You’ve ordered your author copies, now what? | Book Marketing Tips | Book Launch Checklist
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- Опубліковано 28 кві 2020
- The most exciting part of publishing your book is that moment that you get to actually hold it in your hands! It is a surreal moment. This story, this book, that's only existed in your mind is now a physical book. It is very, very cool! Here are my top tips for you as you order, anticipate, and open your books!
Before you order, know how many you need. And when do you need them by? Shipping options will vary based on the speed you select. With IngramSpark you set both the printing fulfillment speed and the shipping speed. I have ordered my author copies in advance from IngramSpark because they let me do a pre-order on my print books. Also, by the time Amazon KDP started to offer Author copies instead of only the proof option, I had moved to the joint IngramSpark/KDP system. When my third book came out as a print book, I paid full RETAIL PRICE to have a large box sent my way back in 2017. NOT COOL. Super glad they have the author copy option now. If you only have your print book with KDP you need to be VERY careful about whether you are ordering a proof copy or an author copy. A proof copy you should only need 1 of and it will have a band around the book that says “proof, not for resale.” You author copies will not have this. Amazon sells your own book to you at-cost when you order author copies and it doesn’t mess with the rankings.
So you know that you need author copies, not proof copies, you need to decide how many you need. If you have a plan to attend book fairs and conferences with your book, you can order a lot. But for the first batch, I recommend seeing how many fit into one carton and ordering that amount. If you don’t have any preliminary sales or hype, you should at the very least order one copy for yourself that you can take photos with and use for marketing. And you need to send one copy to the Library of Congress since they gave you an LCCN. That's the bare minimum. I think it is nice to provide a copy to your designer and editor as well as a thank you. I try not to keep a lot of inventory on hand so I err on the side of having less and then I can always order more instead of keeping boxes and boxes on hand.
Once you make the order you should get an estimate on when it will arrive. This is when you have some time to plan for the photos that you will take when the books arrive. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. You don’t get this moment back. If you get shipping updates and you see the books will be delivered this afternoon, make sure you showered and your hair is nice. If you arrive back from the gym all sweaty because you just crushed a workout and see the books on your doorstep, DON'T OPEN THEM UNTIL YOU SHOWER! As a friend or family member to take a photo or video of you opening the box. This is important because it is a big moment for you, it is exciting and you should want to preserve this memory. Also, you should post it on your author platform.
Now that the box is open and you have your initial reaction photo and you are no longer recording, it is time to count that the correct number of books has arrived and that they are all in good condition. This happened to me when I did a big order of books, I was short 2 books and some of the books at the top of the order had boot prints on them. Now, in hindsight, it is easy to say, yeah clearly the company will make good and send replacements. But in that moment, I was already emotional from getting to see my book baby and then, there were boot prints! Somebody stepped on my book! It is easy to get emotional. That is when you snap a photo of any damages and take all the books out of the box so that you can take a photo showing exactly how many you have. Send a customer service ticket in and the company will investigate and resolve. It took a week, but the replacement books arrived. All was well.
To recap, when you are planning to order your author copies you need to make sure you are getting author copies, not proofs. You need to know how many you need. You need to pay attention to the delivery status, take your photo, and then count and quality check each book.
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These are some great tips MK! I will be publishing my first book soon and I am feeling every emotion :) I was thinking about getting author copies before the actual release date and wanted to know how to go about getting it done. I searched and found your video and it is so helpful. Thank you so much!!
Hi Sandie, Congratulations on your forthcoming book! Depending on which self-publishing service you use there will be a slightly different process. Amazon KDP has a fairly simple method (just be sure to select author copy, not proof copy). For IngramSpark you can just set up an order for as many copies as you would like to your address, but be sure to release the book to deliver to you right away instead of the official publication date. Hope this helps! - MK
You're right, it is emotional. For those who have no children, a self-published book is the closest thing. You may cry like it was a baby when you see it for the first time -- because it is your baby.
