I’m sure I have written this all before — I’ve certainly thought about it —the best thing about publishing on Amazon is that you can easily update and improve every aspect of your books.
The cover, the story, the layout, the descriptions, and marketing. You still have to put in the work, and there comes a time when you should probably move on. But if you find a typo (or more likely a reader does), or you have a new idea for the cover that better represents your story, you are not obligated to live the rest of your life wishing you could ‘fix’ it. Just do it.
You Still Have To Put In The Work
In the case of LOOP, an action-thriller with strong sci-fi and horror elements, the story hasn’t changed since I first wrote it, most of the year of work before being satisfied with the nuances of grammar, typesetting, and the cover design. After many rounds of copy editing, from myself, semi-professional editors, and friends, patient and generous with their time and efforts, I was confident the manuscript was error-free before I hit the publish button. And then of course, 20 more mistakes were found and fixed since then.
Since A Book Really Is Judged By Its Cover
Changes in the cover have been more subtle, but in my mind, since that’s mostly how a book is judged to be worthy of the investment to read it, vitally important in sharing the work.
The description has been changed a dozen times as I’ve had time to both consider the wording and the layout dictated by Amazon’s listing and HTML. I’ve also taken lessons gleaned from the reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads to take in account how others view and respond to the book.
Being a first-time self-publisher and author, the journey has and remains a learning experience. As I ready my second novel for release, the globe-trotting thriller BLACK FIRE, I’m thankful that lessons learned can be implemented as fast as I discover them.
Good luck on your own projects, and should you open the pages of LOOP, happy, creepy, catch-your-breath reading!
