Versioning, Updating and Tracking Distribution

JamieNYC · Jan 29, 2016

There's been lots of suggestions to put "version tags" on files that are released for tracking purposes, and it's a process I'd like to know more about. I've certainly heard of "special editions" and such. Aside from putting a line of text on the title page, what are permissible ways to tag files?

Can you embed a line of text on a file's cover art, e.g., "Advance Reader Copy - Version 1.01", or do distributors have limits on what information can be included on cover art?

Also, what about updating versions that have been released. Let's say I publish a book to Amazon KDP Select and tag it to indicate it's version 1.1 -- can I upload a new file after the 90-day period that's tagged as version 1.2?

J. Tanner · Jan 29, 2016

You could include version text on the cover graphic. Just create two versions in Photoshop, one with and one without. Upload as necessary. (You generally wouldn't want ARCs on retailers however so your example doesn't make much sense.)

Post release, you can update as necessary and your version info is general placed on the title page. (I use reverse date version numbers so I can see at a glance when I created it in addition to what version it is. Like v 2016.01.29 if I created/uploaded today.)

Amazon treats new versions a bit unusually. (This is my understanding at least, and might be out of date or a bit off since I've got limited experience with it myself.) Users aren't automatically updated to new versions, even if they redownload. They may not even see them. So new versions are for new readers. If there's a serious problem, to get it pushed to existing readers you typically have to contact customer service and explain the situation, then they have to agree and manually approve pushing out the new release. And then the user has to manually request the update. So, real world, updates don't happen much.

shadowwalker · Jan 29, 2016

Don't know about ARC designations, but new versions of a novel? One of my pet peeves - the idea that if something needs fixing, it can be done after publication and readers will just have to keep up. If it's not ready to publish, don't publish. Once it is published, let it go and move on to the next story.

Polenth · Jan 29, 2016

You won't be submitting ARCs to retailers. For the retail release, it's the same as all things: consider the impact on the reader. A small version number on the copyright page is not going to impact the reader. Putting it on the front cover will, as it'll cause confusion.

You can update as soon as the previous update goes through. So you could be updating once every 12-24 hours on Amazon. But just because you can doesn't make it a good idea. There's no need to update if there are no updates to be made. If you start with a clean book, it'll likely be the occasional update for errors missed in the first version. Trade published books also have errors, and do use Amazon's update system to correct them, so it's not bad to update as a general principle. It's more that the updates should be for small things that slipped through the net, not because you completely messed up copyediting. The updates shouldn't be required for the book to be readable.

Which makes whether you need to track versions debatable. I don't. It's not a big deal if someone is reading the previous version.

mrsmig · Jan 30, 2016

J. Tanner said:
Amazon treats new versions a bit unusually. (This is my understanding at least, and might be out of date or a bit off since I've got limited experience with it myself.) Users aren't automatically updated to new versions, even if they redownload. They may not even see them. So new versions are for new readers. If there's a serious problem, to get it pushed to existing readers you typically have to contact customer service and explain the situation, then they have to agree and manually approve pushing out the new release. And then the user has to manually request the update. So, real world, updates don't happen much.

I can speak to how Amazon handles this from the reader's end since I just received a notification email from them that an update is available for a book I bought over a year ago (granted, it's a cookbook rather than a novel). Here are my instructions from Amazon:

You can receive the improved versions of all your books by opting in to receive book updates automatically. You can do this by going to Manage Your Content and Devices and clicking on Automatic Book Update under the Settings tab. Alternatively, you can get the updated version of this book by going to Manage Your Content and Devices. Find the book under Your Content tab, click on the "Update Available" button next to the book's title, and then follow the update prompts. All your devices that have the eBook currently downloaded will be updated automatically the next time they connect to wireless.

I discovered when updating the cookbook that several of my other Kindle purchases have updated versions. For novels I've already read, I don't see the need for an updated version so I'm not using the Automatic Update option. But the option is there, so if you really want updates, they're readily available.

M. H. Lee · Jan 30, 2016

I most often update my files with backmatter links. Publish book 1, when book 2 is out, update with link to book 2 in the back of book 1. I'd recommend readers not sign-up for those updates. If it's a really big one, you get an e-mail like mentioned above. (I got one related to a writing advice book that said the book was missing chapters and who knows what else. Suffice it to say, that advice book is now on the bottom of my TBR list.)

If you just want to track personally, I have a folder on my computer for each title. When I update the file I save a copy to a new sub-folder with the date of the update and possibly a brief description of the change. I don't track that in the file the reader receives, though. I only have one title with a new version and in that case I changed the introduction to the book.

Versioning, Updating and Tracking Distribution

JamieNYC

J. Tanner

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

Polenth

Mushroom

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.

M. H. Lee