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I'm 95% sure I posted the story to earn money, only 5% willing to state I may have forgot. I'm always careful about that.
I have an idea that might help. Would anyone be willing to delete their claps for that story, then clap again? Or is that a sleazy thing to ask? Any help is greatly appreciated. Hugs

https://medium.com/@sambeachdogs/we-r...

I don’t know if it’ll work but I’ve done it.

I never clap the full amount- so I added more.

D.J. wrote: "I don’t know if it’ll work but I’ve done it."

Thank you very much, Deb. Hugs

Carole wrote: "I never clap the full amount- so I added more."

Thank you very much, Carole. Hugs

Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) wrote: "I'm 95% sure I posted the story to earn money, only 5% willing to state I may have forgot. I'm always careful about that.
I have an idea that might help. Would anyone be willing to delete their cla..."

I gave you some more. Mistakes happen. Sometimes it's a mouse, where you think you clicked something but it didn't actually take.

Well that’s even worse. I dropped the price of Missing Remnants to .99 and paid for another bargain booksy and only sold 2 copies this time. I don’t think it’s worth me paying for promotions like that. I certainly can’t afford to keep throwing money away like that. I expected to sell more at a lower price.

D.J., I'd suggest you don't use the same site more than once a year. I'm away from home at the moment and I haven't got all my back-up notes for who to promote with if you don't have too many reviews. Sorry about that.

I think you could get a couple of sales from sites that only charge $5-$10 and will take most books.

Thanks both. I did it as an experiment. I heard that .99 books do better than higher priced books on bargain booksy. But I’ve just proved that doesn’t work for me. I’ll be using cheaper options. That one was £27. Total sales 2. In my mind that’s unsustainable.

I think you've done amazing-almost 100,000 downloads of book 1! (Have you done it yet?) That's the kind of thing I want. I should be able to give one away for free and have something else out there for money. I should get sales on that. (I'm still not crap!)

Something I read for my day job recently-there's someone who sends out newsletters on behalf of others. They reported back that since GDPR 80% of the emails go unopened. That was my experience when I sent an email out to my mailing list recently. I wonder if the days of mailing lists are now numbered. They wondered if mail servers aren't forwarding on mailing list emails. Something to ponder.

Yes there is a Track 2, I only have the concept so far. I'll start working on it when I've thrown the planet based story out there.

I read somewhere that the average for reviews was 1 per 1000 downloads, if that's the case, you've done really well.

I have three reviews on Amazon for far less downloads, but that's because I rely heavily on people who know me here. I would love to get reviews from complete strangers, although part of me would worry they'd hate it and give it a 1*.

I hardly open mailing lists. I've never bought from one. I'm more of a writer than a reader and always have been. If I read faster it would be different.

Ah well, back to writing a Medium article. Got to keep the random thoughts churning!

I hope you enjoy it. I think I can put reviews up in something called an editorial something on Amazon. I heard it existed. I haven't looked into it.

I was always pretty good at blogging. As long as I didn't have to do a video and a recipe. I have to admit I'm struggling for Medium content. I need to have two articles a week to get over £20 a month. It's not big, but it's better than a kick in the teeth.

I've got three on the go...

I need to learn how to work the system and accept that it’s the way forward. If Amazon would create a keyword just for me I could be a best-selling author. Moan.

Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) wrote: "I'm 95% sure I posted the story to earn money, only 5% willing to state I may have forgot. I'm always careful about that.
I have an idea that might help. Would anyone be willing to delete their cla..."

If this was an unethical request, I sincerely apologize. I will not ask such a thing again. Been feeling a bit ashamed about this. Very sorry. Please forgive me. Hugs. Sincerely, Sam

Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) wrote: "If this was an unethical request, I sincerely apologize. I will not ask such a thing again. Been feeling a bit ashamed about this. Very sorry. Please forgive me. "

I don't think it's an unethical request at all. Medium allows readers to go back and add claps to something they've already clapped for. I've actually done that a time or two, once possibly by accident. :-P

I might suggest, though, that it's probably not worth worrying about an occasional mishap. Medium caused a major (in my view) mishap recently when they opened up the ability to submit Partner Program stories to publications.

Previously, that wasn't generally possible. A few publications like The Writing Cooperative could somehow take Partner Program stories, but the payments went to the publication, which distributed them, less a cut for themselves.

When Medium made the change, publications like Lit Up could take Partner Program stories, with earnings going directly to the author, not the publication. But publications like The Writing Cooperative suddenly could not take Partner Program stories! This was a bug in the system.

I and some other people happened to submit stories to them about that time, assuming that they would earn money anyway, but no. They did not. After the bug was fixed, I changed my story to earn money, but I lost out on most of the interaction it got, which occurred before I could change it.

