Preorders date can now be a year

[notthatamanda]

Just starting a new book set up now and it let me go all the way out to next January for the date.

[TimothyEllis]

Just starting a new book set up now and it let me go all the way out to next January for the date.

I must admit, I'm tempted. But it needs covers, and at least some level of blurb, which will push doing it off a bit.

[notthatamanda]

It's good for people who are stockpiling a series I guess.  Doesn't really do anything for me, but I figured people would like to know. The trades are putting up books with blank cover holders. I've seen them, but I can't remember any to post here, sorry.

[MHodmann]

Here is one example:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0837FWCRQ



I think it works if done correctly.

[PaulineMRoss]

It's been this way for a while - a few months, anyway. I don't think many people want to go all the way out to a year, but it's perfect for people like me who publish every 3 months. It means I don't have to juggle dates. I can guarantee to put the pre-order for the next book up a few days before each release, so there's always a next book for readers to pre-order.

The other improvement in this change is that you have the right to push out a book's pre-order date by up to a month if you hit a crisis, and you can do it right there on the dashboard, no emailing and pleading. You can only do that one time otherwise it's into the pre-order sin bin with a year's ban, but it's a huge concession.

[David VanDyke]

For me, it allows me to set the pre-order date out farther than I actually intend, then bring it closer, just to provide a safe cushion.

[notthatamanda]

It's been this way for a while - a few months, anyway. I don't think many people want to go all the way out to a year, but it's perfect for people like me who publish every 3 months. It means I don't have to juggle dates. I can guarantee to put the pre-order for the next book up a few days before each release, so there's always a next book for readers to pre-order.

The other improvement in this change is that you have the right to push out a book's pre-order date by up to a month if you hit a crisis, and you can do it right there on the dashboard, no emailing and pleading. You can only do that one time otherwise it's into the pre-order sin bin with a year's ban, but it's a huge concession.

My bad, I thought they had extended it to six months from three (?).

David have you brought on in yet? Is it as straight forward as it sounds?

[TimothyEllis]

My bad, I thought they had extended it to six months from three (?).

David have you brought on in yet? Is it as straight forward as it sounds?

Yes. You just reset the date. Minimum is 3 days hence.

[David VanDyke]

Completely straightforward. Should have been done ages ago.

Now if only they counted all the sales on Day 1 (or changed the tradpub pre-order rules to be like KDP to level the playing field) it would be a pretty good system.

[Bill Hiatt]

Completely straightforward. Should have been done ages ago.

Now if only they counted all the sales on Day 1 (or changed the tradpub pre-order rules to be like KDP to level the playing field) it would be a pretty good system.

I've never been entirely clear on why Amazon didn't do that in the first place. All the other outlets do, and Amazon, as you say, does it for trad books.

[Gerri Attrick]

Completely straightforward. Should have been done ages ago.

Now if only they counted all the sales on Day 1 (or changed the tradpub pre-order rules to be like KDP to level the playing field) it would be a pretty good system.

Not sure what you mean by that, David. Do Amazon not count all pre-orders as sales on Day 1? Can you explain?

What is confusing is when you have pre-orders (or sales) in three different time zones - Oz, UK and the US. It's hard to know, then, what orders have been added/accounted for, and when.

[notthatamanda]

I think he's talking about rank. Trades get a huge bump when all their preorders hit the day it goes live. We do not. It's one of the things to consider when uh, considering a preorder.

[TimothyEllis]

I think he's talking about rank. Trades get a huge bump when all their preorders hit the day it goes live. We do not. It's one of the things to consider when uh, considering a preorder.

We do. Perhaps not a 100% rank, but my last book was a trial of this, and instead of a top around 1500, it went to 1150, after debuting on pre-order around 5000.

So while it started slow, release day was better than expected.

[notthatamanda]

Good to know, thanks.