🎨 Draft Two, 5-Star Puzzles & The Big Kindle+ Shift
By D.C. Salmon ⏱️ Reading Time: 5 minutes
- In this post: The struggle with Book 3's cover concepts, bizarre reviews, the B-format waiting game, and what Amazon’s rebrand from Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+ actually means.
As I sit down at my keyboard to write this post, it is Tuesday, 27 October. And yes, full disclosure: yesterday was the first time I actually put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) for this week’s update!
I suppose the best place to start is with the past week’s main event: the cover for Book 3, An Atlantic Shadow.
Last Wednesday, Peter over at Bespoke Book Covers sent across the very first concept draft. Now, with the first two books (An Irish Mystery and An American Treasure), there really wasn’t much toing and froing. Peter’s initial designs hit the bullseye almost immediately; all we tweaked back then were small, cosmetic details.
This time around, however, it just didn’t hit the spot.
I sat with it for a while. I showed my wife. But that is precisely why I pay to work with a pro like Peter—I know that with a bit of honest, constructive feedback, the next draft won't be far off the mark.
I always suspected this cover would be trickier to nail down. Aside from knowing the colour scheme and general mood I wanted, I didn't have a clear vision for the actual backdrop. I desperately want the car—the legendary lost Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, ‘La Voiture Noire’—featured on the cover. But finding reference images of the original car is notoriously difficult; almost every surviving photograph from the late 1930s is grainy and black-and-white.
I did manage to unearth an incredible website selling an ultra-detailed scale model of the Bugatti. Mind you, at nearly £20,000, I don’t think one will be gracing my office desk any time soon! Still, the high-res photos have been brilliant reference material for social media. Find the pictures here
Peter has told me I should have the revised draft in my inbox by Wednesday (today!), so watch this space.
📈 Sales, Puzzling Reviews & Traffic
Book sales this month have followed their usual slow-and-steady pattern. But right towards the tail end of the month—coinciding with Amazon rolling out its big update—things suddenly kicked into gear. I’ve logged hundreds of page reads on An Irish Mystery alongside another paperback sale.
The reviews have also been trickling in, though a few have given me a proper chuckle. I recently received a 5-star unverified review over in the US that made me laugh out loud; what the reviewer described in their comments had absolutely nothing to do with my story! It honestly read as though they hadn't even glanced at the blurb on the back, let alone read the book. Still, an indie author will take a 5-star rating any day of the week, no questions asked!
On the blog front, we won't quite reach the dizzying heights of last month’s record 9,000+ views, but even so, finishing October around the 7,000 mark is fantastic. Thank you so much to everyone who stops by every Wednesday to see what I’m up to.
⏳ Why Haven’t the B-Format Paperbacks Uploaded Yet?
A few people have asked why the new B-format editions of Books 1 and 2 aren't live on Amazon yet.
It all boils down to that missing front cover for Book 3. In my interior formatting on Atticus, the "Also by D.C. Salmon" page in the back matter needs the visual thumbnail of An Atlantic Shadow. Until I have that image from Peter, I cannot export the final print files.
It would be wonderful to launch all three B-format paperbacks together before Christmas, looking smart on cream paper. It’s a frustrating waiting game, but patience is part of the publishing trade.
📱 Kindle Unlimited is Now Kindle+: What Does It Mean?
You might have spotted the news over the past few days: Amazon has officially retired the long-standing Kindle Unlimited (KU) name and rebranded the entire service as Kindle+.
Whenever Amazon changes something, indie authors naturally brace for impact. So, what does this actually mean in plain English—both for you as a reader and for me as an author?
1. For You, the Reader
- The Good News: The core membership hasn’t changed. You can still borrow up to 20 titles at a time with no due dates, reading across your Kindle, phone, or tablet. The monthly subscription price also remains the same.
- The "Plus" Addition: Along with the name change, Amazon is heavily expanding the service to include more audio, rolling out automated/AI-narrated audiobooks for eligible titles so subscribers can switch between reading and listening seamlessly.
- Bottom line: If you currently read my books via your subscription, you don’t need to do a thing. Cedric and Daniela are still right there in your library.
2. For Me, the Author
- KDP Select & Page Reads: Behind the scenes, the payout mechanics for authors remain tied to the KDP Select Global Fund. When you borrow An Irish Mystery through Kindle+ and read it on your device, I am still compensated per page read.
- Audio Opportunities: The shift towards audio integration means independent authors enrolled in KDP Select will likely have more streamlined avenues to offer audio editions without the massive upfront studio production bills.
- Exclusivity: The rules for authors haven't moved an inch. To have my eBooks in Kindle+, the digital editions must remain exclusive to Amazon (meaning no Google Play or Kobo eBooks for those specific enrolled titles).
In short: it's a shiny new badge on the storefront, but the engine underneath is running just as before. And judging by the sudden burst of page reads over the weekend, readers are taking full advantage of it!
💬 Over to You!
Have you noticed the switch to Kindle+ on your device yet, and do you ever use audio narration when reading? And have you ever read an Amazon review that clearly belonged to a completely different book? Let me know in the comments below!
📚 What Am I Reading?
Having turned the final page of The Alchemist's Secret, I went straight onto Book 2 in Scott Mariani's Ben Hope series: The Mozart Conspiracy.
I haven’t had nearly as much time to read this past week, mind you. Here in Peterborough, it is school half-term, meaning work has been non-stop, alongside coaching in the evenings and travelling the length and breadth of the UK for my son's matches. Finding a quiet half-hour to sit down with a book has been easier said than done!
I’m currently 43 pages in at Chapter 7, and just like Ben Hope's debut outing, the story has wasted no time getting straight into the action. Now, I just need five minutes of peace to sit back and catch up with whatever chaos Ben is walking into next!
👉 View The Mozart Conspiracy on Amazon
💌 Want More?
If you enjoy these behind-the-scenes posts, don’t miss out on my newsletters, join Against The Current where I share research rabbit holes, sneak peeks at upcoming books, and exclusive extras.
📚 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.
Comments
Post a Comment