Welcome to Benjamin Crane's Blog.

First, I should introduce my dog, Merlin, who is the big bouncy furry paws at the top of this page. This blog is for the author Benjamin Crane and the books, eBooks, and audiobooks he publishes through West 16 Publishing.

I will use this blog so communicate news, events, offers, information about my books, their releases and launches.

Currently, the book's final draft is over with my editor, which has left me free to focus on setting up the IT needed and marketing plan to support the book's launch. We are committed to launching the eBook version on the 15 November 2023. The plan which may well change as events occur is that. Besides directly selling the eBook from West 16 Publishing's website, we will also publish the eBook to Amazon, Apple, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes and Noble.

After the eBook is published, we plan to bring an AI narrated Audiobook version to market quiet swiftly. We will also distribute direct from West 16 Publishing, as well as Apple, Google Play, Barnes and Noble, Kobo.

As this will be AI narrated, we must abide by different distributors' policies and conditions, whether they will accept it for distribution. Therefore, the Audiobook will not be launching on Amazon's Audible service under the current rules.

In parallel to the Audiobook, we intend to release the hardback version to Amazon through KDP. Now Amazon only distributes KDP Print on Demand books to themselves. To get the hardback version into other retailers, such as Barnes and Noble. We will also print the physical books through Ingram Spark and their downstream distribution channel. This will make the hardback available to a large and diverse global network of retailers.

In all honesty, I do not know the likely time of arrival of the Audiobook. It depends on how much work is required in post-production. Or the printing of the hardback through Amazon, which I hope will be quick. Or the printing through Ingram Spark. It would be nice to have completed the release of eBook, Audiobook, and hardback before 2023 draws to a close, but there is not a lot of time...

After, there will be a paperback version which will follow in six- or twelve-months' time towards the end of 2024.

The intention is to sell at the same price for each version through all distribution channels. We also intend not to operate as if we are selling sofas, and everything is permanently heavily discounted on perma sale from retail prices. We will also set retail prices at a level where it is possible to make more than pennies after revenue share to retailers, print and shipping costs. Electronic versions also have costs associated with them. Not to mention the time to craft the actual story itself. Which is the same irrespective of the format of the book. Retailers take 40% margin for physical books straight off to cover the activities of their business stocking and selling the book. After that, we must deduct print, shipping, and marketing costs. Electronic copies can have as much as 65% kept by the retailer.

The pie gets divided into many slices. There is also a desire to keep the pricing straight forward globally. Provisional pricing is that hardback copies will cost £24.99 in both shops and online everywhere. Although converted into the local currency. Paperback copies, eBooks and audiobooks will all cost £12.99 to purchase. There are no current plans to go down the rent / hire / borrow a book type model that you see with Kindle Unlimited. Nor trying to compete with everyone trying to compete downwards within Amazon's pricing and discount tiers. To keep things simple, we will only have those two prices: £12.99 for the cheaper paperback and electronic editions and £24.99 for the more expensive hardback editions. And it will cost the same everywhere with no discount on the retail list prices from our side. Distributors and retailers get understandably upset if someone else is buying the book cheaper and selling on lower margins. We will be enabling none of that insanity. Whether purchased directly from West 16 Publishing, or through one of our retail partners, or via one of our distribution partners. This means that sometimes our net margin, after all other costs, is lower. That means we take a margin hit to defend the standard pricing model.

In our first book, one of the significant story elements and sub-texts relates to the environment. I also like trees and don't wish to see them pulped into paper. I would much prefer it if people bought the eBook and Audiobook versions. However, I also understand that my personal preferences may well not align with those readers. Some of whom would prefer to hold a physical book, and that is not for me to judge. The plan is that it will cost everyone the same £12.99 irrespective of the format, unless you want the more collectable hardback version.

This will also mean that the pie is high enough that everyone gets a reasonable slice, and I can afford to buy dog food to keep Merlin happy. In return, I will keep writing the books in the Resistance Chronicles series. Producing what I hope is engaging and entertaining stories for our dear readers and customers.

I am certainly not the only Self-Publishing author out there. But life is tough across the publishing industry and wider society. I would rather charge more and deliver a quality product.

Which brings us round to a closing comment on the wider topic of AI narration versus human narrators and voice actors / performers. A good voice actor will always breathe more life into a story than the AI version. I love audiobooks and some of my favorite narrators I love listening to. For myself, the choice now is between no audiobook and AI narrated audiobook. Because I love audiobooks so much that is how we have ended up with the choices that I have made.

I wish people both recognized and defended the value and price more of the things that we do rather than trying to sell things at cost. There will always be a place for human narrated audiobooks as the premier solution when you have a premier narrator.

For now, farewell. Tomorrow, I have more pipeline automation to grapple with, but first I must get some sleep.

Ben.