Talents Series by Ray McCarthy

I have the paper proof in my hand! I'm a little excited. Highlighter or Pencil?
I'm 99.99% sure I'll only see format / layout issues. However I'll update eBook version if I DO see any content issues (not involving actual re-writing).
 
Ray McCarthy said:
I have the paper proof in my hand! I'm a little excited. Highlighter or Pencil?
I'm 99.99% sure I'll only see format / layout issues. However I'll update eBook version if I DO see any content issues (not involving actual re-writing).
Click to expand...
Good luck on that.:) It's not the first time I've had something published only to go Doh! and slap my head because I'd spotted an error that had slipped through the net.

Beware the dreaded Schotoma!:eek:
 
Paper versions are really hard ...
MS Word isn't true WYSIWYG, you only get exactly what you see with real Desk Top Publishing or viewing a PDF with embedded fonts. On the "paper" version I was losing a page due to the text taking ever so slightly less space on one chapter! This made all the subsequent chapters start on Left instead of right. So to solve this I used "Section break, odd page". However section breaks create havoc with page numbers, headers and footers if you try to change them after a page break.

I hope to have paper version sorted tomorrow ... but it might not be!

Cover isn't great, but will have to do till I make money selling books, then I'll pay someone.
(The barcode is pasted from a photo of the Proof copy I got, it won't change for any from CreateSpace. The Smashwords distributer of eBooks is a different publisher so the Smashwords edition has a different ISBN. The Amazon eBook has no ISBN.)
I don't know how long it takes from approval at CreateSpace till the paper edition is on Amazon and other places. I do get most margin from CreateSpace eStore, second best from Amazon USA and hardly anything from Amazon UK/Ireland or Amazon Europe. For reasons best known to Amazon, Ireland sales are via the Sterling UK marketplace, even though we use Euro like France & German Amazon marketplaces (I don't know how the rest of Europe works, it seems to be via Amazon Germany, so Amazon German small margin).

Apprentice_BookCoverPreview_20160414.jpg
 
Layout and formatting issues fixed :)

Paper edition available here
"The Apprentice's Talent" by Ray McCarthy
(It's supposed to automatically* be on all the Amazon sites and it's linked from Corvids Press and Smashwords)

[* From CreateSpace:
Your Amazon site detail page should be built 3-5 business days after your title is made available for sale. Changes to your title, including list price, may take 3-5 business days to appear on Amazon sites.]
 
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Goodreads

Smashwords edition was automatically there. But Amazon had to be added. Amazon owns Goodreads.

In theory the three editions should be the same ... But they may vary in image quality, contents page, additional pages about other books, links etc. The actual body text ought to be identical. Any changes will be uploaded to all three, but they vary in how quickly revisions are approved.

Smashwords (Smashwords's ISBN)
The Apprentice's Talent

CreateSpace (paper version sold anywhere, CreateSpace's ISBN)
The Apprentice's Talent (Talent Universe, #1)

Amazon Kindle (no ISBN)
The Apprentice's Talent (Talent Universe, #1)
 
Author page on Goodreads is active
Ray McCarthy

I've only added some of the books I've read and that I'm reading.
The "Blog" is simply automatically copied from the existing RSS feed, no point in multiple blogs.
 
@Glitch
Thanks.
Also showing up on Barnes & Noble (Nook) and Kobo's own eStore.
So Smashwords is good for distribution if you meet format standards for Premium catalogue. Since Amazon has fallen from 90% to maybe under 60% of global eBook sales, it makes sense, I think, to avoid Kindle Select (Amazon Exclusivity) and go for Smashwords + Amazon KDP + Createspace for paper POD.
Shall I stay up till midnight, dress up and queue in front of PC for the Launch? :D
I can't believe it, but we really did do that at Easons in Limerick with the family for one of the Harry Potter books. Now three of them have kids, so it must have been a while ago!
 
Paperback is on Amazon.com, but not linked with Kindle edition $14.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1530933676/?tag=brite-21

Sadly a rather frightening price on Amazon UK (CreateSpace Costs!) £21
The Apprentice's Talent: Volume 1 (Talent Universe): Amazon.co.uk: Ray McCarthy: 9781530933679: Books

If people REALLY want a paper copy, I can probably do a discount code or something on sale from CreateSpace eStore "The Apprentice's Talent" by Ray McCarthy as it gives twice the margin as Amazon.com. Postage is a killer too. It cost me a little more than €8 postage to send a copy to my mum! I make far more from an Amazon.com sale of paperback than from Amazon.co.uk!

