Author's copy is finally in hand- arrived yesterday, via UPS (one day delivery, free-pretty good). I read it again and it still holds up. Two typos, six formatting errors (hard returns) and one minor, I hope, plot inconsistency, all of which are my fault. The formatting errors were hard to spot on a computer and, although BookSurge recommends printing the document out on 11X17 paper (the size of two pages), fixing any errors found would have forced another month of delay. So I can live with them. The plot problem is found in just one paragraph, near the end of the book, a hold-over from an earlier draft where I was going in a different direction. I'll pass the book along to a few readers and, if they don't get thrown by it, I'll live with that,too.
Now we wait to see how long it takes to get the copies ready for distribution and sale. Still not up on Amazon, but I'm checking every day.

Well the "author's copy" was finally shipped yesterday via UPS. Once I review that and approve, I'm told that I'll be ready to publicize the book because, supposedly, there will be books available to sell. I awate with bated breath.

Still nothing. Here's the latest promise, but no action, from my account rep.


Hello Chris

I have contacted the person over the expedited ship list to get a target ship date. I would have thought it would have already been printed but we are moving production facilities at this time and things are somewhat backed up for the time being. As soon as I hear anything I will let you know. Once you get this copy let Melissa and I know that you approve the author copy and we will release your book order. These usually take about 4 weeks to print, and about another week to ship. Usually books update on Amazon within 2 weeks, so I would think it will show up at any time. Usually you can find it first with the ISBN and then the other search mechanisms are updated, so I would try searching with your ISBN (I did today and it did not show up, when you put in, take out the dashes).

Progress

Well yesterday, frustrated, I sent my account rep a link to this blog and my mutterings about Book Surge. Got this response later that day:

"Hello Chris

Your status is now complete and your author's copy has been ordered. I have put this on our expedited shipping list hoping to get it in your hands sometime next week. Once you approve the author copy, notify me, and we will release any preorder you may have had."

Should have posted months ago.

Book Surge Non-Publishing

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. I set up this blog on self-publishing on December 1st of 2005, confident that I would soon be up and running with a book to sell. I had intended the blog to be a running commentary on the process, in the hope that other self-publishers would find it helpful. It is now April 11th and I still have no books to sell, no idea of when they might be printed and a large collection of emails from various representatives at Book Surge promising to look into the delay, to get back to me immediately with a printing date, yadadadada. These people took $2,500 from me in November and have produced nothing but apologies. My first book, published by a real publisher, Andrews/McMeal, took exactly six months to get through design, illustration and distribution. Okay, I only made $20,000 from that effort (watch out in your contract for royalty reductions on sales to Amazon) but at least it was something. Book Surge seems to be running in the other direction: you give them money, get back nothing. So far, I am not impressed.