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This can be a visitor put up from my good friend Lindsey Nubern, writer of 501 Questions: A Journey Recreation.
Earlier this 12 months, I requested Heath, “Ought to I replace my ebook?” It’s just a few years previous and there have been just a few outdated sections that I knew I might get up to date in a few days. However I wasn’t certain if it could be price it. Wouldn’t it increase gross sales? Would I’ve to publish an entire new ebook, or might I simply replace the file?
Little did I do know, Lindsey was working via these similar questions as she up to date her ebook. I’ve requested her to jot down a visitor weblog on methods to know in the event you can or ought to replace your ebook.
Get pleasure from!
Congratulations!
You printed your ebook some time in the past and now you’ve had time to see the response. You’ve seen your ebook achieve traction; nevertheless, critiques and destructive opinions hold you up at evening and also you’ve been conserving observe of an inventory of updates you wish to make in your telephone. With one other winter of COVID forward of us, you’ve thought of taking the time to replace your ebook, however you haven’t taken the plunge but.
Listed below are 5 issues to consider in the event you ought to tackle this venture and if now’s the precise time to go for it.
In February 2020, I used to be in your footwear. My recreation 501 Questions: A Journey Recreation had been out for 12 months, the sport simply had a profitable vacation season, and it had acquired many nice opinions and some critiques that have been bothering me.
Additionally, for a 12 months, I had been flirting with the thought to vary the inside from coloration to black and white. Just a few months after publishing the unique recreation, I noticed I might decrease the sport’s printing prices and make double the royalty for every sale by merely altering the inside from coloration to black and white. In January 2020, I used to be making an attempt to determine if making a second version was a worthwhile funding of my time and assets.
Listed below are 5 issues I thought of earlier than deciding to start out the second version. I wish to share these ideas with you to consider if now’s the precise time so that you can replace your ebook.
1. Are there gadgets in your ebook that have to be up to date?
First, because you’ve printed your ebook, are there gadgets inside your ebook that you recognize have to be up to date? Have any ideas or steps modified? Or, possibly it’s good to do one other learn via with contemporary eyes to ensure every part remains to be up-to-date.
For instance, my recreation 501 Questions: A Journey Recreation contains 180 journey trivia questions that I knew I wanted to double-check if the solutions have been nonetheless appropriate. As I began going via the sport’s questions, I discovered a number of trivia solutions that wanted updating.
One thrilling change was the query: “Which planet in our photo voltaic system has essentially the most moons?” The unique recreation was printed in 2018. Again then the reply was Jupiter with 79 moons. Nonetheless, in 2019 scientists discovered 20 extra moons round Saturn. With that discovery, we now know Saturn has essentially the most moons with 82 moons! I undoubtedly wanted to replace that query.
2. Have you ever acquired suggestions you’ll be able to enhance on?
Have you ever acquired options from readers or have some destructive opinions been conserving you up at evening? We’ve all acquired destructive opinions on our books and irrespective of what number of nice and sort opinions we obtain, the destructive ones have their maintain in our minds. I’ve acquired 66 opinions as of penning this, however the two destructive opinions I’ve acquired have caught with me:
“Underwhelmed: This ebook is cute and shall be entertaining, however the phrase “ebook” is absolutely deceptive right here. It’s nearly a pamphlet. The ebook could be very small, flimsy, and nearly the dimensions of one thing you’d discover in a cereal field. For $5, this wouldn’t have been a difficulty and I’d have given this a terrific overview. For practically $15, this appears like a little bit of a rip-off/ripoff. The ebook shall be enjoyable however at any time when we use it I’ll be pondering, ‘I paid $15 for this factor!?’ “
Ouch!
“Not for journey trivia followers: General disillusioned with this. Purchased it after listening to about it on a journey podcast however solely one in every of 4 sections is journey questions. The opposite matter areas are normal dialogue questions like ‘would you slightly’ ‘inform me about’ or ‘in the event you might’. The solutions journey trivia questions then don’t give lots of element for instance for reply to ‘which is the most important continent?’ It simply says ‘Australia’ versus ‘Australia which is xyz acres’
Ouch once more.
These opinions have damage.
Nonetheless, by updating my ebook, I might make these enhancements. I might add extra questions and bulk up the sport so it’s not as “small and flimsy” but additionally hold it minimal to pack on journeys (conserving it small and minimal was intentional).
And, I might present extra enjoyable info within the trivia solutions so we are able to study extra of the why behind the solutions. I additionally thought, if these two individuals felt this fashion and took the time to share their critiques, possibly others felt disillusioned after they acquired the sport, too, and that’s not the sensation I wished prospects to have!
Now, after launching the second version of my recreation 501 Questions: A Journey Recreation, I acquired this overview:
“This ebook leaves my total household begging for “yet one more query” each time! We love all of them, however our favourite class is difficult journey trivia. We’re studying a lot! We’ve got laughed collectively extra as we reply and focus on questions than ever earlier than. We’ve got achieved questions on the dinner desk, within the automotive, and with family and friends. It’s a terrific useful resource and there are such a lot of questions, it’ll be a really very long time earlier than we get via all of them!”
Whereas destructive opinions are part of promoting any product, it is a nice likelihood to handle them and enhance your ebook.
3. Are you able to lower your expenses on printing or earn extra royalty with a brand new model?
Is there a method it can save you cash on printing prices so you’ll be able to have extra flexibility within the worth of your ebook? Or, is there a method you may make extra royalty on every sale? Perhaps you’ll be able to change your web page rely or change your inside from coloration to black and white.
