# Distaff on pre-release! An anthology of female sf authors (from the Chrons!)



## Jo Zebedee (Jun 11, 2019)

We talked about it. We plotted and planned. And here it is: Distaff is on pre order -with a dollar off its post-launch price - now, and coming out on 15 August!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ST1KY7J




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						Amazon.com: Distaff: A Science Fiction Anthology by female authors eBook : O'Reilly, Jane, Oliver, Rosie, Buchanan, Kerry, Tett, E J, Spink Mills, Juliana, Browne, Damaris, Horst, Shellie, Boulton, Susan, Oliver, Rosie, Primeau, Sam: Kindle Store
					

Distaff: A Science Fiction Anthology by female authors - Kindle edition by O'Reilly, Jane, Oliver, Rosie, Buchanan, Kerry, Tett, E J, Spink Mills, Juliana, Browne, Damaris, Horst, Shellie, Boulton, Susan, Oliver, Rosie, Primeau, Sam. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones...



					www.amazon.com
				




DISTAFF: NOUN

A staff used in spinning.
Of women and women’s work.
An anthology of women’s stories woven through time and space.


In 2018 a crack team of women sci-fi writers, all members of the sffchronicles community forum, came together to write an anthology. Distaff is the result. Join us as we share stories of people, of science and exploration, and enjoy the words we weave.

"I love good stories. Stories are as old as human relationships, They maybe our
most important invention. It’s impossible to understand human society without an
understanding of the power of stories. Well told, they bring us face to face with
ourselves, our fears, our hopes, and so much else that makes us human.
Distaff is an anthology of well told stories by women for everyone. These stories
make use of the unlimited settings available to Science Fiction writers. The women
behind Distaff remind us of our humanity in entertaining and enjoyable ways." Douglas Van Aartsen @Parson to those in the know


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## Serendipity (Jun 11, 2019)

Hm... I know you good people who get a chance to read it will find some super science fiction stories in there... (I've read them all, and wish there were more for me to slurp over!)


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## Abernovo (Jun 11, 2019)

Yay!

I'm now going to be annoying, and ask if you're going to do an epub version for those of us who have a non-Kindle e-reader.
Bear in mind I will probably buy it anyway, but I prefer not to give money to that company.


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## Jo Zebedee (Jun 11, 2019)

Abernovo said:


> Yay!
> 
> I'm now going to be annoying, and ask if you're going to do an epub version for those of us who have a non-Kindle e-reader.
> Bear in mind I will probably buy it anyway, but I prefer not to give money to that company.


Why not take an ARC and leave an early review? We may go wide later but it requires a lot more management, we lose a chunk of income to fees and payout is slow. The rivals really need to go their game.


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## Jo Zebedee (Jun 11, 2019)

Top 10 in U.K. sf! Rocking it!


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## Serendipity (Jun 12, 2019)

It's also nice to see Distaff on the top line of UK Amazon's Hot New Releases in Science Fiction anthologies!


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## millymollymo (Jun 12, 2019)

Abernovo said:


> Yay!
> 
> I'm now going to be annoying, and ask if you're going to do an epub version for those of us who have a non-Kindle e-reader.
> Bear in mind I will probably buy it anyway, but I prefer not to give money to that company.


Not annoying at all  Not everyone has a Kindle.


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## Dan Jones (Jun 12, 2019)

Will be there be a paperback?


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## Jo Zebedee (Jun 12, 2019)

Dan Jones said:


> Will be there be a paperback?


Yep. Just a-working in it. If you get to Dublin you can even get a few sigs on it


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## Droflet (Jun 12, 2019)

All the best of luck with this, Jo, and others. It looks great.


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## Vladd67 (Jun 12, 2019)

Just pre ordered it.


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## AlexH (Jun 17, 2019)

Abernovo said:


> Yay!
> 
> I'm now going to be annoying, and ask if you're going to do an epub version for those of us who have a non-Kindle e-reader.
> Bear in mind I will probably buy it anyway, but I prefer not to give money to that company.


Same here, though now I use Calibre to convert Kindle files if the title isn't on Kobo. Some books have lost sales from me for that slight extra inconvenience, but this one hasn't!


