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one bad twelve available in print!

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I’m excited to announce that my crime fiction short story collection one bad twelve is now available in print at both my CreateSpace store and Amazon.com for $11.99. (If you’re interested in buying it, I’d appreciate it if you did so at my CreateSpace store…Amazon takes 50% more royalties when selling from their site!)

The volume is 226 pages and consists of 13 original stories as well as a Story Notes section where I talk about the inspiration and background for the stories. There’s also an excerpt from my forth-coming debut detective novel, A Reason to Live.

The process to go from ebook to print was much easier than I’d anticipated. CreateSpace–a division of Amazon–has the process down pat and guides the would-be print author through every step of the way. If you’re interested, I talk about my experiences and provide some tips and expected pitfalls here (Part I) and here (Part II). I’ll be posting a Part III of the experience soon.

Quick FAQ

Why did you go with CreateSpace?
CS is owned by Amazon and the seamless connection between creating an ebook and a print book–and linking the two in their sales channels–was too good to pass up. Also, like their system for uploading ebooks, the interface for creating a print book is exceedingly easy to use and the help they provide through the process is thorough.

Is it safe to order from CreateSpace?
Yep. CreateSpace is a wholly owned division of Amazon, although your credit card statement will show CREATESPACE as the merchant.

What’s the difference in ordering from CreateSpace vs. Amazon?
For the buyer, very little. The price is exactly the same. However, because CS is the printer rather than the distributor, they take less in royalties…50% less. So, the author (that’s me) makes much more from orders through CS than Amazon without any increase in price to the buyer.

The one consideration for a buyer is that CS does not offer free shipping for Prime members. Amazon does.

Why $11.99? The ebook is only $2.99!
There are overhead costs–salaries, printing, warehousing, and paying for the electronic costs of the store–that drive the cost of a print version up. Also, I elected to go through an “expanded distribution” network that allows me to place one bad twelve in libraries and independent bookstores, who take much deeper cuts of the overall price.

Because of that deeper cut, I make just $1 per copy sold in those channels; $11.99 is the lowest price I could set and still make any money on my book. 🙂 I make correspondingly more through Amazon.com and even more if you buy through my CreateSpace store.

one bad twelve – $11.99
CreateSpace  – https://www.createspace.com/3826415
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/one-bad-twelve-Matthew-Iden/dp/147504500X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

Using the Kindle to Edit

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When the manuscript for my novel A Reason to Live was ready to move from critique groups to professional editing, I was lucky enough to land the wonderful Alison Dasho (nee Janssen), a former editor for Bleak House Books and Tyrus Books [visit her at http://www.alisonedits.com/].

She’s in Wisconsin, I’m in Virginia; obviously, this was going to be a digital relationship. But there are a million ways to exchange documents online. How best to get my 90,000 words to you? I asked. Just send the Word document, she said, I’ll put it on my Kindle.

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Fantasy short story Assassin is free on Amazon

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My short story Assassin is free on Amazon today and tomorrow (3/24 – 3/24). Please avail yourself of the offer and grab it at http://www.amazon.com/Assassin-ebook/dp/B007JJSMTQ/.

Synopsis
For almost twenty years, war has raged between the mountain kingdom of Thrace and the sea-faring land of Andal, exhausting both nations. Prince Lowan, the educated and debonair second son of the King of Thrace, has arrived to make peace with his father’s enemies. But the price Andal requires for peace is high–too high–and Lowan knows there are many ways to influence a nation at war.

Assassin is an original fantasy short story of 4,200 words, or about 17 paperback pages. It includes a Story Notes section, outlining the background and thought process behind the writing as well as an excerpt from Matthew Iden’s fantasy short story Sword of Kings.

Click for larger image.

If you are kind enough to download it, please consider telling your friends by clicking on the “Share this item” button on Amazon (example on right). It would be a huge help!

I’ve included an excerpt after the break.

Printing Your Book With CreateSpace: Part I

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This is Part I of a two-part series on my experiences printing my short story collection one bad twelve. This initial post covers the reason for printing my title, why I went with CreateSpace, and some beginning knowledge you might need if you want to do so yourself.

Why Print?
In a recent blog post, writer and publisher Dean Wesley Smith talked about the importance of making sure your writing is available in print as well as digitally. E-readers, he points out, are the wave of the future, but,

“…electronic publishing is hovering around 20% of all books sold. Higher in some genres, lower in others, higher in some months, lower in others. That means in general that 80% of all books sold are paper, through either online bookstores like Amazon or indie bookstores or box stores.”

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