Border Line will be released tomorrow… except that two days ago Amazon took the print book off the UK site. A friend who had pre-ordered the book had the order cancelled and received an email saying… ‘Our supplier has informed us that it’s been discontinued and is no longer available.’
I, the publisher, supplier and author, have sent no such information.
This came on top of increasingly frantic efforts to get a cover image for the print book onto the Amazon UK site. In the course of these efforts I discovered that Nielsen have been feeding out the image to Amazon since August, but Amazon are having problems with images and are still working on a fix.
At this moment, Border Line (print version), can be found by clicking on the kindle edition icon, then choosing ‘paperback’ from the list. This then shows it as unavailable, but you can put it on a wish list. If I had been trying to dream up a way to raise the blood pressure of a small publisher/author to danger levels, I don’t think I could have done better job than Amazon have achieved.
In the grand scheme of things these are trivial problems. So on the plus side, I have twice met the hedgehog outside the back door, either with his face in the trough, or waiting patiently by an empty one. We have had a visitation by a small flock of goldcrests, picking spiders off our window ledges. They were too swift to photograph, but they did reduce the blood pressure.
Tomorrow I shall have a peaceful day, signing copies of Border Line (or twiddling my thumbs) at the wonderful Gog Magog Hills farm shop.
Green Writing Room 
Hilary, I admire your calm perspective. In the grand scheme of things, I suppose you’re right, BUT this does seem dreadfully poor timing for Amazon to fall apart. Here’s hoping that all comes together successfully after all your very hard work. And I only just realized you are in England, not Australia. My wires are getting crossed more frequently, it seems. (Gog Magog looks worth the trip over the pond all by itself. )
The calm is rather an illusion, easy to assume on the page. I fear my husband calls it something else. The Gog Magogs is indeed a wonderful place. When we first came to live nearby they sold a few eggs, now they are a flourishing concern.
I would like to say I find the problem you have encountered surprising, but as I’m sure you know I don’t. I hope it all gets sorted out reasonably quickly. I shall order a copy of the paperback when it becomes available.
Thanks so much Rod. I believe it will be sorted out, but the timing is… well my language is not fit for the page.
I congratulate you sincerely, m’dear, on getting a bookshop to give you a signing: I tried, I think,every bookshop in Sydney, and not one expressed even the faintest interest. Good on yer ! (And as I said somewhere, Amazon are total shits !!!)
A book shop? I wish. This is the local farm shop! Yes, they sell meat and cheese and vegetables and many other wonderful foodstuffs. They also have a great café. When my second novel came out, they were experimenting and sold my books – they were my best individual outlet. They don’t sell books anymore but kindly agreed to let me spend the day there, selling and signing.
Sounds even better than a bookshop !! – truly, Hilary ! Well, *I* should enjoy it more, and that’s a fact.
😀
Gee, how rotten. I would have thought after all the trouble things would come right just by the sheer law of averages. I hope things will get better and above all you will continue to get those lovely looking feathered friends with hedhogs as n extra bonus.
There are a lot worse things, Gerald. It was the impossibility of making direct communication and sorting out the problem that was SO frustrating. I’ve plenty of good luck in my life, so I’ll just ride this one out.
I wish you best of luck with your book. Have a wonderful day tomorrow, enjoy it to the fullest. I didn’t know you were in the UK. I must take more naps than I thought.
Thanks. I seem to have so many kind blogging friends in Australia that I’m beginning to wonder where I live too.
I am in Ohio, USA, but have been born and raised between Italy and Austria :-).
How wonderful. I think it all M-R’s fault, she is the centre of a reshaped globe. My son-in-law’s parents live near Cleveland, Ohio, so it’s one of the few States in America that I have visited.
Congratulations! … (and condolences regarding the Amazon problem. Hopefully they will sort it out promptly! ) It sounds like an interesting book.
I found(two) small local bookstores were willing to stock my novel – if I provided them (when they ran out, they never reordered until a customer asked for it). But I found that I sell far more e-Books than print books – enough that I actually make (“break even” would be more correct) more $ in the e-market than with the print books.
I gave my local library a copy of my book but they “didn’t do readings” (they do if you’re famous); however a book club requested a nearby library to invite me and they actually bought the book I was going to donate. (You never know who will be receptive – and I’m not big on “pounding the pavement.”)
Thanks, this is very interesting Cinda, I’ve only just started trying to market ebooks, and I have probably paid too much for the conversions. I shall be fascinated to see how this pans out. I have some local print outlets (all sale or return), but I don’t expect the print to do much online. I have a book club invitation and I love them. You are right there are surprise round every corner.
Hilary… I thought I “met” you on Goodreads and went there to see your books. I added Border Line for you ( it looks so interesting) and would like to suggest you add yourself as an author on the site.
You are right, this is on my never ending list of this I MUST do. Thank you so much for putting Border Line there.
Many congratulations, Hilary!! I hope the book signing is lots of fun!! All the very best.
You are very kind, it was lots of fun.
Ouch. Take a deep breath, Hilary. Ommmmmm. –Curt
Thank you… your vibes seemed to have reached Amazon. It has just appeared on the site!! (I just need to get the BP down to normal and catch up on some sleep.)
Yes.
I ordered with Amazon and I haven’t had an e-mail like this if it makes any difference, it should arrive next week, just in time for Christmas break, I’ll let you know if I have problems.
The problem appears to be resolved. You are definitely an angel!
😦 This has been very upsetting, but looking at the comments, it seems to be working now?
Yes and no. Charlotte (above) never received the book and has just had to re-order it. The Kindle version is selling without problems, and I desperately hope the print problems are over too.
I am sorry to hear that Hilary.
OMG, Hilary… How can you appear to be so calm? I would have went ballistic, blood pressure and all. How do you feel about the Kindle versions? Is the Kindle populace high in number?
I wasn’t calm at all, I’m afraid. I think the kindle is doing all right. but I am not expecting big-number sales. Apart from the blog, I only have a very small online footprint, so most sales will be word-of-mouth to people in the UK who have read my other books.