SPS-463: Big News From KDP

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca have a packed episode of indie publishing news, starting with a significant change to Amazon's preorder rules. Authors can now set up preorders up to 18 months in advance and postpone them twice without penalty – enough to tempt even preorder-phobic James into considering one for his next book.

They also discuss a legal case involving Amazon Ads, Cissy's plans to test a Goodreads giveaway for her upcoming release, and the opportunities for indie authors in the Italian market following James's conversation with the team behind Indieverse in Milan.

Later, Cissy shares an experiment using ChatGPT and Claude to create an interactive, visual experience around the world of her historical romance series. This leads into a wider conversation about AI, reader-facing marketing and the pressure some romance authors feel around using AI in their businesses.

Key Talking Points

• Amazon's new 18-month preorder window
• Authors can now postpone a preorder twice without penalty
• James considers setting up a preorder for his next book
• The North Carolina Attorney General's case involving Amazon Ads
• Cissy's Goodreads giveaway experiment for her September launch
• Goodreads Giveaway Month and whether giveaways are worth testing
• Tracking launch data with Claude
• The Indieverse conference in Milan and the Italian indie publishing market
• Opportunities for English-language indie authors publishing in Italian
• An upcoming SPS conversation about the Italian market
• Cissy's AI-created interactive world-building experience for readers
• Using ChatGPT to create historical inspiration images
• Using Claude to build interactive marketing experiences
• AI as a tool for launch preparation, data and book marketing
• The debate around reader-facing AI use in romance
• Authors deciding their own boundaries and approach to AI

Links & Resources Mentioned

ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com

Indie Writers Club / SPS Support: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support

Down Under Mystery Club: https://ajblythe.com/podcast

Cissy's: Walk the Border Password: vivian