Pity advance sales are invisible on Amazon till book is live. Up to lunch time on launch day I have four advance sales (USA, UK and Australia) and four additional sales (maybe guess destinations tomorrow from currencies).

I'm madly proofing "The Journeyman's Talent".

EDIT
Found option to see sales per Amazon site. Duh!
 
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Amazon has now matched up the paper edition on the Kindle pages.

I double checked the CreateSpace prices
USA $14.99 (-> Amazon.com = $14.99)
UK £9.99 + Taxes* (-> Amazon.co.uk = £21.21)
Europe Euro EXCEPT Ireland* €11.99 + Taxes / VAT (-> Amazon.de €12.83)

So what on earth is Amazon doing with UK prices?


(*Irish Amazon customers are supposed to use UK Amazon, despite being in Euro, the UK site "based" in Luxembourg and UK still on Sterling, Irish purchases have 23% VAT on printed books as well as eBooks)

EDIT
It's been pointed out to me that inexplicably the UK Amazon isn't selling Amazon copies (Direct from their own CreateSpace). Hence the bizarre prices. Though technically Amazon owns BookDepository
 
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I'm going to release "The Journeyman's Talent" on midnight 5th/6th June 2016. Preorder shortly on Amazon and Smashwords.
Ray McCarthy – Corvids Press

The Journeyman's Talent, an Ebook by Ray McCarthy
journeyman_cover_ebook_6_thm.jpg

Sequel to “The Apprentice’s Talent”. Maisie is no longer an Apprentice, but a Journeyman studying to be a Master, three times over, at the Circle College for Talent, 80,000 light years from Earth, on Caemoria. But on a visit to Laramos city to sign a contract for her full spectrum colour system she narrowly escapes being murdered. Why does she want to own a flitter? Why was the Mogul of House Funathim assassinated? What will she spend her rapidly growing quantity of credits on? How has Earth managed to build a fusion powered starship without Talent? Maisie thinks it’s a bad sign that that Earth has named them the “Valkyrie Class” and that Russia, China, Europe and USA have all switched their military budgets to co-operate and build Valkyries, all managed by the Solar Alliance. The Wildgrave Plonnis seeks to understand by questioning Maisie while helping her to spend her new found wealth. She’s still the only Tellurian to ever leave the Solar System, till the first Valkyrie “jumps” just beyond the Kuiper belt.

“The Solar Alliance” (2016 release) is the story of what happens on Earth after Maisie leaves and is parallel to “The Apprentice’s Talent” and “The Journeyman’s Talent”.

Suitable for teenagers as well as Adults.

Cover shows Circle College uniform, except for the “stole” (not worn by Apprentices). Computer / Communicator Crystal on belt pouch. Gold edging / bands denote an Arch Talent.
Maisie on cover modelled by “Carlotta”.
 
Ray McCarthy said:
(*Irish Amazon customers are supposed to use UK Amazon, despite being in Euro, the UK site "based" in Luxembourg and UK still on Sterling, Irish purchases have 23% VAT on printed books as well as eBooks)
Click to expand...
I checked today. e-Books and Magazines have VAT in Ireland, but actually printed books are VAT free. The higher Irish Book prices compared to UK are caused by "Currency hedging costs" of importers, which is usually via Sterling UK.
 
Wruter said:
When you self publish on Smashwords books are also automatically distributed to Apple iBooks
Click to expand...
Not on 'Dashboard' but on detail sales page. I discovered I did sell a copy on iBooks yesterday. I've no idea how much that gives me. Still better on all platforms than not!

So thanks again!

I think KDP Select (Amazon Exclusive) is a bad idea, especially if it's true that Amazon share has fallen from 90% to 60% of Books. Though the eBook market has grown so much that Amazon still has massive sales growth of eBooks (though not Kindles, they are flat as they are for very heavy readers, a niche).
 
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To celebrate 400 years Shakespeare anniversary, "Starship Chief", loosely inspired / based on King Lear, Coral Island and Treasure Island is up for pre-order on Smashwords.

It will be 99c for a week, from 15th May 2016 then $2.99 from the 24th May 2016


Click on cover to see stars.

I've made 25% available on Smashwords as free sample!
 
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