Author Topic: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?  (Read 3253 times)

SCapsuto

Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« on: October 03, 2018, 12:42:56 AM »
I know Amazon will soon migrate CreateSpace titles to the KDP platform, but I'm thinking of clicking the link to move them now.
Have any of you done this? If so, is there a transition period when your titles are unavailable? One of my books is being used as a college textbook, and I don't want to risk its becoming temporarily unavailable this early in the semester.
Steven is a full-time professional translator. His blog, "Between Wanderings," explores Jewish life and culture from the 1850s to 1920s through the words of people who lived then, and he is translating and publishing books from that era on the same topic. Steven is also the author of "Alternate Channels," about the portrayal of lesbian and gay characters on 20th-century American television. "Alternate Channels" was a semifinalist for an American Library Association book award.
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Denise

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2018, 03:05:10 AM »
For most people, the transition is seamless.


I clicked that button only recently. Super easy.
 
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Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2018, 08:05:15 AM »
It was seamless for me, too. Clicked the button, logged in to my CS account, and in a few minutes everything was over. I do know some people who have had issues. A friend of mine said her books were completely unavailable for a period, but she attempted the migration before me, so maybe that problem was fixed.
 

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Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2018, 10:08:20 PM »
The move itself is easy. Just be sure to check all your moved books because they seem to default to a subset of the available territories instead of worldwide. After I moved my account (about 30 titles), I had to set each one to worldwide distribution, and I also added a second category (which KDP Print allows - CS only allowed one). This then sends each book through review, so be prepared for potential issues and emails from KDP if you do this.
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MelanieMRodriguez

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2018, 07:18:01 AM »
It was done in three minutes. I did it five days ago. All but five books moved instantly. The other five never came so far. I will probably end up just remaking the books since they were in draft status anyway.

Edit: Now it's been seven days since I moved and they are still gone. I was really hoping they'd be here by now. Looks like I do have to make the books again, but I'm so busy right now. :icon_cry:
« Last Edit: October 06, 2018, 11:41:20 PM by SValentine »
 

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Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2018, 09:32:23 AM »
The process was very fast for me also, with no obvious issues. There were people who had problems, but the ones I've heard about all went through the migration relatively early.


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Rickie Blair

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2018, 11:10:42 AM »
It worked seamlessly for me except for one problem: Four books that were "unpublished" on CS were also sent over, with the result that they were automatically given ASINs on KDP, even though they're not available anywhere. Because they now have ASINs, KDP cannot remove them from my bookshelf.

Not a deal breaker, but really annoying. Before starting the move, I had requested that those four books be "retired" by CS, which they did. I thought that would forestall any problems, but it didn't.

Now I'll be looking at those books forever.  :icon_rolleyes:
 

munboy

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2018, 06:39:27 AM »
I've been putting it off because I worry that I'll be that one person where everything goes wrong when I pull the trigger.  :icon_rofl:
 

Writer

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2018, 03:37:07 PM »
I put it off but it turned out to be easy and all over in a matter of minutes.
 

lyndabelle

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2018, 09:24:55 AM »
Well, it wasn't easy for me. I did it back when the first letters first came out at the end of August, and have dealt with a huge fiasco of double accounts for weeks. It has finally sorted out, with my sales data finally coming back on line for current sales mid Oct. But I have lost all my sales data on my dashboard going back to when I first started self publishing in 2009. The Zon did send me a excel print out of all my sales when I asked, because legally they have to keep track and I claimed all the sales on my income tax. But it all doesn't show up in my dashboard anymore or on the nice little graphs.

But as usually in Self-Pub, deal with the changes, adjust, and keep moving on with writing, publishing, repeat.

 

munboy

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2018, 07:20:55 AM »
I have a question for post transfer...sorry if it's been answered already...

I transferred from CS to KDP a week or two ago. While planning for the year ahead, I was thinking about ordering inventory and when I order author copies, it takes me to Amazon's check out...which made me wonder, are author copies available for free shipping with Prime? We have prime on my wife's account and I want to see if there's some way to transfer prime to my author account if it's going to let me have free shipping for author copies.
 

