Long slow slog getting a book published
You would think that a simple little book about selling books on Amazon would not have many problems, unfortunately it has, some of it from the publisher, some of it from Amazon. The idea of selling books on Amazon is nothing new, there are five books that are still in print that all detail how to sell books on Amazon, plus the thousands of blog entries on hundreds of blogs that discuss selling books on Amazon. I thought I was in safe territory on this one, but apparently not.
The idea of the book was to show the positive side of selling books on Amazon, as for some it is a primary income, for others it is a hobby that covers the cost of them buying books, reading them, and then reselling them as used on Amazon. The long slow slog started with the final 45,000 word book being ready to print with Book Surge, and finding a number of errors that really needed correction. It took weeks to get that done, to the asking me to take down the web site “sellingbooksonamazon.net” because customers could be confused, brand dilution, and the idea that as an Amazon associate, well can’t really be doing that. Moreover, they are right, as an Amazon associate on a completely different blog, one where I want to do book reviews and tie them into Amazon products. So goes all the associate links on all my web sites, and a shutdown of that account, just so I can get a book published.
The “selling books on Amazon” web site is a marketing blog towards selling the book that is now in near permanent hiatus while I wait on Amazon to decide if the book is ok, trademark, brand dilution, does it reflect the company well, ect. I am ok with all of that, but running head long into the whole copyright, trademark thing with a little 140 page book really surprises me.
As a blogger I write what I want to write, I do not worry about linking to sources, I use screen caps from people’s web sites, I use their logo, all to tell a story. As a book writer, the problems get more problematic, and as a self-publisher, it can become major barriers to getting something printed. The book is amazingly positive of Amazon, but what I am worried about is that they are going to come along and say no. Meaning I get to rewrite the book to pull everything that even mentions Amazon out of the story.
See the thing that makes the whole book compelling is that I use real examples from the Amazon site, from bad feedback and learning how to handle angry customers before someone gets there. To walking through the screens (although all the pictures are out, I walk people through in text), to how to grade a book, to some quirks in the Amazon system when it comes to page rank that you as a seller can use to place your books in the Amazon system better.
In all a simple little here is my experience, it rocked, I enjoyed it, and I want others to share the good news. Looking like it is going to get held up at this point, while the marketing, public relations department at Amazon decides if the book can be published in its current form or not. I’ll publish a book, but it makes me wonder about the other book I am writing about the boom and bust in the blogosphere, I cross link heavily just like I would in a blog, pulling no direct quotes, but heavily foot noted, and totally factual based on what is out there about the story.
While blogs are one thing, books seem to be something altogether different, we make money off of blogs, we make money off of books, and I am failing to see the distinction between advertising income and royalty income, it is all just income. Lets pray that the Amazon Gods will like the book, and let it move forward, and I won’t face a major 20,000 word rewrite stripping things out of the book that make it compelling, or trying to revise one compelling statement into another type of compelling statement. Over all I love my experience with Amazon for the last 10 years, lets pray that they like the book, as I love Amazon.
Tags: selling, books, Amazon, book publishing, book surge, trademark, copyright, concerns, experience, sales, used book, used books
Awesome post. First off best of luck with your book and don’t hold your breathe that Amazon will come around - they won’t.
I have been writing my novel for almost 2 years now and have been editing/shopping for a way to bring it to life.
This is a great heads up to the buracricity out there and I will be looking forward to your book (unless you want to shoot me a pre-release copy
)
And Amazon if your listening I didn’t mean to say bad things about you - don’t pull my affiliate account!
I will totally send you a copy of the book, that is if it gets off the ground, email me with your address, and you are on.