I doubt that represents much of a hit to my earnings, though. Most of my stories earn two or three dollars at most. If I lost two or three dollars, I can't really complain. It's not like my ability to eat has been compromised. ;-)

Thank you for your understanding and acceptance, Dale. Sorry about your own troubles. Hugs, Sam

Had an email from D2D saying they'd sent my royalties to PayPal who rejected it. It was only 62c. I checked the email address and it is the one I use for PayPal. So I told D2D that and they suggested I could change the payment method. Yes I could, however everything else has a threshold of $10 before they pay out. It'd be like the $3 I have on Radish that I'll never see because I'll never reach $20.
(Rolls eyes.) Such a tiny problem-literally.

It’s a tiny amount of money and probably always will be but even getting my hands on a few pence is difficult.

Sorry for this frustration, DJ. Hugs

Oh... D.J. - that's a choccie bar you're missing.

Another grr... I've just put together 4 short stories into a little book which I wanted to put out for free. Jeffrey Archer has books out for free, why can't I?

I uploaded my little manuscript into the KDP publishing section and I remembered not to put it into KDP Select but it says I've got to choose between 35% and 70% royalties and then the minimum price I can make it is 0.99.

I want to make it free. How do I do that? Please...

Me and my 'how do Is', sorry.

Anna Faversham wrote: "Oh... D.J. - that's a choccie bar you're missing.

Another grr... I've just put together 4 short stories into a little book which I wanted to put out for free. Jeffrey Archer has books out for free..."

Hi Anna! To make it free on Amazon you need to post it as free on another website (Kobo, Apple, etc.) and then send an email to KDP support asking them to price match. Voila - permafree :)

That’s worth knowing. At some point I may chuck out a very short story for free.

Another article that came out a couple of months ago about Amazon's out of stock practices.

https://nonfictionauthorsassociation....

Oh. Thanks, Eldon. I'll try Kobo. No idea what I'm doing. Unless someone can tell me that Apple is easier?

Anna Faversham wrote: "Oh. Thanks, Eldon. I'll try Kobo. No idea what I'm doing. Unless someone can tell me that Apple is easier?"

I used draft2digital to publish my latest wide. They take a cut of the profits, but it's super easy :)

I've just taken a look at Kobo and abandoned it because it says books must be:

Your SRP for each eBook must adhere to the following pricing rules;

i. greater than or equal to $2.99 USD in the US,

ii. greater than or equal to £1.99 GBP in the UK,

iii. greater than or equal to $2.99 CAD in Canada,

iv. greater than or equal to $2.99 AUD in Australia,

and so on.

I want to make this book permanently free but there doesn't seem to be an option and I can understand that because it costs them money to have it downloaded. There'd be no profits to take a cut from.

It's only this little 'free' book that I want to make free. I need to keep the others in KDP Select for the forseeable future.

Useful to know about draft2digital for when that day comes! Thanks Eldon.

Use Draft2Digital. It's a doddle. Even I managed it. (And I managed to get my payment out of them today. 40p. I won't spend that all at once.)

OK thanks, guys and gals. I'm putting d2d in my diary as my eyes are closing here...

Go for it Anna.

Alex I quite fancy a Kit Kat at the moment. Haven’t bought one in a while. 2 finger one perhaps.

No idea. I think the going rate is 65p at least for anthrax (I tried to type ‘anything coated in chocolate’ but anthrax amuses the psycho in me.)

That’ll get me on a watch list.

I saw that. For now, I intend to do nothing. I am releasing a new book on September 5th...will wait and see what happens. I have another book to be released on October 5th. I am in the "waiting and watching mode." For now, if it ain't broke, it ain't getting fixed.

Maybe they'll just move it over, Alex.

According to Create Space "Once the move (to KDP) is complete, CreateSpace members will be able to access the same great features they use today on KDP, as well as features unique to KDP. CreateSpace and KDP will continue to operate as a single team. Paperbacks will continue to be printed in the same facilities, on the same printers, and by the same people."

I don't have any digital books and can only assume this is a logical process of merging two Amazon businesses and spinning it as a benefit to users rather than what it is.

It’s certainly not being done to benefit us. It’s all done to streamline Amazon’s business.

Yes, Alex, Carole's idea is a good one! Just wait and see if it goes through automatically.

It's all 'rubbish' as my friends over the pond say. It cost me a fortune to convert my books. Brit and Chrissy have been working on it since last March. There have been issues with the illustrated books and KDP/Createspace took no responsibility for anything. I had to reformat most of them. I'm glad I took care of it though- I'd be panicked now if I hadn't. However, there's been a huge drop in sales so I'm not sure how it all was affected.

I wish you luck, Alex. I hope they grant you a KDP account. I mean, come on Amazon. Sheesh.

Carole, I normally use stronger words than ‘rubbish’ :-)

Alex wrote: "D.J. wrote: "I wish you luck, Alex. I hope they grant you a KDP account. I mean, come on Amazon. Sheesh.

