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    <title>Support Forums : Message List - scribblr</title>
    <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums</link>
    <description>Most recent forum messages</description>
    <language>en</language>
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    <pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:10:14 +0000</pubDate>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Screw $2.99... $9.97 is the PERFECT price &lt;img class=&quot;jive-emoticon&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;images/emoticons/happy.gif&quot; alt=&quot;:)&quot;&gt;</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=33301&amp;tstart=0#33301</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[I've been a kindle author for two years. I originally priced my books to sell at $9.99, back when Amazon discounted everything. That's means that I set the list price at $12.95 back then. When Amazon ended all discounting on eBooks, I dropped the list price to $9.99. I didn't experience any change in sales volume. 

Then I dropped the prices to $7.99. Again, no change in volume, even though everyone was saying that I had to sell cheaper. After a few more months I dropped the price to $5.99. There was a slight increase in sales, but I was making less money overall. The price drop actually hurt my bottom line. I decided to drop one book to $2.99. This was LONG before Amazon picked that as the base for it's 70% royalty calculation. I sold a few more copies every month, but again, it hurt my bottom line. The number of extra copies didn't make up for the lost royalties I would have gotten at the higher price.

I left the price on the one book at $2.99, but vowed I would never go lower. My higher priced books sell consistently, and I would never sell below $5.99 again. I've been considering raising the price on my one inexpensive novel. A few readers say in the forums that they will never spend more than $2.99 for an ebook. Well, so be it. The number who will, will more than make up for lost sales volume. A higher price suggests a higher quality book, so if your story is good, and the book has been carefully edited, I say go for all you can get. 

Thomas Paine said, "What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly.' That might not be an exact, word for word, quote, but I don't have time to look it up.  :-)]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:20:45 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:20:45 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:20:45 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Sep 2, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>0</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: first-day sales</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=33296&amp;tstart=0#33296</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[My sales were about average yesterday. I sold 43 of my more expensive books, and no sales of my $2.99 book. Today's sales stand at 14 so far. Again, no sales of my less expensive book.

I think that k0pier is correct that the updates occur sporadically. I'll have no sales posted for hours, and then have 6 or 7 at once. 

I've still only sold 1 book in the UK Store, (none this month) and as you predicted, the sales ranking for that book has disappeared. I think that they're still tweaking the system, but if they don't allow our reviews to show over there, it's like our starting over. In the UK, I'm back to where I was here in 2008.]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:51:50 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:51:50 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:51:50 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Sep 2, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>0</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Indentations and Margins?</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=33293&amp;tstart=0#33293</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[Don't bother setting the margins or indentations. The text must flow freely to accommodate the various devices on which it will be displayed. The reader software will set the default margins and first line paragraph indentations. 

As notjohn says, DON'T embed spaces or use the tab key for indentation if you want your output to look proper.

If you know html, and intend to tweak the code after Amazon sets it up, I've found the blockquote tag to be effective for special purposes, but use it very sparingly.]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:40:48 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:40:48 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:40:48 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Sep 2, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>0</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Smashwords</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=33084&amp;tstart=0#33084</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[Uh, sorry, dd, but this don't support your argument that DPI is dead and that it isn't a notation of resolution. As the poster states, the terms are used interchangeably. His demands that everyone be as precise as a computer in their terminology, is only going to make him a very unhappy camper. Look at the very last word in your quote. I don't care if you want to call it dpi or ppi, it's resolution.]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:58:51 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:58:51 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:58:51 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Aug 31, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>8</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Smashwords</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=32957&amp;tstart=0#32957</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[Sorry , you're wrong. DPI is not a 'thing of the past'. I do my image manipulation work in Photoshop and dpi is a very real factor in quality long before you're ready to print an image. I use psd for intermediate steps while layering. I don't use jpg until the very last step because the compression factor is cumulative. I decide my own settings all the way.

For printing covers, I use the full 600 dpi I used when creating the image. That's far more than required for an image on a monitor, but it makes a difference when printing the cover for a DTB.]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:54:59 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:54:59 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:54:59 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Aug 30, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>2</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Smashwords</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=32924&amp;tstart=0#32924</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[[i]exactly, so the very first part of their auto script/macro says IF image => 1280, THEN spit out to a person, and as we see from the amazon dude starting a new thread here is THAT person has been moved to a useful job. Amazon simply has not had the time to update the instructions on the upload screen for the promo cover, but "The Zoom is Dead".

also dpi is print only talk, and nobody is printing here[/i] 

Where is this auto/script macro located? Where is this new thread from an Amazon 'dude' that says they no longer have anyone working with the images? 

I don't care if "The Zoom is Dead". I'm simply following the directions on the site.

