I have just submitted the third book to the Amazon store! So its almost out. Of course, Amazon has to review the submitted content for horrible errors but they usually do that within a day or so. They say it could be up to 72 hours but I think that's just to allow them some leeway.
Reviewing your own work for errors is always entertaining. Not. I used Grammarly for the initial review. Either this add-on has degraded or my memory isn't as good as it used to be (a given). My second pass review, where I read the entire story from scratch, caught a ton of glaring mistakes that I could have sworn Grammarly used to fix. Perhaps in an attempt to get you to buy the complete version they moved the useful part of the program into the pay only section. As much as I try to review the story, I always have heaps of incredibly useful feedback from readers that catch errors. Thank you for that! The books wouldn't be nearly as readable without your help.
Every time I upload a new book to Amazon, their system has changed slightly. This time I found they have a program where they offer your paperback book to be picked up to alternate distributors. I am not sure who this is... bookstores? Coffee shops? Car parts depots? Probably not the last one. The program is promising until you realize that you get 40% royalties instead of 60%. This plus the base price increase means that you have to increase the book price. Who is going to buy a $20 paperback? Despite this, I signed up for it. After all, no one buys my paperbacks anyway;) Does that count as a Hail Mary pass?
On another front, I joined Amazon Associates. It allows you to place targeted ads on your website that point to specific products. If people click on that link and buy stuff on Amazon then you get something back. I forget how much but a percent or so. I signed up because I have a new (well not so new anymore) website that I wanted to display my books on. I was trying to find an add-on that would display the reviews from Amazon for each book. Needless to say, I failed.
There do seem to be such add-ons in existence but each seems to require you apply for Amazon's API program. Not user-friendly and the requirements for Amazon accepting you into the program are...unclear. The Amazon Associates program allows you to go to Amazon and have them make a targeted advertisement for up to 4 items. This includes a tiny cover graphic, the cost, and the star review rating total. Not exactly what I wanted but it was something.
Anyway, I got kicked out of the program. Apparently, if you don't get a minimum number of sales from this advertisement within 180 days you get kicked out. In other words, you aren't allowed to advertise for them... That's odd logic but it does tell me that no one looks at my webpage;)
