The good morning, good night thread

[Ed]

  Thanks Pharo. It was a bit dull, TBH. I'd usually have a big slap-up dinner with my family and a few drinks, but couldn't be done in the middle of the lockdown. It can wait 

[delboy]

Bit of a long story around this one, but it was a completed manuscript that I wanted to get published, so I tried Wordwooze and it's now out:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Red-Widow-Derek-Rutherford-ebook/dp/B086BS628K/ref=pd_ybh_a_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XYBR9QSNZP56HE2FPNRM

I'm actually very pleased with this one (which is why I wanted to get it out there).

Cheers
D

[Ed]

Nice one, Del

Did you have to open an Amazon seller account to do this? I opened one for my business last year, and found the process quite onerous and confusing. Finally starting to get a few sales through now. Finding Ebay better in terms of charges, but get a lower sales volume there. Good luck with your sales 

[delboy]

Hi  Ed

No, I don't have an Amazon seller account (*). This was a manuscript that was published in a slightly-different form by a western publisher last year, but due to poor sales the rights reverted to me. I thought it was a good book and didn't want to simply bottom-drawer it, so I rewrote it, changed a few things that I hadn't been happy with (it had been part of someone else's series) and sent it to a new publisher and they took care of the rest.

(*) I did try and set up a seller account for other reasons but ended up clicking the wrong button and heading down the professional seller route (which involves paying Amazon a bunch of £s every month). I've tried to back-track, but you can't so I'm in Amazon Seller limbo... Don't want to go forward, can't go back.

Derek

[Ed]

Yeah, I know what you mean, Del. I found out in recent weeks Amazon are awkward as hell to deal with. When I first tried to get the seller account open, there was a glitch in the application process, which meant even though I was filling it all in properly, my account never made it through to open status. This went on for three months with me trying to get help from their support people, who I think must be based in India, with the resulting language barrier, meanwhile I was paying £25 per month, even though it wasn't working. I finally worked out what was wrong on my own and sorted it. By then I was £75 out of pocket and had some ground to make up. Then I found that I wasn't at liberty to describe the products how I wanted to and they capped the amount I could sell the products for, which makes it basically pointless in a financial sense. No profit to be had after paying the postage and the seller fees, and the monthly fees. Plus they put all their sponsored links first on the results page when people search, so unless you pay extra for your product to be promoted in this way, it's unlikely you'll sell anything. Wish I'd never bothered now.

I've had a little more success with Ebay, but they're almost as bad in different ways. I guess it's the same with any massive multinational company.

Good move having the publisher navigate all that for you

[Pharosian]

Ed, what product were you selling, and what was the cap? I thought about opening a merchant account with Amazon, but I didn't think I could make up the monthly fee on a consistent basis... I was just going to sell used stuff of my own, not go out and buy up cheap goods and try to resell them at a profit as some people evidently do.

[Ed]

Ed, what product were you selling, and what was the cap? I thought about opening a merchant account with Amazon, but I didn't think I could make up the monthly fee on a consistent basis... I was just going to sell used stuff of my own, not go out and buy up cheap goods and try to resell them at a profit as some people evidently do.

A friend of mine went from the industry I've been a part of for the last decade or so into tool sales for a not so well known manufacturer who is looking to improve their market share in mainland Britain. With the main business slowing, I was looking for another revenue stream that didn't involve me going back to manual work (too many aches and pains these days), and he offered to set me up as one of their distribution companies. I'm not so sure it'll work out, because it's going to be high volume/low profit, which is the opposite of what a good business opportunity looks like. The trouble started when I mentioned to him that his company wasn't listing stuff on Amazon and that I would start doing that as one of my sales outlets -- he went back and told them   , and next thing you know they've listed their whole catalogue on Amazon at the same time as I was adding a few things. To list new goods you have to provide an ISBN, SKU, EAN or other number unless it's a unique product. I put in the SKU for the products I wanted to sell, which then linked my sale with the manufacturer's account. When that happens you can only 'suggest' edits to the product description, which is really annoying when they spelled 'professional' with two 'f's and they won't accept your suggestion. If your price is higher than the manufacturer's price, you get a 'pricing error' come up. They've set all their products at RRP, so once Amazon have taken their seller's fees it comes out as pretty close to my cost price on a sale, so pointless doing it. What's most annoying is the head company don't sell directly to the public in any other arena, they only sell to wholesalers. Why did they choose to fuck up Amazon for their regular customers? Dunno.

