out your purchase. Below are the instructions:

Here are the steps on how to order a proof copy of your book:

1. Sign in to http://kdp.amazon.com.
2. Go to your Bookshelf and find the paperback for which you would like to order a proof.
3. If your paperback is in "Draft" status and you've previewed and approved your file, the option to request a proof will be enabled in the ellipsis ("...") menu. You don't need to approve to submit your book for publication. However, if your book doesn't meet our quality standards, you'll need to edit your files and resubmit them.
4. Click "Request Proof Copies."
5. Select the order quantity. You can order up to 5 proof copies at a time.
6. Select the Amazon marketplace closest to your shipping destination. The cost will then be displayed. This cost doesn't include shipping and applicable taxes.
7. Click "Submit Proof Request."
8. Within 4 hours of submitting your request, you'll receive an email with a link to complete your proof order. You must complete your purchase within 24 hours of receiving this email.
9. Once you receive the email and click on the link to complete your order, you’ll be redirected to the Amazon Shopping Cart. You can use your existing payment information and delivery addresses or add new addresses to send proof copies to reviewers.

For more information about proof orders and shipping, visit our Help page:

https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/G20...

I'm sure other issues will arise from time to time. Know, however, that the CS agents in RSA and Costa Rica are transferring over to KDP and can be reached by telephone to help you. It may take a little longer right now because not all have been trained in KDP procedures, but to reach a real human being, seven days a week (I believe the hours are 4 am to 10 pm, PST), go to KDP, Help, Contact Us, Getting Started, Publishing a Book, and then, select e-mail or phone.

Hope this helps.

Ted

Dale wrote: "I haven't bothered asking for votes for quite some time, but this is a low-vote week for everyone so I have a shot at winning if I get just a couple more. If you could, before 8:00 PM EST tonight (..."

There you go!

Theodore wrote: "On another topic related to moving from CreateSpace to KDP, for those of you who've had a book in-process on CreateSpace but NOT yet published it, even if you've already received proof copies of yo..."

I just determined why one book's transfer from CS to Kindle appeared to have been screwed up, with the result that the paperback went missing.

A book in development for publication next year (2019) was submitted only to CS...that is, it existed ONLY in paperback format. NO Kindle edition existed.

So, apparently, when the transfer was made, the paperback edition was taken in as the Kindle edition, which required submission of a new paperback edition under KDL's auspices.

Not sure how that impacts on the ISBN assigned by CS; the new paperback now carries a KDL ISBN.

Whatever. At least the mystery of the missing paperback edition has been solved.