Not everything in this business is under the control of the principals. JM and I do not have control over whether or not our books show up on sites. We really don’t. We have a distribution agreement. So, the files are under review.
They’ve been under review for almost a month now.
For validation.
Amazon? 24 hours and you’re validated and moving forward. It hurts my little, black, shriveled soul to say positive things about a company that I don’t trust in the least. (Or rather, I trust it to always have its own best interests at heart. Those interests and mine may or may not coincide.)
But right now, major distribution company? I am being forced to compare you unfavorably to Amazon. This is *not* how you want your user base to react. You are making me and my company look bad. And you are charging me money for this service. Right now? I despise you.
I don’t have a huge number of anger triggers. My number one trigger? Incompetence. I hate it when people do not do what they are supposedly hired to do. If I hire a plumber, I expect that the pipes he put in will not leak. When I hire a carpenter, the box better not fall apart. When I hire a distribution company, they better actually distribute the god damned books.
*deep breath*
So, lessons learned: Give the distribution company an extra-long time to do their thing. They are useful, but not swift, nor are they efficient.
This first book has been an excellent learning tool. I’m learning about distribution. JM is learning about file creation. We’re both learning that everything is just a little more expensive than it was during our research phase because no one tells you everything you need to know in this business. (Cut throat, shark infested, welcoming, and swamped. The book business is like the antiques business. Friendliness is encouraged, but you must at all times look out for your own interests. Nicest people you ever want to meet unless you’re in the middle of a deal and then all bets are off. We all love the same things, but it’s a very competitive business. Huh… and I used to think that the HP fans in my life were blowing smoke when they sorted me into Slytherin. *grins*)
The thing is, no matter how much I kvetch? I still love it. I love creating the content. I love reading the slush. (look for our new page: quotes from the slush read) I even love arguing about what contracts say.
Non, je ne regrette rien.
Cross-posted to The Art of Procrastination
BitterSuites 