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## Jo Zebedee (Jun 17, 2019)

AlexH said:


> Same here, though now I use Calibre to convert Kindle files if the title isn't on Kobo. Some books have lost sales from me for that slight extra inconvenience, but this one hasn't!



Thank you! I have set it to DRM free so that it can be converted. I personally am a supporter of wide and trying to reduce Amazon's hold - but, having tried going wide serveral times with my own books, it does cost sales and reduces income by a significant amount. I'm not sure what the answer is, in terms of the competitors, but, for now, Amazon is really the dominant force.


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## AlexH (Jun 17, 2019)

Jo Zebedee said:


> Thank you! I have set it to DRM free so that it can be converted. I personally am a supporter of wide and trying to reduce Amazon's hold - but, having tried going wide serveral times with my own books, it does cost sales and reduces income by a significant amount. I'm not sure what the answer is, in terms of the competitors, but, for now, Amazon is really the dominant force.


You're not the only author/editor who has said adding to Kobo costs sales, but I don't understand how. Is it because when titles aren't on Kobo and others, more people buy from Amazon instead, therefore giving the title more visibility (and therefore sales) on Amazon? Whereas Kobo doesn't work so much that way, and of course has a much lower user-base.


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## Jo Zebedee (Jun 17, 2019)

AlexH said:


> You're not the only author/editor who has said adding to Kobo costs sales, but I don't understand how. Is it because when titles aren't on Kobo and others, more people buy from Amazon instead, therefore giving the title more visibility (and therefore sales) on Amazon? Whereas Kobo doesn't work so much that way, and of course has a much lower user-base.



An author loses on three counts:

1. Readthroughs are only possible if you're exclusive to Amazon. This month, so far, I've had 2 full readthroughs of the whole Abendau trilogy and a load of pages on Inish Carraig as well. Whilst I don't get quite as much profit as I do from an outright sale since I lose 15% of my kobo sales by using Draft2digital (otherwise I'm managing multiple sales platform myself) it's as much as a kobo book
2. Amazon allows me to promote a title and retain 75% profit if I'm exclusive for them. So, I popped Inish on 99p for a few days last week and those sales made me 68p each - if not exclusive it'd be nearer 20p.
3. Amazon promotes exclusive titles more by making them more visible on the store.


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## AlexH (Jun 17, 2019)

Crikey. It's not surprising in the slightest, but I didn't realise Scamazon did so much to try and grow their monopoly.


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## millymollymo (Jul 4, 2019)

Psstt... Distaff made the pages of Starburst Magazine!


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## Cathbad (Jul 4, 2019)

Just checked... not bad numbers.

*Amazon Bestsellers Rank:*  #241,864 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)  

#1608    in Space Exploration Science Fiction eBooks
#663    in Science Fiction Anthologies (Kindle Store)
#1052    in Science Fiction Anthologies (Books)
(Can't find 'screenshot' on this ancient desktop!)


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## Jo Zebedee (Jul 4, 2019)

Cathbad said:


> Just checked... not bad numbers.
> 
> *Amazon Bestsellers Rank:*  #241,864 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
> 
> ...



It’s done really well so far!


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## Serendipity (Jul 4, 2019)

And once upon time not so long ago...


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## millymollymo (Aug 3, 2019)

A lovely write up for Distaff here. https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2019/8/3/distaff-edited-by-rosie-oliver


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## Vaz (Aug 3, 2019)

Comes out on payday, will buy and review!

Also Parson has the most badass cool name ever


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## Mouse (Aug 3, 2019)

Weird ep of Star Trek. I'll take that with knobs on.


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## Abernovo (Aug 3, 2019)

Mouse said:


> Weird ep of Star Trek. I'll take that with knobs on.


I'd expect nothing less than a little weirdness from you, Mouse. Meant in the nicest way possible, of course. 

In truth, I always like reading your sff romances (a lot), and I've enjoyed the writing of everyone involved with this, so I'm really looking forward to picking up a copy. Just need to come visit your shop then, so I can pick up some more heavenly fudge, and get your autograph in the book.


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