As regular readers will know, my official publication date for “Fatal Forgery” is this coming Friday, 19 July. However, with self-publication, you need a detailed plan working backwards from the publication date, to make sure that you get everything where it should be in time. For a print-on-demand paperback, you upload the files to your publisher (in my case, Createspace) and they then pass on the information to Amazon for listing. This sharing of the files takes (according to the Createspace website) 5-7 days. My “O” level maths is just about up to this, so I figured that – with a publication date of 19 July – I should upload the files on 12 July. So I did. And to keep things tidy, I also uploaded the Kindle file to KDP (Kindle Publishing Direct – the Kindle-y part of Amazon). Great relief all round, and even a quiet little cry in the corner. Well, it’s been four years in the making.
Five hours later, I was checking Facebook, and a friend had posted a link. To “Fatal Forgery”! On Amazon! Both POD and Kindle versions! So much for 5-7 days. Of course, it’s all too exciting, but it has rather thrown my publishing plan for a burton. You will notice that the “publication countdown clock” has gone from this website, for instance – after all, it’s published. So, if you’re interested, you can see the book listed here on Amazon – they highlight both editions (POD and Kindle) in one listing: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fatal-Forgery-Susan-Grossey/dp/1489587403/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373868902&sr=1-1&keywords=fatal+forgery
But fear not: this is not the end of our blog journey together. After all, if you’re reading this as a potential self-publisher yourself, you’re going to want to know about the aftermath – the marketing, hopefully the sales, and the public reaction. Also, on the recommendation of another self-published author, as well as using Amazon for the POD and Kindle editions, I am also selling the book as a plain PDF via a site called Gumroad – I’ll tell you all about it next time.
Susan Grossey 
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