Really Peeved with Barnes & Noble - Page 3

neilmarr · 10-31-2009, 02:22 AM

Wonder if they're trying to avoid freebies, Jan. Not much commission for B&N on a free book. Neil

Steven Lyle Jordan · 10-31-2009, 09:45 AM

It seems my free short stories have also been removed from the B&N catalog. Verdant Skies now has a cover (after a week), but still no description.

I passed the mention on to Mark C, to see what he's learned in the last week. If I were him, I wouldn't be thrilled...

khalleron · 10-31-2009, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JanG

Now my book has disappeared from B&N. I guess they got peeved at me

! I suppose there might be a legitimate reason. I checked other Smashwords books, and all those that I checked are still up and still don't have descriptions.

--JanG.

It's still in my library, Jan, but I still can't download it. I don't see it when I search for it either.

JanG · 10-31-2009, 12:58 PM

I did a search for 'Smashwords' and I found a lot of books are being offered for one cent. These are books which were previously free. No, my book is not included, and there still aren't any descriptions for any of Smashwords' books.

I sincerely hope that Mark can sort this out.

--JanG.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 11-01-2009, 09:59 AM

From what I've been seeing, and the comments from Mark, I've come to understand that B&N is simply having the kinds of problems that any company with a large and complex web system, breaking in a new system, can be expected to have. My office is having similar issues with a new website: You plan, you decide, you put in a new system, you troubleshoot, you fix, you are happy, you turn it on... and you find more problems you didn't catch the first time.

Mark suggests patience as B&N tries to solve its website issues. Troubleshooting a live site on-the-fly is never easy.

khalleron · 11-12-2009, 03:19 PM

I was finally able to download it today - don't know when they got it fixed, I had almost forgotten all about it.

It's on its way to you - check your email.

And anyone else who's been trying to download Smashwords books on B&N, it looks like it's finally functional.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 11-16-2009, 12:22 PM

After over 2 weeks of no progress adding descriptions to my book entries, or restoring the free e-books, I've decided to pull my novels from the B&N store until such time as I find out all books are displaying properly.

I just can't see the point of leaving in there a novel with no description, no related website, and no further information about it. Who's going to even look seriously at that, much less buy it?

JanG · 11-20-2009, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

After over 2 weeks of no progress adding descriptions to my book entries, or restoring the free e-books, I've decided to pull my novels from the B&N store until such time as I find out all books are displaying properly.

I just can't see the point of leaving in there a novel with no description, no related website, and no further information about it. Who's going to even look seriously at that, much less buy it?

Frustrating isn't it Steve? My novella disappeared from B&N completely and even though Smashwords says it was re-distributed on November 6th, I'm still waiting.

I'm sure it's B&N's problems and not Smashwords' that are causing the trouble. I still have no idea why my book was taken down, those people who have managed to download it from when it was displayed, have told me (and I've seen for myself - thanks Kate) that the layout looks just fine.

(shrugs) It's a free book, so I really don't mind in the long run. But for those who want to sell their work it must be incredibly annoying.

--JanG.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 11-20-2009, 08:47 AM

I agree, the problems are with B&N's system, not Smashwords'. It also highlights the latest issues self-publishers have with these "self-publish with us" systems: The fact that you often have very little control over exactly how your material is presented, marketed, etc. This is why I pulled out of the Kindle store after a year of wasted time. I can present my work better to the public on my own site, response-time is faster through me (even while holding down a day job), and low-pressure marketing is getting me more customers than anything I could afford to do at the aggregate sites to attract attention.

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10-31-2009, 02:22 AM	#31
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Wonder if they're trying to avoid freebies, Jan. Not much commission for B&N on a free book. Neil

10-31-2009, 09:45 AM	#32
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	It seems my free short stories have also been removed from the B&N catalog. Verdant Skies now has a cover (after a week), but still no description. I passed the mention on to Mark C, to see what he's learned in the last week. If I were him, I wouldn't be thrilled...

10-31-2009, 12:58 PM	#34
JanG Groupie Posts: 156 Karma: 6266 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: Laptop; Kobo Clara	I did a search for 'Smashwords' and I found a lot of books are being offered for one cent. These are books which were previously free. No, my book is not included, and there still aren't any descriptions for any of Smashwords' books. I sincerely hope that Mark can sort this out. --JanG.

11-01-2009, 09:59 AM	#35
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	From what I've been seeing, and the comments from Mark, I've come to understand that B&N is simply having the kinds of problems that any company with a large and complex web system, breaking in a new system, can be expected to have. My office is having similar issues with a new website: You plan, you decide, you put in a new system, you troubleshoot, you fix, you are happy, you turn it on... and you find more problems you didn't catch the first time. Mark suggests patience as B&N tries to solve its website issues. Troubleshooting a live site on-the-fly is never easy.

11-12-2009, 03:19 PM	#36
khalleron Kate Posts: 1,700 Karma: 3605799 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oregon, United States Device: MeeBook, Kobo Libra Colour	I was finally able to download it today - don't know when they got it fixed, I had almost forgotten all about it. It's on its way to you - check your email. And anyone else who's been trying to download Smashwords books on B&N, it looks like it's finally functional.

11-16-2009, 12:22 PM	#37
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	After over 2 weeks of no progress adding descriptions to my book entries, or restoring the free e-books, I've decided to pull my novels from the B&N store until such time as I find out all books are displaying properly. I just can't see the point of leaving in there a novel with no description, no related website, and no further information about it. Who's going to even look seriously at that, much less buy it?

11-20-2009, 08:47 AM	#39
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	I agree, the problems are with B&N's system, not Smashwords'. It also highlights the latest issues self-publishers have with these "self-publish with us" systems: The fact that you often have very little control over exactly how your material is presented, marketed, etc. This is why I pulled out of the Kindle store after a year of wasted time. I can present my work better to the public on my own site, response-time is faster through me (even while holding down a day job), and low-pressure marketing is getting me more customers than anything I could afford to do at the aggregate sites to attract attention.

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