Nice video, thank you🙂
Thanks M.K. So funny this video suggestion popped up. Here they are. Sitting in front of me. In an unopened box! My carton of 20 hardcovers from Ingram just arrived 15 minutes ago! 🙈👍✨🌼
Thank you for your wonderful advice! I'd better take that shower now and get ready for my husband to get back and hand him the camera! 😎🤣 I took pictures when my paperback proof arrived, and I was totally unprepared, and my hair unwashed, but my face was hurting from smiling, and even that ugly grey ribbon across the book, saying "NOT FOR RESALE" could stop me from documenting the moment. This time, I'll be better ready - thanks to your wonderful advice! And yes, would have forgotten to count and check each and every copy had you not reminded me to do that. Thank you, and have a wonderful day! My book release is in less than 2 weeks! Yikes! 😱😱😱
Ahh!!! Congratulations!! It is s exciting when they finally arrive :) enjoy the unboxing moment and best of luck as you finish your pre-launch to dos ☺️☺️
@@1MKWilliams Thank you so much!
Thankyou! 🙏🏽
You're welcome!
I ordered my first proof copy BEFORE publishing my book on KDP. The not-for-resale was no big deal because I used it to better edit my book. I have not heard about sending the Library of Congress a free copy of the book. Do you have a reference and guidance for that? Great video. Thanks.
Hi Michael, That's great to hear that you found a way to work the proof copy into your process. Yes, I have a video all about LCCN, Copyright, etc. : ua-cam.com/video/3xQRiBMh13I/v-deo.html
Hi, great content. Thanks for sharing!
Question: Would you recommend setting up an E-com store to sell the book (on wordrpess or shopify) and then each time you get an order, you simply go to KDP, order an author copy, and then use the customer's address to fulfill the order... So you wouldn't have to own inventory? Does that make sense or is that even possible?
Hi Dave, you could do something like that but I don't see the benefit. The user can order direct from Amazon if your book is on KDP. An alternative could be an online store so that you can sell autographed copies, but you would need to manage inventory. I did a series of videos on selling directly to readers that you can check out as well.
Here is the link to that playlist: Sell More Books Directly to Readers: ua-cam.com/play/PL5wG4jOiELp36td6HpcIvGPZl16glOfMJ.html
@@1MKWilliams Awesome, thank you! So the only benefit I thought about with regards to selling through an Ecom store, was to get email addresses. I don't think KDP shares any of that info... So for the purpose of building a list long term and potentially selling more products that was the strategy... But what you're suggesting makes a ton of sense! I'll check out the other video as well. Thank you!
Correct, that could help you build your email list. There are other ways as well, you could get offer a digital extra to everyone who reads the book at the very end. Best of luck!
What is your opinion on buying a barcode? I need one to sell my book(s) in person, or do I ? The only stipulation being one must know the price (or mark it high) because the bar code cannot be changed.
Thank you.
Hi Kevin, Great question. I've done a few videos on barcodes, but this is the most recent and most comprehensive. I hope this helps ua-cam.com/video/8KXTxHl22Jw/v-deo.html
So if I have 2 different books, do I have to pay shipping for each book...or do they send all books in 1 box for one shipping 💖🙌
You can put both books on the same order :)
I've published paperback version recently and since I am not quite informed, when I saw the bottom (order copies), this seemed to me like an item that had to be resolved in order for everything to be as normal and ready for selling as with the ebook version.
I rashly and unadvisedly ordered 20 copies (thinking this was important for customers) and later I learned what I actually did.
I don't need my copies 🤣 Am I in any debt? I tried to cancel the order but in my orders, there are not them. Maybe because it's still impossible to buy the books from Serbia. I hope this will save me :)
Hi Aleksandar, Correct you do not have to place an order for author copies. I like to have at least one. Was this from IngramSpark or KDP that you made the order?
Hi! It's KDP. I clicked the basket symbol where stayed number 20. Then I saw my order of 20 copies entered in the field and deleted them, then entered number 0. After that, I think I canceled the order..?
.... And now there is a number 0 at the symbol of basket like before order.
@@aleksandaralste6601 Yep, looks like you successfully canceled the order.
Yea! Thank you!
Does amazon ship your book directly to your customers when they order it on the site? or are you the one responsible for shipping and posting the books yourself?
Yes, if your print book is self-published through KDP then Amazon handling printing, shipping, and handling. If you list with IngramSpark they handle that for you as well. Best of luck!
How long does it take for them to ship the author copies? My aunt ordered a regular copy and will get it tomorrow. I ordered authors copies over a week ago and they have yet to be shipped.
Hello! So it all depends on the shipping service that you selected. With Amazon KDP you should see a shipping estimate, but they print on the same printers as IngramSpark so it depends on how backed up they are. With IngramSpark you will see 3-4 shipping options based on your location. With either you can only pick the shipping speed, printing is first come first served. They always prioritize paid orders from customers over proof copies to authors (which is good, but also bad). Best of luck!
