Amazon (and Barnes & Noble) Grrrr!

So a couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog with good news for American readers - and American writers who wanted to buy a copy of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance.

In that I was able to tell you that the publishers had reduced the cost of this book from $27.50 - which was the cost of the imported edition, together with shipping - to $19.99 which is what the new USA edition has been priced at. And I was really pleased to be able to say that Amazon had the book in stock at this price. I even put up a link to that page on Amazon so that you could find it easily if you wanted to buy the book.

That was the link that I put I the sidebar.

But I checked on this again over the weekend and infuriatingly I found that Amazon.com has put the price up to the former $27.50 but is now offering the book at a 'reduction' of $24.75 - which is $5 more than the price the publisher is asking. And it seems that Barnes & Noble has done the same.

Now Amazon and B&N are entitled to charge what they want on their sites but it's annying me becuase I've been trying to get this book made easily available to USA writers ever since it first came out in the UK.

And it it's a crazy situation because if you order it from a Barnes and Noble shop, you should be able to get it from the Chicago distributors at the cheaper price of $19.99

So I just wanted to remind you that you don't have to order it on line and pay that extra $5 - what you can do is take the details to any B&N shop or Borders - any bookshop in fact - and you'll be able to order the book at this great price. And you shuldn't have to wait the 2-4 weeks listed by Amazon either - the book is right there in Chicago, ready to be shipped to any bookstore that orders it!

Here are the details you need - just cut and paste them and print them out and take them to your local bookshop and they should do the rest

Please order:
KATE WALKER'S 12 POINT GUIDE TO WRITING ROMANCE
Author: Kate Walker

ISBN: 978-1842851319

Price : $19.99
Studymates Publishing

Chicago Distribution Center

11030 S. Langley Ave.

Chicago, IL 60628

Phone: 773-702-7000

Fax 773-702-721212

You can even phone the Distribution Centre yourself and they will supply the book and post it too you.

But you don't have to do that - that's what bookshops are for - to sell books!

For those of you who don't know, this is the Second Edition. And the new edition is not only revised and updated, it also has this 40+ pages extra with advice and tips from 21 currently published authors. Authors like Michelle Reid, Anne McAllister, Sandra Marton in Presents, Liz Fielding, Natasha Oakley, in Romance, Trish Wylie and Julie Cohen in Modern Heat (Trish in Romance too!) - and Kate Hardy in Mod Heat and Medicals - along with Gill Sanderson and Margaret McDonagh. And in Historicals there's Nicola Cornick and Michelle Styles . . . and that's only as a taster. There's also Holly Jacobs from Harlequin Everlasting - er - Superromance and Yvonne Lindsay from Desire.

Hopefully, whatever line you're aiming for you'll find something to help you there.

Personally, I'm wondering what Amazon will do about the people who ordered the book two weeks ago when they had the price at $19.99. Anyway, I'm taking down the link to Amazon until they offer it at that price again.

PS Amazon.ca have the book at CDN$15.87 and it's in stock! and The Book Depository.com has it at $16.39

More good news for USA writers - and readers

Thank you to everyone who commented on the new covers/new scheduling in the UK.

I tend to agree with you - Julie, Jan, Jill and Ellen - that I'm not keen on the 2 in 1 format for the Romance books - and some others. I often buy romance titles but only by very specific authors and I'm afraid that the inclusion of an author I'm not keen on in the bok - at a higher price than a single title - would make me think more than twice about buying that book. However much I wanted it. I will be considering buying the USA editions as long as they continue to offer me just the author I want to read.

And I'm not a big fan of that washed-out cover look, either Jan. To me it looks way too much the way that people used to think - and some still do - of an M&B Romance- washed out, 'pink and fluffy' and totally unrealistic. Didn't any of the designers read Liz Fielding or Marion Lennox before they planned a design? (No - don't answer that. I have a nasty feeling that the answer is they didn't read very much at all. These covers are just too insipid for me. The new design doesn't work so badly on the Intrigue books though - because the cover images aren't as insipid. I don't actually mind the new layout of the covers - just those pallid images.

Interestingly, the Modern Romance line doesn't have new covers - and as far as I know there are no plans for the new designs for this line or the Historical line either. This creates a rather strange effect on the bokshop shelves where the books now tend to look as if they are from different publishers - is that a good or a bad thing? I don't know.

Jill, you mentioned Harlequin Presents and Harlequin Presents Extra - and you've raised an interesting and rather complicated pint - so I'll talk about that in more detail in my next post tomorrow.