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Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #11 on: November 17, 2018, 01:16:12 AM »
I have a question for post transfer...sorry if it's been answered already...

I transferred from CS to KDP a week or two ago. While planning for the year ahead, I was thinking about ordering inventory and when I order author copies, it takes me to Amazon's check out...which made me wonder, are author copies available for free shipping with Prime? We have prime on my wife's account and I want to see if there's some way to transfer prime to my author account if it's going to let me have free shipping for author copies.
I haven't had occasion to order author copies yet, but the proof copies definitely pay shipping--and take an inordinately long time to arrive. (The one I ordered on November 7 is now expected to arrive November 16-20. Plan accordingly.)

I've had no problems so far with KDP Print except that, but it's annoying. I can understand not being able to use Prime (a buyer program) with author copies (a vendor program), but the shipping speed in becoming really annoying. I still save money at the author price, but had there been a way to pay full price and get faster shipping without making the book available for sale, I would have done that. Getting the changes done has been hung up for days because of this.


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cecilia_writer

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #12 on: November 18, 2018, 07:24:58 PM »
Because of the huge postage cost and length of time etc with Create Space proof copies I have always just completed the publication process and ordered via Prime, so I will carry on doing that with KDP print. I hardly ever sell paperbacks anyway and you can check on screen up to a point, so the chances of anyone else buying a copy at that point and seeing some horrendous mistake are very small.
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munboy

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #13 on: November 21, 2018, 01:47:30 AM »
Because of the huge postage cost and length of time etc with Create Space proof copies I have always just completed the publication process and ordered via Prime, so I will carry on doing that with KDP print. I hardly ever sell paperbacks anyway and you can check on screen up to a point, so the chances of anyone else buying a copy at that point and seeing some horrendous mistake are very small.

I try to do 3-4 comic cons a year and 4-5 local events a year and I usually sell my hard copies pretty well at them which is why I was wondering if author copies (not just the proof) would fall under prime free shipping. I doubt it but one can hope.
« Last Edit: November 21, 2018, 01:50:19 AM by munboy »
 

munboy

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #14 on: November 21, 2018, 01:49:52 AM »
Speaking of selling paperbacks....

Has anybody else seen an uptick in paperback sales since migrating to KDP? At CS, I'd sell a paperback or two every month, sometimes less. Since bumping over to KDP, I've seen my paperback sales triple (still not a lot of sales but an interesting side effect of going to KDP).
 

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Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #15 on: November 22, 2018, 12:39:14 AM »
Because of the huge postage cost and length of time etc with Create Space proof copies I have always just completed the publication process and ordered via Prime, so I will carry on doing that with KDP print. I hardly ever sell paperbacks anyway and you can check on screen up to a point, so the chances of anyone else buying a copy at that point and seeing some horrendous mistake are very small.

I try to do 3-4 comic cons a year and 4-5 local events a year and I usually sell my hard copies pretty well at them which is why I was wondering if author copies (not just the proof) would fall under prime free shipping. I doubt it but one can hope.
No, you can't use Prime with author copies. Sigh!


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munboy

Re: Switching paperbacks from CS to KDP - Is there a time gap?
« Reply #16 on: November 27, 2018, 05:12:59 AM »
Because of the huge postage cost and length of time etc with Create Space proof copies I have always just completed the publication process and ordered via Prime, so I will carry on doing that with KDP print. I hardly ever sell paperbacks anyway and you can check on screen up to a point, so the chances of anyone else buying a copy at that point and seeing some horrendous mistake are very small.

I try to do 3-4 comic cons a year and 4-5 local events a year and I usually sell my hard copies pretty well at them which is why I was wondering if author copies (not just the proof) would fall under prime free shipping. I doubt it but one can hope.
No, you can't use Prime with author copies. Sigh!

Alas!

I didn't really think that would be the case, but I thought I'd ask anyways.