M.K. What do you mean with this sentence? And you need to send one copy to the Library of Congress since they gave you an LCCN.
It means that if you register with the Library of Congress from an LCCN you are required to mail them a copy of the book once it is printed. This is in their terms when you apply. I have videos on that here: ua-cam.com/video/3xQRiBMh13I/v-deo.html
Hi! If you publish with ingram spark for expanded distribution, should you also publish separately to KDP? Somehow i had to use a separate ISBN when uploading to ingram and its on Amazon with a different isbn on preorder. Just wondering if i could maybe just delete that copy and keep the ingram one? And do you lose control over your key words if this happens?
So if you own your ISBN (not a free one from IS or KDP) then the book should have the same ISBN regardless of where it is uploaded. The same book/format having two different ISBNs is like one person having two different social security numbers. Ideally, you have the book on preorder via IngramSpark. The day the book launches, upload it to KDP. Your KDP listing will be the one that takes priority on Amazon.com.
@@1MKWilliams I can't correct it now because I accidentally published the isbn paperback on KDP. I didn't think it would be an issue to upload to Ingram spark though since videos I have watched say to publish it on Amazon first, but for whatever reason, Ingram wouldn't let me use the ISBN and so I purchased another one. Same thing also happened to me on Barnes and noble press for the paperback. So essentially I'll have 3 ISBN numbers for the same book with different print on demand companies. I can't think of any way to fix this
@@1MKWilliams if you know of a way to fix this please let me know. I already have preorders pending with Barnes and noble press. Ugh I created such a mess
@@1MKWilliams would this work as a solution? Delete the paperback from KDP. Keep Barnes and noble one active until preorders ship out then delete the listing...create a new ISBN for KDP and use for Ingram spark as well? I think I accidentally selected expanded distribution at one point which messed everything up
@@nikkik2648 I would recommend removing the book from expanded distribution with KDP. Fill out a transfer request with IngramSpark and starting clean: ua-cam.com/video/L07nZnkIZzo/v-deo.html
You're saying you can take the author copies to events or signings, but can you sell these author copies on your own website if people refuse to purchase anything from Amazon? We have a large customer base that will not use their website.
Hi Amanda, Yes, you can order enough in inventory to sell directly. However if you order enough you may want to do a digital run with a local printer for better pricing. If you still want print on demand, look into LuLu. They also distribute to Amazon but they have plugins with Spotify to sell direct and you don't have to manage shipping and orders
Does anyone know if when you order author copies if it counts towards sales on your amazon account?
Hello, if you follow the links from your KDP bookshelf to order Author Copies it will not count towards your sales. Ultimately you don't want your purchases to be included in this count. You are not always your ideal customer, it could mess up the "also-bought" listings if your purchases did count. Best of luck.
@@1MKWilliams okay cool thank you, I was thinking of it as a marketing aspect in which it can help people see that there has been sales on a book. I know some people don’t like to buy something that doesn’t have a sale on it because their don’t trust it :/
How long took them to arrive after placed order?
The time for delivery can vary based on a lot of factors : 1. Volume of orders - at the holidays it just takes longer for everything 2. If you want or need expedited printing or shipping. For me I usually get the standard print and least expensive shipping and I get my books within a week/week and a half. Best of luck
@@1MKWilliams thank you so much
Which Mic are you using?
ATR 2100 :)
Is this what I do with KDP too?
Yes! You can order your author copies via KDP as well.
@@1MKWilliams I've published my first book via KDP and struggling to know how to get it noticed
@@shilpavyas7746 oh man, I have multiple books out and it is a struggle for me too! You're not alone. Definitely take some promotional photos of your book that you can post on social media and check out Goodreads. They have groups and forums for authors as well as readers. There are groups where you can offer free review copies to readers to get more people reading and talking about your book.
I also have a book for first time authors all about setting up a solid foundation for marketing their books, if you want to check it out www.amazon.com/Book-Marketing-First-Time-Author-Ambition/dp/1733392947
@@1MKWilliams thanks for that.
I love your informative videos but the intro and outro music is way too loud compared to your voice
Hi Wendy, Thank you for the feedback. I've been improving the audio with each new video I release so hopefully you'll appreciate a better balance on the intro and outro in my new videos.
it's a real kick in the head when you excitedly open the package to completely crap books . . . bad printing, a major dent as well as a ruffled edge due to poorly packaging. Total bummer!