Finally, dpi is a notation about image quality. It's not about DTB printing until you print the image on paper. If you print it on a computer screen, it's about the image quality on the monitor.]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:06:15 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:06:15 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:06:15 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Aug 30, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>14</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Publishing rights</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=32916&amp;tstart=0#32916</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[Yes and yes. The agreement is non-exclusive and you can pursue publication elsewhere. If you sign elsewhere, you will probably be required to terminate your agreements with everyone else because publishers usually require exclusive rights to a property for a given period of time.]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:32:26 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:32:26 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:32:26 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Aug 30, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>0</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Smashwords</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=32926&amp;tstart=0#32926</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[[i]On the negative side, every second time I try to go onto the site it's down and doesn't respond.[/i]

I just tried to access SW, and surprise, it's down. So I did a few minutes of investigation. Smashwords is apparently hosted by a co-lo operator named Slicehost in San Antonio, Texas (not that location is vital with the internet, as long as you have access to a good network backbone). The way some of these hosting companies operate is to cut off access when you exceed your purchased allocation of bandwidth. Remember Geocities? When a website exceeded their allocation, access was cut off for X amount of minutes. Of course, the problem may also be SW's box(es). Wherever the problem lies, SW should address it quickly if they hope to remain a player in this game.]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:49:33 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:49:33 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:49:33 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Aug 30, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>0</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Smashwords</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=32896&amp;tstart=0#32896</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[[i]IMHO just swallow your pride and upload 900 x 900 [or 500 x 500 will do the trick][/i]

It's not a matter of swallowing my pride. I have already prostrated myself before them. I have also stated, on this forum, that I will provide whatever they require. All they have to do is tell me what they want. What I get from them is apologies, but no service. They promise to get back to me, and then don't, until I send another note, at which time I get more apologies and promises to get back to me, which again, never happens until I write again.

The book in question was uploaded on August 4th. Although it didn't become 'live' until August 6th, but you could buy it on August 5th. By the time it went live, it had already sold more than a dozen copies at $5.99 because I had notified my fans that I had published the book on Kindle. As of right now, I've sold over 551 copies. The readers who bought the books are obviously fans, but how many could I have sold to others if there was a cover image available to entice them to come to the page?

I just went to the DTP bookshelf and uploaded a cover image again. The page STILL asks for:

 This image will be displayed on the product detail page for your content, and will have a direct impact on customers' purchasing decisions. See Amazon's Product Image Guidelines for more information.

Images must meet the following requirements:
•	TIFF (.tif/.tiff) or JPEG (.jpeg/.jpg) format 
•	Image pixel dimensions of at least 500 pixels on the longest side. A minimum of 1280 pixels on the longest side is preferred. 

-------------------------------------------------

I sent a jpg of 300 dpi, 1280 pixels square, with a background of pure white (RGB 255,255,255) on either size of the book cover image. They don't have to do anything except move the image to the right database, or point the database to wherever the software automatically stored it. I've been doing stuff like that all my working life. Believe me, it takes seconds with someone who knows what they are doing.

Notice what it says in the image requirements - 'This image… …will have a direct impact on customers' purchasing decisions'. Do you think that the DTP people who perform the image work are serving the best interests of the company and it's stockholders?]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:44:20 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:44:20 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:44:20 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Aug 30, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>16</jf:replyCount>
    </item>


    <item>

        <title>Re: Smashwords</title>
        <link>http://forums.digitaltextplatform.com/dtpforums/thread.jspa?messageID=32813&amp;tstart=0#32813</link>

        

        

            <description><![CDATA[B&N is discounting heavily. Amazon then reduces the price to match them and that cuts your royalty if you're at the 70% rate.

I'm presently with Amazon and Smashwords, but Amazon won't put up the cover for my last book. I've been complaining for almost a month to no avail. It's a simple, 15 minute fix that they won't make. It impacts my sales and also their profit. When a retailer doesn't care about it's customers enough to make a simple fix that will make the retailer more money, there's something wrong at the home office and it becomes time to investigate other distribution avenues. It's not like I'm asking for special consideration. I only want them to correct a problem that they've made by not putting up the cover when the book was uploaded. All I get is apologies but no help with every note I've sent to DTP.

Smashwords pricing is very clear for sales through Smashwords itself. It's a better rate then Amazon. It's the pricing through their Premium catalog that's a complete mystery; at least to me. I've decided to forgo that option for as long as I'm with Amazon.]]></description>

        

        <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:24:33 +0000</pubDate>

        

        <jf:creationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:24:33 +0000</jf:creationDate>
        <jf:modificationDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:24:33 +0000</jf:modificationDate>
        <jf:date>Aug 29, 2010</jf:date>
        <jf:author>scribblr</jf:author>
        <jf:replyCount>27</jf:replyCount>
    </item>



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