📚 The Domino Effect: A Sneaky Publishing Snag
By D.C. Salmon ⏱️ Reading Time: 5 minutes
- In this post: Why missing one front cover halts three book uploads, the unvarnished reality of author sales versus blog traffic, and a no-nonsense guide to releasing your own books.
Last week, I shared that Peter over at Bespoke Book Covers was officially booked in to begin the artwork for Book 3 of the Newman Adventure series, An Atlantic Shadow.
Alongside that new design, I commissioned him to resize the full cover wraps for Books 1 and 2 (An Irish Mystery and An American Treasure). The goal is simple: I want the entire trilogy uniform in British standard B-format (129 × 198 mm) with classic cream paper, looking right at home on the shelf of any UK bookshop.
True to form, Peter delivered the revised PDF cover wraps for Books 1 and 2 right on schedule.
This past weekend, I sat down at my desk to tick what I assumed would be the hard part off the list: logging onto Nielsen BookData and assigning fresh paperback ISBNs to both revised editions. With that done, I was ready to upload the files to Amazon KDP and get the ball rolling.
Then, I hit a complete brick wall of my own making.
🤦♂️ The Back Matter Domino Effect
When I re-typeset Books 1 and 2 in Atticus to fit the new B-format layout, I took the opportunity to tidy up the back matter. Naturally, on the "Also by D.C. Salmon" page, I added the title of Book 3: An Atlantic Shadow.
The snag? I also leave a dedicated space for the visual thumbnail of the cover. And right now, I don't have that front cover image in my hands.
Without that single JPEG, I cannot export the final print-ready interior PDFs for Books 1 and 2. And without the final interior PDF, the upload halts. Peter mentioned he hopes to have the initial concept drafts ready around the middle of this week. I haven't dared check my inbox just yet this morning, but hopefully, by the end of the week, we’ll have our visual starting point.
Until that cover lands, the entire production line waits. It’s a classic publishing domino effect.
💬 The Reality Check: Traffic vs Sales
There are days when you sit back and wonder whether the sheer effort—and the hard-earned cash—is truly worth it.
Writing a 90,000-word thriller is exhausting, but getting readers to buy, finish, and leave an honest review feels twice as difficult. Don’t get me wrong: I love writing these weekly blog posts and connecting with fellow book lovers. But seeing over 9,000 views on this site in a single month and converting that into just 5 book sales over that same period is a sobering pill to swallow.
So far this month, I have sold 3 books and logged 1,180 Kindle page reads across two titles.
On quiet days, you have to remind yourself of the positive: real people are reading the books, and the feedback from those who reach the final page is overwhelmingly encouraging. In just 19 months since An Irish Mystery debuted in May 2025, I will soon have three full-length novels out in the wild. If you had told me that a few years ago, I would have thought you were having a laugh.
Now, I just need to carve out time to dust off Book 4 (which has sat in a drawer untouched for nearly two years) alongside my current 1932 Weimar WIP, Before the Swastika Flew.
(Remember, you can read Chapter 1 of the new project by subscribing to my free newsletter, Against the Current, via the link below!)
👉 Join Against the Current & Read Chapter 1
🛠️ What Does It Actually Take to Release a Book?
Before I published my debut, I wrote purely for the love of the craft. I enjoyed building worlds, putting characters through the wringer, and solving historical puzzles. The commercial side of the industry was a complete black box, which is why I originally paid a company to handle Book 1.
Over the past two years, I’ve had to roll up my sleeves and learn the mechanics of self-publishing myself. If you are preparing to publish your own debut, here is the straightforward, no-nonsense checklist of what is actually required once the editing is complete:
1. Choosing Your Path: Exclusive or Wide?
- Amazon KDP Exclusive (KDP Select / Kindle Unlimited): If you keep your eBook exclusive to Amazon, you can enroll in Kindle Unlimited (where you are paid per page read). Amazon assigns a free ASIN, meaning you do not need to spend money on an eBook ISBN. It is the quickest, simplest route for a first-time author.
- Going Wide: If you intend to sell your eBook across Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play, you cannot be in Kindle Unlimited. You will need to manage multiple platforms or use an aggregator like Draft2Digital (or D2D).
2. The ISBN Puzzle (Nielsen BookData)
If you want your physical paperbacks in libraries, high-street shops, and platforms beyond Amazon (like Bookvault or IngramSpark), you need your own ISBNs.