Carole, I normally use stronger words than ‘rubbish’ :-)"

Thanks, it's been more than 5 y..."

Just in from CS:
"Hello,

We are contacting you because your CreateSpace account has one of more books that will be charged a higher manufacturing fee once they are moved to KDP to align with KDP’s global pricing standards. Paperback printing costs are higher on KDP than CreateSpace for Black & White titles under 110 pages printed in the EU, Black & White titles under 100 pages printed in the UK, and color titles under 30 pages printed in both the EU and UK. Based on this change, you may want to update the list prices of your books."

Ah, all clear now.

Evelyn wrote: "Alex wrote: "D.J. wrote: "I wish you luck, Alex. I hope they grant you a KDP account. I mean, come on Amazon. Sheesh.

Carole, I normally use stronger words than ‘rubbish’ :-)"

Thanks, it's been ..."

They'll end up killing the golden goose yet.

There is a how to file on KDP. Link is below. Here is one item I spotted.
"If you used Cover Creator on CreateSpace, the design won't be compatible with Cover Creator on KDP. We'll move your CreateSpace files and print your book use the existing cover. However, if you want to update your cover after the move to KDP, you'll need to design a new one with KDP's Cover Creator. You can also use our templates."

https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/top...

Here is another excerpt from the KDP help document.

"Moving your books from CreateSpace to KDP
When do I need to move my books from CreateSpace to KDP?
In a few weeks, we'll start automatically moving CreateSpace books to KDP and expect to have moved all books in the weeks that follow. If you would like to start the move yourself before that date, you can move your entire CreateSpace catalog to KDP in a few steps. Get started on your CreateSpace Member Dashboard or KDP Bookshelf."

More excerpts

"What happens if I have a book in the statuses "awaiting proof" or "proof review" on CreateSpace and it's moved to KDP?
Books that aren't live on CreateSpace will move to KDP and appear there in "draft" status. The statuses "awaiting proof" and "proof review" status don't exist on KDP. This won't stop you from editing or updating your book while proofs are being shipped. If you ordered a proof while on CreateSpace, you'll receive your copy as scheduled. Changes, if needed, will need to be made on KDP after the move is complete."

"What happens to my books if I don't do anything and CreateSpace is no longer available?
If your CreateSpace book was available for sale and you don't take any action, it will remain available for sale. You'll continue to earn royalties, and we'll pay you based on the payment and tax information you provided to CreateSpace. We'll also calculate your sales rank as normal at all points during and after the transition. If you were editing or working on a CreateSpace book and it wasn't available for sale, it will transition to KDP in "draft" status. After the CreateSpace website is no longer available, you'll be prompted to claim an account on KDP so you can access your books there."

Alex wrote: "Well I've had a final response from Createspace.

They've said that since my Createspace is linked to a terminated KDP account (it has been for almost 18 months since the account was terminated) th..."

That goes beyond rubbish and moves well into the realms of shit.

Then again, if you can still shift ebooks and they are your biggest income, all is not lost. It's just a crap situation that doesn't look like it has a resolution.

It was costly and stupid. They act like it was a no brainer but all my books had to be reformatted. It took months and at times was frustrating. Especially because I hadn’t worked with the artists in so long.

I was lucky. I came along at the point where Amazon had launched the KDP beta and had acquired CreateSpace. I couldn't see why they'd continue to run two side by side and 'knew' they would ditch CS. I didn't know, I just guessed right.

Alex wrote: "D.J. wrote: "That goes beyond rubbish and moves well into the realms of shit.

Then again, if you can still shift ebooks and they are your biggest income, all is not lost. It's just a crap situatio..."

That is just total BS from Createspace. I’m sorry you have to deal with it. I hope everything works out in your favor!

I'm sorry, Alex. They can make things so hard, and it appears they don't forgive.

As to my own grrr....I saw the popup on CS yesterday on my phone, while driving home from an out of town trip. I decided to wait until today to deal with it, from my computer, so as not to have trouble reading the small screen and inadvertently hitting a wrong button. Today there is no sign of the link. I tried to use the process from KDP side and there is no longer the button that says it is already on CS--I only had the option of uploading it. Phone call to KDP did not resolve the issue--they directed me to CS. Asked for call from CS for help in finding the link, and got message no phone contact possible at the moment. Tried to click on link about how to do the transfer and got message information unavailable.

I think they just had their system implode from all the people trying to access and follow the link. Are we having fun yet?

I am kicking myself for not having done this before, but I had a reason for waiting and was going to act on it today, even before the link popped up yesterday on CS. I am wondering if you only get one shot at that link and if you don't click on it, they are going to do it for you. Not very happy right now! I did send an email, since they have no one to call me currently. Grrrr.....

Thanks, Alex. What was supposed to be very simple wasn't even close to simple. And the woman trying to help me resolve it at KDP seemed clueless as well. It doesn't instill confidence.