Please Read

If you'd like an account, please email accounts at this domain name  to ask for one. Include your email address and an explanation of why you want an account.

this is just a formality, to weed out spammers.

Navigation
User login

PostHeaderIconKindle version submitted

Today's job was creating and submitting the Kindle edition of The Eighth Succession.

This is actually a fairly straightforward process, albeit one with a lot of back-and-forth.

Unfortunately, I don't have any tools for editing a Kindle-format book directly (I don't even know if they exist). So the process goes like this:

  1. Edit in Pages on my MacBook Pro.
  2. Convert to epub format with Pages.
  3. Convert epub to Kindle format with Amazon's kindlegen app.
  4. Open in Kindle for Mac and inspect for problems.
  5. Open in Pages and correct the problems.
  6. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Most of the problems are relatively minor ones involving spacing, page breaks, and tabs.

Eventually I got all the problems cleaned up. I also created a new version of the front cover -- the book cover is a little dark for online use, so I lightened it up using the indispensable Graphic Converter app. This will serve as the cover of the Kindle version.

After that it was a matter of logging onto my Kindle account, answering all the questions, setting prices, and uploading my files.

Pricing

I set the US price at $2.99. Have you ever wondered why so many Kindle books are $2.99? No, it's not collusion between publishers.

Amazon has two levels of royalties for Kindle books. Books priced at less than $2.99 earn a 35% royalty, while those priced at $2.99 or above can earn 70%. At $2.99, it's the difference between earning $1.04 and $2.06. And small publishers aren't stupid.

(Incidentally, for non-US sales there are two pricing options: convert the US price, or use a set price in the local currency. For Canadian and UK markets, which are the bulk of my foreign sales, I set the price at $2.99 (Canadian) and £1.99 (UK). For all other markets, I use converted prices. So if you've after a (slight) bargain on my Kindle books, move to Canada.

A Secret

The official publication date of The Eighth Succession isn't until September 1, and the street date comes after our launch party at Balticon. However, when poking around today, I noticed that Amazon hasn't really paid any attention -- right at this moment, The Eighth Succession print verison is available at this link. I don't know if this will last, but for now, if you want to get a jump on everyone, you can order a copy.

(Just don't tell anybody official, okay?)

.

Have you read?
The Book That Predicted Google Glass
The final battle of the Empress
Clone paranormal geniuses against the galactic empire
Two Tales of the Scattered Worlds
Visit a world in which scent and taste are as important as vision and hearing
Opening a new chapter in the Scattered Worlds Mosaic
How would intelligent, long-lived trees judge the Human race?
Classic gay teenage romance
The Fey vs the Galactic Empire
A Datebook Like No Other
Carmen Miranda's Ghost is Haunting Space Station Three
Lucky's Life is Turning Around
An anthology in celebration of queer speculative fiction.
An anthology celebrating queer speculative fiction.
The PsiScouts: X-Men meet Buck Rogers
collection of sf & fantasy stories, essay, and poetry by Maryland-area writers
A Scattered Worlds Omnibus
a Scattered Worlds omnibus
Psi-gifted teens tackle theocracy & a threat to history itself
A collection of sf/fantasy diversions
Search
Eras