- In the UK, ISBNs are purchased directly from Nielsen Book Services (a batch of 10 currently costs around £178).
- The Golden Rule: Every individual format requires its own distinct ISBN. Your paperback, hardback, large print, audiobook, and wide eBook cannot share the same number. If you revise the physical trim size (as I am doing from 6×9 to B-format), that requires a brand-new ISBN as well.
- Once assigned, you must log into Nielsen's database and fill out the metadata: title, subtitle, blurb, pricing, publication date, and BIC/THEMA subject codes.
3. Preparing the Files
You need two distinct files for every edition:
- The Interior: For eBooks, you need a validated EPUB file (easily exported from formatting software like Atticus or Vellum). For print, you need a 300 DPI, print-ready PDF with fonts embedded, correct margins, and gutters calculated for your trim size.
- The Cover: For eBooks, a standalone high-resolution JPEG or TIFF of the front cover. For paperbacks, a single-spread PDF wrap containing the back cover, spine, and front cover. Your designer calculates the exact spine width based on page count and paper stock (remember: fiction traditionally uses thicker cream paper, while non-fiction uses white).
4. The Platforms
Once your files and metadata are ready, you upload them to your distribution platforms of choice:
- Amazon KDP: The retail giant. Essential for digital and print reach.
- Bookvault: A fantastic UK-based printer (operating right here in Peterborough) ideal for high-quality printing, direct selling from your own website, and special editions.
- IngramSpark: The industry standard for getting print titles listed on global wholesale catalogues for brick-and-mortar bookshops and libraries.
5. Proofing & Going Live
Once you upload your files, do not just blindly click "Publish".
Always order a physical printed proof copy. Digital screen previews never catch everything. Holding the physical proof lets you check that the spine text is dead-centre, the trim margins give your thumbs room to hold the page without covering text, and the cover colours look right in natural daylight.
Once you approve the proof and press the button, it can take up to 72 hours for the retail listings to propagate worldwide.
⏳ The Waiting Game Continues
For now, I am stuck in the queue. Book 3's cover holds the master key to finishing the files for Books 1 and 2, but it’s a necessary pause.
Will getting these three titles into standard British B-format make me a fortune? Almost certainly not. But having a cohesive, professionally produced trilogy out in the world is something I’m immensely proud of.
For now: we wait, we write, and we see what happens.
🎒 Still Time for a Sales Adventure!
If you are looking to top up your reading stack, there is still time to grab a bargain and discover your next favourite indie author! The "We’re Going on a Sales Adventure!" BookFunnel promo is running until the end of the month, featuring 45 fantastic independent titles across thrillers, adventures, and mysteries. Don't miss out—head over, support indie storytellers, and pick up your next great read before the promo wraps up:
👉 Browse All 45 Books on the Sales Adventure Here
💬 Over to You!
Have you ever experienced a "domino effect" in your own creative projects where one missing piece brought the entire line to a standstill? And for the readers: do you prefer standard UK B-format paperbacks, or does size not bother you as long as the story grips you? Let me know below!
📚 What Am I Reading?
I am finally nearing the finish line of The Alchemist's Secret, pushing past page 416 now, and the climax is revealing itself in spectacular fashion.
Once this story gets its hooks into you, it is pure, relentless momentum—all-out action, tense gun battles, and car chases, all woven together with ancient puzzles and historical mystery. If you enjoy that style of high-stakes, fast-paced adventure, this one certainly will not disappoint.
I’ve enjoyed Ben Hope's first outing so much that I’ve already gone out and bought Book 2 in the series (The Mozart Conspiracy), which will almost certainly be my very next read once the dust settles here!
👉 View The Alchemist's Secret on Amazon
💌 Want More?
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📚 The Newman Adventures
An Irish Mystery A fast-paced historical adventure about stolen treasures, hidden histories, and the cost of obsession. The story that started it all.
An American Treasure The journey continues! Cedric Newman returns in a high-stakes hunt for the lost riches of Mosby's Rangers. Action, mystery, and a new enemy await.
Available in Ebook, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback & Hardcover
📱 Let’s Connect
You can also find me on Instagram, Bluesky, X, and Facebook, where I share writing updates, research snippets, and behind-the-scenes moments from the school building and the writing desk.
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