how long do I have to get a book published by Xmas?

[Gregg Bell]

I'm polishing up this novel that is NOT quite ready. I figured for sure I'd have till 12/15 or so before I needed to upload it to get it published for 12/24. Well, Draft2Digital sent out an email yesterday (12/10) (and I only use them for Apple) saying in order to effectively get your stuff published for 12/24 you have to upload it THIS WEEK! Which of course freaked me out. I'm figuring they're talking about snarky Apple. But I'm planning on uploading the novel directly (not using D2D) to Amazon, B&N and Kobo. My experience with Amazon is it's just a day or so. But I've never uploaded to B&N or Kobo. When do you think I would have to realistically submit to them to get published by Xmas? Thanks.

[avantman42]

I have no idea about B&N (I can't go direct to them because I'm in the UK), but for Kobo, you have to have everything done (uploaded, prices set, etc) by midnight on 18th December.

You can set a release date in the future, if you wish, so you could set it to release on 24th December.

Full details here: http://kobowritinglife.com/2013/12/1...rver-schedule/

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

I'm polishing up this novel that is NOT quite ready. I figured for sure I'd have till 12/15 or so before I needed to upload it to get it published for 12/24. Well, Draft2Digital sent out an email yesterday (12/10) (and I only use them for Apple) saying in order to effectively get your stuff published for 12/24 you have to upload it THIS WEEK! Which of course freaked me out. I'm figuring they're talking about snarky Apple. But I'm planning on uploading the novel directly (not using D2D) to Amazon, B&N and Kobo. My experience with Amazon is it's just a day or so. But I've never uploaded to B&N or Kobo. When do you think I would have to realistically submit to them to get published by Xmas? Thanks.

Actually, Gregg, be happy. In 2011, Apple had an eight week lead time. I had this guy--hell, it was here, somewhere, on MR--that I was trying to help with an ePUB, and there were endless posts back and forth (with other folks too, I mean, not just me), and it turned out he was making this book for somebody "...and I have to have it up in time for Xmas." I felt dreadful, but I had to tell him (it was November) that he'd already missed that bus. Apple's lead time was so far out that I think it actually extended into October.

But people simply don't realize, when they use Aggregators, that they have lead times, too. All the books don't just go into a magic pipeline that never clogs, all the books being perfect and that (not). Humans pull down books that are loaded to an FTP, make sure that the ISBN's all match, then load them again to other FTP's for various retailers, along with the metadata sheets that also have to be checked for completeness. (None of them will risk being kicked off the gravy train by Apple, as without Apple, let's face it: who'd use them?) That's a lot of manhours.

And every time a book doesn't pass ePUBcheck, the whole pipeline stops, and has to be unstopped; and then there's Apple's individual check, and ditto. I'm surprised that they're letting it go out to the end of this week, quite frankly.

Hitch

[antijingoist]

For ebooks, Barnes and Noble takes 1-2 days if you do it through them

[VydorScope]

Yeah, for my last release, I used Smashwords and set up as a pre-order every through it, this way the book was already through the pipeline and waiting on release day. It is the only way I know to coordinate releases.

Of course the great and might zon does not let me do that, but their turnaround is usually only a handful of hours (less than 12) so I can work with that. Not sure when their Christmas cut off will be.

In short, push the book asap.

[Gregg Bell]

Thanks all. (I've given up stressing about it. I am now in a deep zone of Zen-like peace.) Happy Holidays!