By Keri Rae Barnum

Most authors have started to settle into the changes brought on by the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and Create Space merge that took place in 2018. However, one issue seems to remain as a point of contention. KDP print and ship times for proof and author copies is consistently slower than what authors had become used to from Create Space.

One author said, “I recently placed an order for my own books, and the date of shipment was 11 days from the date of my order. That doesn’t include shipping speed, that’s just how long it took for KDP to print the books and get them out the door.”

Another author wrote in to say that not only had his author copies not printed for several weeks after his order was placed, but after Amazon had reported the books shipped, they were unable to provide a tracking number.

“I ordered author copies after the book was in print. After three weeks they still hadn’t been printed. Others on KDP Community have said 3-4 weeks is the norm!”

After weeks of waiting and several additional inquiries, the author was told his books were lost in transit. His order was canceled, and he had to begin the long process of ordering author copies all over again.

Far from an isolated incident, online author forums are teeming with similar complaints.

What Gives?

When KDP took over Create Space, all author proofs and discounted author copies of books began processing through Amazon’s retail outlets. While this streamlined the checkout process for ordering, the new sales and production flow also resulted in backend issues. Rather than ordering from a separate platform, authors are now competing with retail customers for order placement and shipping.  And, as we all know, customers who make a company money tend to be bumped to the front of the line. Meanwhile, authors ordering copies of their own book(s) at a steeply discounted rate are being moved to the back of the que.

KDP isn’t completely unaware that this could cause issues and they do address production and ship times on their website. The quote below was pulled directly from the KDP Help Topics under Author Copies.

“Our manufacturing and delivery estimates are based on the quantity ordered and selected delivery speed. The most up-to-date delivery estimate will display during checkout.

Actual production times fluctuate according to total order volume. There may be times that your order is manufactured faster than expected, but faster delivery isn’t guaranteed. We recommend noting the Expected Delivery Date you’re given when placing the order. This date takes production time into consideration.”

What’s an Author to Do?

While frustrating, most authors will understand the reasoning and motivation behind Amazon placing priority on customer orders who are paying full retail for books. There isn’t much to be done that will change that policy. However, there are some things authors can do to avoid setbacks and frustration as they move forward with their publishing and marketing plans.

• Be Proactive: If you intend to order a printed proof, add in a two-week cushion for print and wait times.
• Take Advantage of Technology: View the online proof from KDP and approve the book based on that. Meanwhile, you may also choose to order a printed author copy as a back-up proof. This option provides the opportunity to view your printed book without the stress of holding back your publishing plans.
• Cushion Your Timeline: If you are planning an event and you know you will need multiple author copies of your book, order well in advance. Not only will this save you stress, but you will also have the time to receive and inspect your books before your event.
• Use Your Resources: While we love KDP for distribution and sales on Amazon, we highly recommend that authors also upload their book to Ingram Spark. Authors who chose to do this have another option for ordering author copies, as Ingram Spark offers this service as well. It might be wise to try ordering author copies from each platform to compare, price, quality, service and production and delivery speed.

A Word to the Wise

Keep in mind that the holidays are quickly approaching. Both Ingram Spark and KDP will be inundated with orders to fulfil between October and January that will affect production and shipping times. If you plan to order author copies between now and the end of the year, do yourself a favor and order early. Or, if you must order during the holiday months, be sure to factor delays in to your schedule.