Hi guys,

So today's the launch day for DWBS Book 2. As many of you might know, the original plan was for this to launch on July 28th but Amazon's review process flagged us. Originally, we were planning a big launch announcement for both Book 2 and DWBS B1 audiobook but because the release dates are now out of sync, I thought we'd use this time to talk about being a self-published author and our relationship with Amazon.

To start, Amazon sales (including Kindle Unlimited, Kindle sales, and paperback purchases) account for roughly 90% of our earnings. And that creates some pretty interesting dynamics.

For one, we spend a lot more time thinking about Amazon than most people would. The first thing I look at is which categories to put the book in. DWBS is currently ranking in Gaslamp Fantasy (the defacto cozy fantasy category), Humorous Fantasy (because we try to be funny), and Coming of Age Fantasy (Arthur finds his place in the demon world). That tells Amazon what the book is about and also helps us rank among the other books in that category. But more important than categories are keywords. Most people don't go browsing the Gaslamp Fantasy category on Amazon and purchase based off of that, they type in some keyword like "cozy fantasy boba." We care about those keywords a lot. And lastly, we spend a lot of time on covers and blurbs. Even though there's the saying not to judge a book by its cover, people still do that. Book 1 and Book 2 have distinctly different art styles at the moment because we're trying to figure out what conveys the wholesomeness of DWBS the best.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Kindle, on the other hand, is fighting a problem with fraud. It's an unequal battle. The reality is that committing fraud is free so the incentive is for fraudsters to keep trying until something succeeds. Back when we were writing Deadworld, someone changed a few worlds and uploaded our book onto Amazon. It passed muster (because of what they had changed) and sold for at least two weeks before we caught on to it and asked Amazon to take it down. But Kindle probably catches dozens, if not hundreds, of attempts like these every day without us knowing. So when we uploaded DWBS B2, we triggered some copyright filter in the system and had to give extra proof that we were indeed the copyright holders of the book. It wasn't a pleasant experience but luckily, it seems like we've come out on the other side of it.

The last piece of this puzzle is you, the reader. Neither us (the authors) nor Kindle would exist without you. So thank you. And if you have time, we'd really appreciate any support in borrowing, buying, reviewing, or talking about DWBS.

Thanks,

Dotblue and RC

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DBW1M4V1