Support Forums: Announcements

Contributor Names

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:09:36 +0000

Hello, We recently identified an error which causes contributor names to appear in reverse order on detail pages. We’re working to return the display of contributor names to their previous format (FIRSTNAME LASTNAME) and appreciate your patience while we work to correct this issue. Sincerely -DTP David

New Website Feedback

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:27:52 +0000

Dear Authors and Publishers, Thank you all for your feedback on the new DTP website. We are working hard to address your concerns, and ask that you continue to check back for improvements. Thank you, The Amazon Digital Text Platform Team

70 Percent Royalty Option for Kindle Digital Text Platform Now Available

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:40:08 +0000

Starting today, authors and publishers can earn more royalties from every Kindle book sold! SEATTLE, Jun 30, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that the 70 percent royalty option that enables authors and publishers who use the Kindle Digital Text Platform (DTP) to earn a larger share of revenue from each Kindle book they sell is now available. For each book sold from the Kindle Store for Kindle, Kindle DX, or one of the Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, PC, Mac and Android phones, authors and publishers who choose the new 70 percent royalty option will receive 70 percent of the list price, net of delivery costs. Delivery costs are based on file size, and pricing is set at $0.15/MB. At today's median DTP file size of 368KB, delivery costs would be less than $0.06 per unit sold. For example, on an $8.99 book an author would make $3.15 with the standard option and $6.25 with the new 70 percent option. This new option, first announced in January 2010, will be in addition to and will not replace the existing DTP standard royalty option. In addition to the 70 percent royalty option, Amazon also announced improvements in DTP such as a more intuitive "Bookshelf" feature and a simplified two-step process for publishing. These features make it more convenient for authors and publishers to publish using DTP. "We're excited about the launch of the 70 percent royalty option and user experience enhancements in DTP because they enable authors and publishers to conveniently offer more content to Kindle customers and to make more money from the books they sell," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content. DTP authors and publishers are now able to select the royalty option that best meets their needs. Books from authors and publishers who choose the 70 percent royalty option will have access to all the same features and be subject to all the same requirements as books receiving the standard royalty rate. In addition, to qualify for the 70 percent royalty option, books must satisfy the following set of requirements: • The author or publisher-supplied list price must be between $2.99 and $9.99. • The list price must be at least 20 percent below the lowest list price for the physical book. • The title is made available for sale in all geographies for which the author or publisher has rights. • The title will be included in a broad set of features in the Kindle Store, such as text-to-speech. This list of features will grow over time as Amazon continues to add more functionality to Kindle and the Kindle Store. • Under this royalty option, books must be offered at or below price parity with competition, including physical book prices. The 70 percent royalty option is for in-copyright works and is unavailable for works published before 1923 (a.k.a. public domain books). The 70 percent royalty option is currently only available for books sold to United States customers. DTP is a fast and easy self-publishing tool that lets anyone upload and format their books for sale in the Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore). To learn more about the Kindle Digital Text Platform, visit http://dtp.amazon.com or e-mail dtp-support@amazon.com. Kindle is in stock and available for immediate shipment today at http://www.amazon.com/kindle. About Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon. Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.deb, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.cn. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings. SOURCE: Amazon.com, Inc. Amazon.com, Inc. Media Hotline, 206-266-7180 www.amazon.com/pr Press Release: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1443030&highlight=

Viewing DTP on IE 6

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We are excited to bring you a new website design, which incorporates advanced features to make the publishing process easier on DTP. If you experience difficulties while viewing the website, please check to make sure you are running the latest edition of your browser. Beginning June 30, the Digital Text Platform website will no longer be compatible with Internet Explorer 6. Newer versions of Internet Explorer can be downloaded here.

Stephen King on DTP

Sat, 01 May 2010 00:26:55 +0000

We are excited to announce that Stephen King has published his new novella "Blockade Billy" through DTP. "Blockade Billy" tells the story of William "Blockade Billy" Blakely. He may have been the greatest baseball player the game has ever seen, but today no one remembers his name. He was the first--and only--player to have his existence completely removed from the record books. Even his team is long forgotten, barely a footnote in the game's history. Blockade Billy has a secret darker than any pill or injection that might cause a scandal in sports today. His secret was much, much worse... and only Stephen King can reveal the truth to the world, once and for all. Publishers Weekly writes of the book: "As King's fiction goes . . . a deftly executed suicide squeeze, with sharp spikes hoisted high and aimed at the jugular on the slide home." Read the full press release here: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1414886

DTP contact e-mail addresses

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:07:59 +0000

Dear Publishers,

In an effort to better serve our DTP publishers, we have updated our DTP contact e-mail addresses:

For specific questions or concerns regarding your DTP account or e-book titles, please write to us at dtp-support@amazon.com. If you have feedback about our service, we'd love to hear it! Please write to dtp-suggestions@amazon.com.

Thank you!

DTP Support

Publishing Public Domain Titles

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:14:24 +0000

Dear Publishers, We are working on improving the buying experience for customers who browse the public domain selection in our catalog. Our vision is to have high-quality editions of every public domain title in the world available on Kindle, including a free edition of each. What we don't want is a large number of non-differentiated (or barely differentiated) versions of each. For example, if a customer searches for "Pride and Prejudice" in the Kindle Store, they will find approximately 16 versions of "Pride and Prejudice," creating a confusing and difficult experience. For this reason, we are no longer accepting additional versions of public domain titles that are among the top 200 bestsellers -- these titles are already extremely well covered, including in each case a free edition. Thanks! DTP Support