[thewriterslife]

Hi, I'm new here and I'm not sure if this is the right area to ask this but I was wondering if someone could help me.  Two other authors and I had a book published by a publisher that ended up going bankrupt a few months after it was published.  We have our rights back and I want to put the book on Amazon in ebook format.  The problem is the old book is still at Amazon.  I'm not sure who is getting the money for this, but it's just not right.  I don't mind sellers who have bought the book and selling it, but if the book should not be sold anywhere, is there any way Amazon will take it down?  We would like to keep the title, change the cover, but the problem is, the old title's search is coming up everywhere and I don't want people to get it confused and buy that instead of this new revised e-edition.  Anyone know?

Dorothy

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Hi, Dorothy--

I'm going to move this to the Writers' Café, our forum for authors to discuss the craft and business of writing. Someone there will have some suggestions for you!

Betsy

 

[ingrid avluv]

I had a very similar situation myself two years ago. There's nothing you can do about stock that's already out there, unless you want to try to buy it all up!

But you're not doomed.

The secret is to publish your new version yourself with a slightly lower price. Assuming you use the proper distribution routes that can get the book on Amazon, the newer cheaper version will be the ones to show up first before the older versions (all versions of a book will show up forever, even out of print ones, so there is a space for people to sell old / used books).

So when you look up a popular book like "Utopia" on Amazon, you'll see all past and present versions listed, with the newest and cheapest first. See: http://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Dover-Thrift-Editions-Thomas/dp/0486295834/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361121313&sr=1-3&keywords=utopia

And if the old version is out of print, it won't get prominence in Amazon searches anymore once your new, in print version is established.

Note that Amazon/Createspace/KDP or whoever you go through to get your items on Amazon will most likely ask for proof that you are the owner of the content, so be prepared to present that.

 

[David Thayer]

Hi Dorothy, I have a similar situation with a pb out of print. I asked Amazon to remove it since it is no longer available but they demurred.