For a while now I've been singing the praises of The Book Depository as a place to get hold of books that are not easily available elsewhere or where postage costs are prohibitive for delivery.

Well, I just learned this morning that The Book Depository is now opening up in America, still with free delivery - and some very good prices for books that are more expensive elsewhere. I checked out the USA edition of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance in their stock and found it here at $16.26 - and that's with free shipping. It's a great deal.

The Alcolar Family

It's here! I finally got to see it - and to have a copy in my hand!

What am I talking about?

The Alcolar Family Trilogy, that's what!


My author copies arrived yesterday and I've been able to see it 'in the paper' for the first time.


And it's a wonderful feeling.

I always love the moment when the published editions of my books arrive. When I see the brand new covers, the actual pages with my words on them. And this time was really special. This is a substantial volume, 3 different stories, around 555 pages of text, and all of them mine! I've had 3 in 1 By Request volumes before now, but I've shared them with other writers - this one, with it's wonderful sunset on a beach cover is all mine! (OK - the cover's not entirely mine, but when I share it with a very special friend from 'downunder' on Trish Morey's great book A Virgin for the Taking, I'm not going to complain - and it is a great cover!)


I always loved the 'shout line' for this mini series -

Proud Spanish aristocrats . . . Passion is their birthright . . .

And there it is on the back of the collected volume, together with the names of all the three titles in the trilogy. The Twelve Month Mistress, The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife and Bound by Blackmail. The only thing that would have made it even more perfect would have been if the on-line story that started this whole thing off had managed to be included in this volume.

But at least that is in the ebook 'bundle' that is currently riding high on the eHarlequin ebooks sales charts - it's been the best selling 'bundle' all month, right from the start.

This ebook bundle does include that story Wife For Real so that every single one of those Alcolar brothers (and sister) are collected together in one place.

To have this trilogy republished as a collection is such a special moment for me - and to have it appear now, in the middle of Mills & Boon's Centenary year, is an extra special thrill. In August I'll be running a special contest to celebrate - and that will be as well as my usual Tote Bag of Books Contest which I run every summer which is also coming up. (You didn't think I'd forgotten that did you? I've been busily collecting up books to go in this year's tote and I already have a wonderful selection).


But if you want to get your hands on the print copy of The Alcolar Family Trilogy it will be available on the Mills & Boon Website from the start of July.


And for international readers, the good news is that the trilogy will also be available on The Book Depository in August, as will The Duke's Secret Wife in the same month. Don't forget that The Book Depository offers free international delivery - that's worldwide - on all the books it stocks, so if you're itching to get your hands on any of the special Mills & boon Centenary publications and they're not available where you are, then The Book Depository is the place to look. (And no, I don't get commission from TBD but I do like to think that my readers all over the world can get their hands on the books they want as cheaply possible. And they do also stock the 2nd edition of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance which I know a lot of you have been looking for.)

Oh - and mention of The Duke's Secret Wife reminds me that I haven't announced the winners of the thank you prize for answering my questions about author's web sites and what you like or don't like about them. It's been a hectic week, but I finally managed to grab hold of Sid and put him to work. (work?) And the winners are:

Ellen and Dina

So Ellen and Dina will you please send me your mailing address and I'll get those copies of the book in the post to you. And to everyone else who answered both on my blog and in private - thank you so much - you've been a great help.

Thank you from Julie Moggan

Another busy day today.

Interview went fine yesterday. Parcels all went off - so my prizewinners will have their copies of 12PGTWR2 very soon.

And some of you who pre-ordered from Amazon actually have your copies in your hands or they're on their way to you now. I've had emails from some happy people who have theirs. And of course you can always order it from your local bookshop.

But here's some great news for those of you who live in America/Australia - anywhere really - the Book Depository now has 12PGTWR2 in stock!!

Why is this such good news?

Well the Book Depository has a fantastic deal for you because it offers FREE delivery worldwide And it's a reduced price. I don't know how they manage that but they do. So I had hoped that they would stock 12PGTWR2 because I knew it would make life so much easier for my international readers.

And now they're stocking it. And it's despatched within 24 hours - I hope this helps some of you.

Also, I just wanted to pass on a thank you from Julie Moggan the documentary maker. After my post and the PHS one went up she has had a flurry of emails from people who will answer her questions. So thank you for those - she will get back to you just as soon as she can.

But she can do with still more. Specially from readers - so if you missed the post about the project then it's here and Julie would love to hear from you.