[Nicole Simon]

I am hoping the community here can help me with a question.
Any insights into this or similar experiences of yours would be appreciated!

I would like to test out a book idea with a little bit of content, covers and blurbs, and if the market responds, work on it.
Imagine "a book about trivia". [This is not what I am working and I know thousands exist. ]

So I could

• make a book with let's say 5K word content, cover plus blurb and all and put it up for 0.99 cent and into KU
• I test with ads the response to it, and experiment f.e. on cover, blurb etc
• During this time it may or may not sell and after 3 months I can take it out of KU again

Now comes the question:
once I am finished and the test is successful, I would like to create "the big book about trivia" and run it for real.
The new book would contain the text of the old book.

Is it enough to unpublish the first smaller version to not run into problems with KU exclusivity? Or are there other steps I would need to take?

Because there is a good chance that the testing will result in negative comments (hence the testing), I would publish the first part under a different pen name and I can leave enough time before I publish under the real name. I would also take care of not confusing potential buyers with the same cover etc.

 

[Speaker-To-Animals]

You would need to wait out your 90 days.

 

[Nicole Simon]

You mean the initial 90 days when it is in KU or a total of 180 days since it has to be fully out of KU before it can go back in in the then third 90 day period?

 

[ShayneRutherford]

You mean the initial 90 days when it is in KU or a total of 180 days since it has to be fully out of KU before it can go back in in the then third 90 day period?

It's the initial 90 days. Even if you unpublish before the term is up, you still have to wait until it's over to publish the new book.

 

[Speaker-To-Animals]

You agree to give exclusivity in 90 day increments. You can't get around that by including the material in a longer work.

 

[ShayneRutherford]

Because there is a good chance that the testing will result in negative comments (hence the testing), I would publish the first part under a different pen name and I can leave enough time before I publish under the real name. I would also take care of not confusing potential buyers with the same cover etc.

How are you going to make sure that people don't buy them both?

 

[Nicole Simon]

How are you going to make sure that people don't buy them both?

One could mark it as v2, but either way, the second version would have a lot more content (like 10x). So even if somebody accidently bought the second one, they would get more value. In addition I see a lot of people putting into their book description an information about "was previously published ..." so I believe I will be fine with it.

 

[ImaWriter]

One could mark it as v2, but either way, the second version would have a lot more content (like 10x). So even if somebody accidently bought the second one, they would get more value. In addition I see a lot of people putting into their book description an information about "was previously published ..." so I believe I will be fine with it.

Don't assume people read every word of your description. I've seen things that are practically flashing neon signs in descriptions and there are still 1* reviews because buyers didn't see whatever it was the author hoped to warn/inform them about.

And rethink your rational that buyers would be getting more value. I understand where you're coming from but you will have people demanding that you should discount the price of the first book if they bought both, because they already paid for that 1/10th of the book.

In either case, you would be setting yourself up for some nasty reviews IMO.

 

[Nicole Simon]

I have worked in IT in the past, I know how much people do not read that stuff. However thanks again for your warnings, I will take them into account when testing!

 

[kathrynoh]

Would the second book be in KU? If so, I wouldn't see it as being any different to having a book 1 and a box set containing book 1 both in KU. Of course, Amazon might see it differently

 

[Kathy Dee]

I would suggest that you do it slightly differently. Put out V1, do all your testing. If it is a success, upload your V2 copy into the same book. I have done this on many occasions without any problems.

 

[Nicole Simon]

Kathy, yes that works well for the success part - but not for the "aaaand that part did not work and received ton of negative feedback".

 

[Kathy Dee]

Kathy, yes that works well for the success part - but not for the "aaaand that part did not work and received ton of negative feedback".

Those, you unpublish, rehash and go again