At the risk of being boring …. ah, well, I’ll take the chance. I’d like to share a couple of final thoughts on the whole re-release process for Disappearing in Plain Sight.
Reviews from the previous edition ….
I am pleased to report that all the wonderful four and five star reviews Disappearing in Plain Sight has received over the last two years have tagged along to the new edition and this has happened on all Amazon sites. The trick is to keep the exact title and author. As well, one must make no significant changes to the body of the work. I had worried that adding Crater Lake Series – Book One to the title might equal change but it didn’t. I was able to change publication date, ISBN and the publisher and still keep my precious reviews.
Like most things – the process was less painful than I anticipated ….
- The assisted self-publisher threw up no roadblocks when it came to letting me go.
- Preparing the final Word document/manuscript of Disappearing in Plain Sight for my e-formatter amounted to more than a few hours of work but I have some experience with what is required after having gone twice through the drill.
- Obtaining an ISBN in Canada is easy and free.
- When one has properly formatted mobi and ePub files, a cover than meets specifications and all other relevant information (ISBN, publisher name, book blurb, categories, tags, price) – putting the book up for sale on most sites is very quick.
Advantages of re-gaining control of the first book in the Crater Lake Series … Huge!
- I was able to make it clear that Disappearing in Plain Sight is the first book of a series.
- I included a sneak-peak preview of Chapter One of The Light Never Lies at the end of the e-book to push sales further down the line of the series.
- I can now track sales hourly (if I was so crazy as to try!) on all books rather than having to wait a month after any sale to see how Disappearing in Plain Sight was doing.
- I can set the price and I can change it if I so desire.
- When the Crater Lake Series is complete, I will have the option to release all the books as a boxed set. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without control of the first book in the series.
- My royalty is fifty cents more per e-book sale. That is significant on a product that sells for $3.99.
Work left to do ….
I am currently formatting for the softcover edition through CreateSpace. This is a time consuming task and I take it a bit at a time. We must redesign the cover to include the Huckleberry Haven Publishing logo and to indicate the book is part of the Crater Lake Series. I’m awaiting final approval to be entered into Smashwords Premium Catalogue which will mean the new edition of Disappearing in Plain Sight will be available for Nook readers and through the iTunes Store. A similar process is ongoing for entry into the Kobo Store. I’m slowly but surely rooting out non-working links to the old distribution channels on all social media sites and replacing them with the new links.
Final Word ….
Take the plunge. If you went the assisted self-publisher route and now feel the need to regain control – go for it. Hopefully, you’ll feel as I do at the end of the process – glad. And if you’re wavering about going it on your own or using an assisted self-publisher, I say take the leap over the cliff on your own. That way you won’t have to back track later.
disappearinginplainsight 
Hi Fran. Your journey has been amazing and your work tireless. I feel as if I would just follow your advice if I ever decide to self publish. I am ready to send some queries out on my book ‘Open to the Skies’ a.k.a. ‘Saving the Landing Church’. I am on ninth draft and did a read and edit after nine months of staying away from it. And I am ready to take the plunge. When I have been rejected a lot, I’ll probably come crying to your door (just kidding). Jane
So many best wishes and congrats on your readiness to take the plunge 🙂 Letting our work out into the world, however and whenever we do it, is always huge. And you can come around to my door anytime – LOL – laughing or crying, though I bet we will not be needing the box of Kleenex.
I’m really glad it’s worked out so well for you, Fran. This whole self-publishing process is a constant learning curve, however long we’ve been doing it – sometimes it feels as if things are changing faster than we can learn them! – but it’s great to gain confidence and spread your wings as you go along. As you know, I loved both your Crater Lake books and I’m really glad to gather that there are more to come. Good luck with your new editions and I wish you all the success that you truly deserve.
Thanks so much for the support, Deb. The process definitely increased my confidence. Things do certainly seem to change at a whirlwind pace. All we can do is learn from one another and keep looking for the way of doing things that suits.
I’m pleased it’s working out Fran. On CreateSpace I finally got someone to do it for me, it was driving me bonkers 🙂
Thanks, Roy. We all come at this self-publishing thing with such diverse skills. We’re fortunate when we can find people to fill in the gaps without having to give away a first born. I can manage CreateSpace but won’t even try e-formatting, though my son assures me it is the easier of the two. Only so many hours in the day to learn new stuff and those learning curves get steeper as we age.
Congratulations on a job well done. I’m a great proponent of taking control of all aspects of the Indie Author life. Endless possibilities lie before you. And go Canada for offering up free ISBNs.