Margaret’s Comments (group member since May 28, 2012)

Margaret’s comments from the Q&A with Margaret Sharp.' Long and Short Australian Stories' group.

Thanks, Brenda: it's lovely of you to think of doing this!:)

A big 'Thank you' to Mark for his review of 'Long and Short Australian Stories'! A wonderful demonstration of saying an enormous amount in a few words!
This is the first review of 'Long and Short Australian Stories', so it seems to augur well.:)

Thanks, Jeanette!

Thanks, Brenda!:)

Update: Ron and I have made good progress in re-formatting 'A Taste...'

We expect to be able to re-submit it soon.:)

Mark wrote: "Have just posted on Danske Læsere, "Jeg er lige startet på Long and Short Australian Stories af Margaret Sharp," so who knows? Perhaps you'll get some orders from an unexpected venue. :)"

Thanks, Mark, that's wonderful! We'll keep our fingers crossed!:)

Jeanette wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Thanks, Jeanette! We're on the road....:)

I have to focus on fixing the Kindle edition of 'A Taste of Life and Love in Australia', so writing the seventh book has to be put on hol..."

:)

Lorelei wrote: "You can fix it, Margaret. Good luck!"

Thanks, Lorelei! We're getting there, slowly...:)

Thanks, Jeanette! We're on the road....:)

I have to focus on fixing the Kindle edition of 'A Taste of Life and Love in Australia', so writing the seventh book has to be put on hold.

I'd rather be writing....:)

Thanks, Brenda. We have a job ahead of us; and with Shelleyrae's review coming up this month, we have no time to lose!

I didn't know that, Brenda, but e-books seem our only real option, especially for sales in Australia where the cost and length of time involved in posting physical books all but rules it out.

I don't know what's happened, Brenda. It's beyond me, especially the part about adding to the text.

Ron and I now think that our best chance of a reasonable outcome lies in re-formatting ourselves.

There is another option, but it costs money and is not guaranteed. Based on our current experience, I think we may have better prospects if we do it ourselves, and issue again as a 2nd edition.

I have read and considered CreateSpace's options, and now believe that Ron and I will need to format the book(s) again ourselves, and re-submit to Kindle.

Update: Kindle have sent us a message, saying that they've passed the information on to CreateSpace, and we will be contacted within one to two business days.

Hopefully, we can sort out the problems. Fingers crossed!:)

Thanks, Jeanette!
I wonder if anyone else has had this type of experience...
Hopefully, we'll hear from Amazon by tomorrow morning, Sydney time.

Jeanette wrote: "Margaret wrote: "I have further investigated what has been done to my beautiful book.
The setting out is disgusting. The high standards of literature that I spent years mastering have been thrown o..."

Thank you, Jeanette! Your words are a great comfort to me. I am very upset at what has happened because Ron and I tried so hard to make it right.

I have further investigated what has been done to my beautiful book.
The setting out is disgusting. The high standards of literature that I spent years mastering have been thrown out the window.
The conversation has been jumbled together like a dog's breakfast.
If anyone judged my standard of literature on this example, I would expect to judged a rank amateur.
I cannot believe it!

Mark wrote: "Thanks, Margaret. Perhaps kindle's publishing software has developed some occult, lurking, artificially unintelligent copy-editing gremlin. It really is the strangest thing..."
I agree, Mark! But as they say, truth is stranger than fiction!

I hope you're feeling better, too, Mark.

I'm glad the cover has turned up on 'L. @ S.'

The strange thing about the added copy in 'A Taste...' is that it could be seen as actually belonging, though it ends strangely, and without a full stop.

Has anyone checked the discrepancies between the first sample pages in paperback and Kindle?

I have just checked the sample pages of 'Long and Short Australian Stories' and cannot detect any problems.
The table of contents is actually printed, though the type is not as bold.

I am amazed about the added line at the end of the first story in 'A Taste of Life and Love in Australia'.

Kindle have contacted us to specify the problems.