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
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