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Re-Publishing Non-Selling Kindle Books

by tjk1058
22 replies
For all you Kindle publishers... do you ever re-publish books that haven't been selling well? I have put out a lot of stories in the erotica niche and some have done extremely well and others have only sold a few.

Should I delete these and then make new covers and titles to see if that will help? I wasn't sure if anyone else has done this before? Is it acceptable since only a few copies have sold it's not like a lot of the same people will by the same story and then refund it.

Thanks,

TedK
#books #kindle #nonselling #republishing
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    E. Haldeman-Julius sold millions of his little blue books by experimenting with titles.

    You can look up his story online. He would publish ads in magazines listing dozens of titles, and people would order these cheap books based just on the title. If a title didn't meet a certain threshhold, he'd pull it back and give it a new title.

    Giving your stories that don't sell the same treatment with new covers and titles sounds like a plan.
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  • Profile picture of the author John J M
    I would definitely suggest exactly what you said. So much in Kindle relies on cover, title, keywords in description, and reviews.

    Obviously, the other part is to obviously get downloads, which KDP select can help with.

    But yah, I'd go for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Don Schenk
    And you don't even need to delete the Kindle book from KDP. Simply open your account, go to that book, click "Actions," and upload a new cover, or change keywords, or change title, or change price.

    :-Don
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  • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
    I am in the process of doing the same thing. I have good reviews so I am just changing the titles and covers... Then I'll start promoting them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Slate Marketing
    Republishing under a different title, cover, etc can be HUGE. Many people don't know this but the exercise phenomenon P90X was first called something different and totally failed in the marketplace. It wasn't until they changed the name and marketed it differently that they had success.

    Go for it!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
    A thought I had after I posted... If you use your own ISBN number and not just the Amazon AIN, you will need a new ISBN for the new title...
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  • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
    Originally Posted by tjk1058 View Post

    For all you Kindle publishers... do you ever re-publish books that haven't been selling well? I have put out a lot of stories in the erotica niche and some have done extremely well and others have only sold a few.

    Should I delete these and then make new covers and titles to see if that will help? I wasn't sure if anyone else has done this before? Is it acceptable since only a few copies have sold it's not like a lot of the same people will by the same story and then refund it.

    Thanks,

    TedK
    You can't delete them. They will stay on your bookshelf in unpublished mode. Why would you want that?

    Instead change the title and cover on the ones there now and reload the file over what you have.

    Same book - new look
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Wellington
    There are many options you have with Kindle books. Testing different names and covers, like John said, is a great idea. But you can also post the content on other sites, such as Smashwords. Also, you can convert it into an audio book and put it on Audible or something, or translate it into different languages. However, be aware that if you are on the KDP programme, then you cannot post it anywhere else (for at least 90 days, I believe, but could be wrong).

    Also, have you tried marketing it on sites like Goodreads or Shelfari? Be sure not to spam, but giving away your book for a review has worked many times before. Rachel Rofe is a mastermind with Kindle, and her course 'The Ultimate Kindle Course' has everything you need to be successful on Kindle, but if you don't want to buy the course, she also has quite a few Youtube videos and blog posts that are very helpful.
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    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
      Originally Posted by Matthew Wellington View Post

      However, be aware that if you are on the KDP programme, then you cannot post it anywhere else (for at least 90 days, I believe, but could be wrong).
      It IS wrong.

      KDP is the pubbing arm of Amazon. If you are in just KDP you can pubb your book wherever you like.

      If you are in the Amazon Exclusive - KDP Select, you have to give Amazon an exclusive.

      KDP and KDP Select are NOT the same program.

      KDP Select is a sub-program of KDP.
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    • Profile picture of the author Raydal
      Originally Posted by Matthew Wellington View Post

      Rachel Rofe is a mastermind with Kindle, and her course 'The Ultimate Kindle Course' has everything you need to be successful on Kindle, but if you don't want to buy the course, she also has quite a few Youtube videos and blog posts that are very helpful.
      I decided to look up this course. I was price shocked. $1,000! I guess
      I am missing something or need a paradigm shift.

      -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    I have found the 99 cents sells a lot more. In the beginning I was using $2.99 because that pays 70% commission. However, the sales were poor. Also, try using a new cover. That has a big effect on sales as you will soon see. Best strategy is to re-write the first chapter as that is what people see when they look inside a kindle e-book on amazon. Hey, all the best to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author DeborahDera
    I know quite a few people have experimented with simply their covers. The covers do make a difference - they're the first thing someone sees when browsing a list of titles. What do the covers of the books that sell well look like in comparison to those that do not sell as well?