After publishing the primary version of my recreation that was printed in coloration, I noticed I might decrease the printing price by half if the sport was printed in black and white. With this alteration, I might have extra flexibility with the value of the ebook just like the destructive overview instructed above. Or, with the ebook on the similar worth, I might make double the royalty with every ebook sale.
Additionally, since I printed my ebook, I grew to become a mother and my perspective modified. I envisioned each additional greenback I earned going towards my little boy’s faculty fund and I had a brand new motivation to be extra strategic.
It’s possible you’ll suppose the printing price between coloration and black and white would have been apparent to me whereas I used to be creating the primary version, however I used to be so centered on the “enjoyable person expertise” with the sport that I assumed the inside coloration was necessary and I used to be keen to have a better print price.
Nonetheless, after publishing the sport and as I used to be contemplating altering the inside to black and white, I requested family and friends in the event that they thought the colour was necessary. All of their responses have been they both couldn’t bear in mind it was in coloration although they’d performed the sport or all of them thought the worth of the sport was within the questions, not within the inside coloration. I took their suggestions and thought with the precise graphic designer, I might make the inside enjoyable even with black and white.
Is there a method so that you can lower your expenses on printing or enhance your royalty on every sale? To see in the event you might save on printing prices or earn extra royalty, you’ll be able to entry KDP’s print price and royalty calculator right here.
4. What does updating your ebook seem like? Replace vs. 2nd Version vs. Quantity II
As you’ve gone via these ideas to think about, it’s possible you’ll be prepared to start out updating your ebook. Nonetheless, KDP’s updating requirements could decide which path you’re taking: a easy replace to your present ebook’s file, a giant replace needing a brand new version of your ebook, or an entire new quantity of your ebook!
Should you’ve self-published with KDP, you’ll be able to see methods to replace your ebook right here. This will likely offer you readability on what path you’re replace will take.
For my state of affairs, I noticed with KDP altering the inside from coloration to black and white wasn’t a easy repair of importing a brand new model of the ebook’s file. With that kind of change, I’d need to make a brand new ebook as a second version with its personal Amazon itemizing.
This meant I used to be ranging from scratch with my itemizing and opinions. That felt like a giant enterprise, however with my new perspective, I assumed it was price it and I made a decision I might slowly work on it throughout my son’s naps every day.
So, since I knew I used to be creating an entire new second version and itemizing on Amazon, I made a decision it was my alternative to vary so much and enhance the sport based mostly on the critiques the ebook acquired. I modified the duvet, the inside from coloration to black and white, the inside design, the trivia solutions, and I added 250 inquiries to the sport. Now that the second version is printed, I can see myself making a Quantity II sooner or later with an entire new set of questions for individuals who like the unique model.
Do you’ve got readability on how updating your ebook will look? Is it updating your present file, making a second version, or quantity two? You possibly can see KDP’s updating requirements right here and you’ll all the time join with Buyer Service.
5. Do you’ve got the capability for it proper now?
We’re arising on our second winter with COVID, and I’m already feeling a change in my schedule and assembly up much less and fewer with different individuals outdoors. Is that this a season you might have an additional thirty minutes or hour every single day to replace your ebook and work on it? Might you get up 45 minutes early, keep up 45 minutes later, or spend an hour on Saturday morning devoted to it? This season of life could already be an excessive amount of and updating your ebook may have to attend—that’s okay.
Like I shared earlier, I had trivia that wanted updating, I had destructive opinions regarding points I might reply and enhance on with the second version, and I additionally knew if I modified the inside I might earn extra with every sale. This meant I might be making an entire new Amazon itemizing. It’d be a giant endeavor, however I had a sense it could be price it.
Do you are feeling like you’ll be able to commit a small chunk of time every single day or week to you updating your ebook or creating a brand new version?
Should you want steering and accountability, I like to recommend studying Chandler Bolt’s ebook Revealed. He guarantees to information you in writing a ebook and launching a greatest vendor in 90 days. I’ve used this on my journey to launching each my first version and second version of 501 Questions: A Journey Recreation. The ebook’s given me the steps to take to have the motivation and encouragement to go for it. I additionally join each Monday with an accountability companion who’s additionally engaged on a ebook, so we are able to hold one another accountable to creating progress, encourage each other, and problem-solving collectively.
I began engaged on the second version designs with my designer Margo from Excessive Mountain Artistic in March and I launched the second version in November. It was an extended and sluggish nine-month journey. With slightly time devoted every single day or week (relying on the week) and with the help of my editor, my accountability companions, and launch crew, the second version is now on this planet! We did it!
I want you the most effective in your journey of updating or creating your subsequent ebook whether or not you’re beginning now or sooner or later!
Within the meantime, in the event you’re searching for enjoyable, laughter, and good dialog in your street journeys, across the campfire, or zooming with household and pals, get our new recreation 501 Questions: A Journey Recreation Second Version! You’ll get 750 questions and trivia to unplug, get to know your journey buddies higher, and make the time fly!
Like Lindsey, I in the end determined to take a few days to learn via and replace my ebook. I discovered typos, mounted issues that have been not correct, and as a substitute of itemizing a very new ebook, I simply up to date the ebook file and canopy. I had over 500 opinions I didn’t wish to lose!
So far as gross sales go, I launched the brand new up to date model of the ebook early in March:
This gave a serious increase in gross sales (this chart additionally reveals a terrific COVID dip in April) and gross sales saved coming in all year long. Is it as a result of I up to date the ebook or as a result of everybody purchased an RV this 12 months? That I can’t reply. However I’m sure updating the ebook solely helped!
For extra on methods to publish your personal ebook, try the programs in our RV Entrepreneur Faculty.