If you're just selling an odd few things, your best outlet is probably Ebay, or Facebook Marketplace. The fees are a lot less, you can write your own description without words like proffessional forced upon you, and it's all a lot simpler to set up.

[Ed]

Well, the forum is back, but there are a still a few issues. I had trouble logging in. To get back in I had to reset my password, which wasn't easy, because the theme is broken, and the 'reset password' text below the login box isn't visible until you hover over it. If anybody's still checking in and has problems they can't overcome, please email me at blunted@cafedoom.com and I'll see what I can do to help.

Smileys are broken too

[delboy]

Back in okay, here, Ed!!

Hope you're doing okay yourself.

Derek

[Ed]

Back in okay, here, Ed!!

Hope you're doing okay yourself.

Derek

Was starting to think I'd killed it! Nice to see you back in, Del. All fine here, thanks. Just got my 6 month scan result and so far so good -- all clear. Getting the result was a lot like pulling teeth, though. The consultant got all testy for me hassling them for a result after three weeks. He was going to keep me waiting until 16th July, when my next consultation is booked

How are you doing? Keeping sane, still working from home?

[delboy]

Good news on the six monthly, results, Ed! 

Yep, still working from home due to Covid. It's been a very busy few months. The new owners of the business don't take any prisoners... Can't say I'm enjoying it any more.

Not doing any writing at all, at the moment. It's actually the most definite break from writing I can remember having. I just haven't felt like doing any for a few months, even though I've a few things on the go. I'm sure it'll come back soon, it's just been very strange times

Derek

[Ed]

Urgh -- new owners. I know how that is. Takes some getting used to. What typically happens is they have an axe-man who identifies where 'cost savings' can be made, then they proceed to get rid of the people you like, promote the ones you don't, and take away all the perks that kept you sane. I don't envy you at all, Del.

I'm still the same, writing-wise. I spend most of every day at a computer screen these days, so the last thing I feel like doing in my spare time is writing. It may change in the future. The lockdown and cancer have made me take stock, and another side effect is I don't suffer fools gladly anymore. I can afford to take a year off and just live my life for a change, and I'm getting ever closer to shutting down the business and doing that. I've had that opportunity in the past and found myself too worried that I would find it hard to restart again, from the point of view of finding work. Never did it. 

[elay2433]

Good to see the forum up and going again. Miss this place. Miss where I was with writing when the crit group was running full force. Hope everyone is doing well.

[Ed]

Good to see the forum up and going again. Miss this place. Miss where I was with writing when the crit group was running full force. Hope everyone is doing well.

Me too, Jerry -- keep thinking I'll get back to it one day. Nice to see you dropping in. How's life treating you?

[Geoff_N]

Still writing shorts for the BSFA crit group - at least one short per 2 months.
Also still writing the sequel to Falling Up, which is the sequel to Suppose We.

Two of my publishers have given up forcing me to consider self publishing those two novels
Hence Exit, Pursued by a Bee - my first sf novel is now Alien Exit https://mybook.to/alienexit

I'm in isolation at the moment cos Chester hospital has restarted its pain clinic and I have an appointment next Friday. I had a bodged inguinal hernia op last year and ongoing pain needs to be sorted.
Bad news - isolation means no cycling for a week! Unless I get a tiny bike and do laps of my miniscule garden. Good news is that now I'm not going out at all I can read and write more.
Good to see peeps here again.