    Originally Posted by tjk1058 View Post

    For all you Kindle publishers... do you ever re-publish books that haven't been selling well? I have put out a lot of stories in the erotica niche and some have done extremely well and others have only sold a few.

    Should I delete these and then make new covers and titles to see if that will help? I wasn't sure if anyone else has done this before? Is it acceptable since only a few copies have sold it's not like a lot of the same people will by the same story and then refund it.

    Thanks,

    TedK
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    [B]Web Articles & Content * Blog Content * High Quality PLR

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  • Profile picture of the author walkin
    Rewrite the book and try to add few more interesting subject so the reader won't disappoint even if they came to know it is the same book, don't forget to change cover page!
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  • Profile picture of the author KateD
    Originally Posted by tjk1058 View Post


    Should I delete these and then make new covers and titles to see if that will help? I wasn't sure if anyone else has done this before? Is it acceptable since only a few copies have sold it's not like a lot of the same people will by the same story and then refund it.

    Thanks,

    TedK
    Ted,

    That's the absolute BEAUTY with the Kindle publishing format. It gives us writers so much power and control over our titles. So yes, if a book isn't selling at first, but you know that it should be selling better (since you have similar books selling well), then YES, definitely modify the different components, re-publish and see if that affects sales.

    You don't have to change ANY of the content of the book. Be sure to try differ cover images, different titles, different fonts, different descriptions, etc.

    Best of luck,


    KateD
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    Why Aren't You Making Money On Kindle With Erotica?


    --->I can also write other fiction (horror, romance, mystery, etc). Just ask me, I don't bite. :)
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    • Profile picture of the author tjk1058
      So would I need to delete it first and then re-submit it or by just changing the cover and title it would be just like a new book? I just want to make sure as doesn't Amazon email past buyers when a new book comes out by you? If so, do they do the same if you just change the cover and title?

      Thanks,

      TedK

      Originally Posted by KateD View Post

      Ted,

      That's the absolute BEAUTY with the Kindle publishing format. It gives us writers so much power and control over our titles. So yes, if a book isn't selling at first, but you know that it should be selling better (since you have similar books selling well), then YES, definitely modify the different components, re-publish and see if that affects sales.

      You don't have to change ANY of the content of the book. Be sure to try differ cover images, different titles, different fonts, different descriptions, etc.

      Best of luck,


      KateD
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by tjk1058 View Post

        So would I need to delete it first and then re-submit it or by just changing the cover and title it would be just like a new book? I just want to make sure as doesn't Amazon email past buyers when a new book comes out by you? If so, do they do the same if you just change the cover and title?

        Thanks,

        TedK
        Ted, I've changed covers, tweaked titles, played with prices and rewritten descriptions - all without deleting my book first.

        Here's what happens when you make a change.

        > Amazon puts the book in "review" status. All this means for active books is that nothing will change until the change is approved.

        > Amazon reviews your change. If you aren't doing something they see as shady, they'll approve the change. Keep in mind that they still want to sell books, so unless you try something hinky, like titling your graphics how-to book "Fifty Shades of Gray" as opposed to "Grey" (whichever way it goes), they'll likely approve your change.

        > About 24 hours later, you'll receive an email that says your book is live, which means your change has been approved and the new whatever is shown to the public.
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  • Profile picture of the author thedanbrown
    Ya sounds like a good idea. Cover is huge in the buying decision on Kindle. All you have is your cover, content, and "description" which is basically your sales page. You might want to try coming up with a new hook for why people should buy those books also.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marketing Fool
    ...And Change the author name as well...I've had books TANK but changed the author name (and nothing else) and suddenly had them EXPLODE...seems stupid but it works. Pen names.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Marketing Fool View Post

      ...And Change the author name as well...I've had books TANK but changed the author name (and nothing else) and suddenly had them EXPLODE...seems stupid but it works. Pen names.
      How do you do this? You create a new author profile?
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      • Profile picture of the author Marketing Fool
        Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

        How do you do this? You create a new author profile?
        You could do that...or simply log into your KDP backend and erase the old author name and type in the new one...save your book and amazon will republish in 12 hours under the new author name...
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  • Profile picture of the author sqwm1im
    Rob Roden Parker's Kindle Dynasty includes a case study of him tweaking two of his books - changing the cover and tweaking the titles, basically - and seeing his sales jump by 600%. I've never done it, but I have a couple of under-performers on Amazon so it's definitely on my agenda to commission new covers and tweak other details. I think the key is to get stuck-in and see what works and what doesn't.
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  • Profile picture of the author badaz
    there might be something wrong with your : Title, Cover and description which most writers ten to ignore so take what i said into consideration . good luck
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