We’ve had articles about each of these three kinds of readers, the purpose of each, and where they fit in the overall book creation process. But we’ve seen some confusion among our readers and some thought a discussion comparing and contrasting all three in one place might be useful. Continue reading “The Difference Between Alpha, Beta, and ARC Readers”
Category: Staff Articles
Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.
Amazon’s New Pre-Order Policies Give Authors More Flexibility
Amazon recently made some changes to their pre-order process that give authors more flexibility.
Back in 2014, in what was considered a great leap forward for self-published authors, Amazon provided the ability to offer books for pre-order. Previously, only big publishers had that option on Amazon. While this was a great move, the pre-order process on Amazon had some strict requirements. Book files had to be uploaded ten days prior to the book’s on-sale date, and if you missed the deadline (either because you failed to finish the book or because you simply forgot to check the box saying it was the final copy of your book), Amazon canceled your pre-order and you were banned from doing preorders for an entire year. Continue reading “Amazon’s New Pre-Order Policies Give Authors More Flexibility”
From the Mail Room: LCCNs for New Editions
A reader sent in this question:
I am leaving my publisher and going indie with my debut book. I’ve a new ISBN and imprint. Can I use the same LCCN number?
Here’s the answer from our awesome team of authors:
Your current LCCN number will stay with your publisher’s edition, even if it is out-of-print. That means it’ll be cataloged in the LOC (Library of Congress) under your old publisher, and if it’s out of print, that’s not going to help you with libraries, stores, etc. With a change of publisher (including you as the publisher), you will need a new LCCN. Just remember, you can only get an LCCN prior to a book’s publication – and if it’s a new edition (2nd, 3rd, etc.), you can apply for a LCCN.
Here is a link you may find helpful: https://www.loc.gov/publish/cip/techinfo/reprinteditions.html
Have a question? Email us.
Holiday Bleg
As we near the end of another year we find ourselves in the throes of the holiday season. Of course, everyone has a lot to do to prepare. After all, dear old Aunt Trudy couldn’t possibly find one of those precious porcelain pigs with her dubious internet skills.
Soon you’ll be either traveling or preparing to receive guests. That means moving all the boxes of stuff you meant to take to Goodwill someday from the guest room to the garage. Or it could mean buying new luggage because your old luggage is somewhere behind a mountain of boxes of stuff you meant to take to Goodwill someday.
And what about those holiday recipes you’ve been meaning to try out? Yes, you’ll need some kind of butter they don’t sell at a regular grocery store and several fruits with unpronounceable names that look like parasites that might fall off an alien.
This all happens in company with your regular work and household chores. You still have to fill your space in the cubicle farm as well as milk the chickens and slop the kids.
It can all be overwhelming. We understand everyone is a little preoccupied right now. It’s easy to forget about your good old buddies here at Indies Unlimited. You know, the site you go to for FREE helpful tips, publishing and marketing insights, nifty tutorials, honing your flash-fiction chops, and to post your free or discount books for others to see?
If you have found our site useful – if we’ve brought you a laugh or an idea or a useful tidbit – we’d appreciate it if you’d think about chucking a couple of bucks in the old PayPal tip jar over in the right sidebar. Easy-peasy. No browsing through pages of content to find the one porcelain pig we don’t have. No cleaning out the guest room.
Thanks in advance. We now return you to your regular programming. Happy holidays to everyone.