PubIt is now Nook Press. Smart move for Barnes & Noble, or is it too little too late? Amid speculation that the Nook ship is sinking, or at least taking on water fast, this move to enhance the self-publishing indie author platform feels like a last ditch effort. My opinion: I hope it works but should have been done long ago. Here’s the email they just released (note some cool new features and some serious concerns below):
Dear Publisher,
Over the past two and a half years, our working partnership has made PubIt! a resounding success. Because of PubIt! publishers like you, we’ve been able to offer millions of NOOK® customers exciting new content from independent authors.
Our success is your success, and we’ve been working hard to bring you a platform that takes our partnership—and self-publishing—to the next level. Today, we’re pleased to introduce to you NOOK Press, our new and improved self-publishing platform!
NOOK Press is self-publishing made simple. With the NOOK Press platform you can write, edit, collaborate, publish and sell your eBooks all in one place—at no cost.
The NOOK Press platform features these exciting new tools and services:
- NEW! One-stop Publishing Solution: Write, edit, format and publish your eBooks in our web-based platform, instantly reaching millions of NOOK customers within 72 hours.
- NEW! Easy ePub Creation and Editing: Upload your manuscript file and make changes directly in NOOK Press. Editing and previewing in one session saves you time and effort.
- NEW! Integrated Collaboration: Collaborate with editors, copyeditors, and friends, allowing them to review and comment on your manuscript without ever leaving NOOK Press.
- Visual Sales Reporting: Our new visually-enhanced sales report makes tracking your sales progress even easier.
- NEW! Instant Chat: Live Chat customer service is now available to quickly answer your questions Monday through Friday between 9am-9pm EST.
- Pathway to Passionate Readers Everywhere: Publish once and reach millions of customers using NOOK and NOOK Reading Apps in the US and UK and more coming soon.
- Same Great Terms: Our favorable PubIt! business terms and commitment to a transparent retail partnership remain unchanged.
NOOK Press Presents
Our booksellers are currently hand-selecting titles for a new merchandising program: NOOK Press Presents — Our Top 100 Picks for Summer. NOOK Press Presents will be an ongoing merchandising channel for independently published content that comes to NOOK through NOOK Press.
Once you moved your existing PubIt! account to NOOK Press your titles will be considered for this program, which will promote books across the NOOK ecosystem.
Get started with NOOK Press today! Click here to be guided through a quick, one-time account syncing process. Once completed your PubIt! account, sales, payment, and title information will automatically appear in NOOK Press. To find out more about the changeover to NOOK Press, see our support page here.
We’re excited to turn the page together on a new chapter in self-publishing!
Sincerely,
The NOOK Press Team
Like many ind
ie authors, I’m really wanting this to work. We need more avenues for sales than just Amazon and the smattering of others including Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, etc. If you’re already selling there, switching a PubIt account to Nook Press is simple. This was my screenshot after doing so, and it asks which titles you want to offer for sale–then viola, it’s done.
The sales and payments page is also better, with all the information on one page and a graph of sales. You can also create a profile now (yeah!), something that was seriously lacking before. All information for payments automatically switches from the PubIt account, so no worries to reinsert bank account info, addresses, etc. It’s really simple. The ability to work on their site, collaborate with editors, friends, cover designers sounds intriguing–will have to report back on that.
Now for the serious concerns. Once an ebook is listed for sale, changes can’t be made without dumping the existing project and losing the reviews, ranking, etc: NOOK Book Details can be changed after you put your Project On Sale as a NOOK Book, but at this time, the NOOK Book itself cannot be updated or replaced. To update or replace a NOOK Book that is currently On Sale, you would need to take the Project Off Sale, download the ePub from the Project page, create a new Project, upload the downloaded ePub or create a new Manuscript in that Project, and then put that new Project On Sale as a NOOK Book.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:
Once you click Put On Sale, there will be a period of time of approximately 24-72 hours before your Project goes On Sale as a NOOK Book. During this interim period, you will be unable to edit your NOOK Book Details. Once your Project is On Sale as a NOOK Book, you will be able to edit the NOOK Book Details again. If you choose to change or update your NOOK Book’s title, please note that the NOOK Book will lose any existing customer reviews, sales ranking, star ratings, and links to other products with the previous title. The only NOOK Book Details you cannot change after your Project goes on sale as a NOOK Book is whether your NOOK Book is encrypted with DRM.
This makes me moderately happy. Like other indies, we all just want to sell ebooks. Back on the Nook bandwagon? Perhaps.
What are your thoughts?
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April 9, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Thanks for the screenshot and listing your experience with the transition. I’ll be checking it out in the next day or so.
April 9, 2013 at 2:54 pm
Thank you, Lisa! One thing that really concerns me is not being able to make changes after publishing. Too bad, since it often happens.
April 10, 2013 at 4:09 pm
My humble opinion, too little too late, and who picked Pubit as a name? Pubit? Just sounds weird. Nook Press sounds much better, just sayin’. Not rocket science to name your company, Pubit? Ugh!
Sandy from Delray Beach
Sent from my iPad
April 10, 2013 at 7:34 pm
Thanks for this thorough review Jason. Without the ability to make changes I can’t see myself using this new platform – to me that’s one of the valuable benefits of working with Amazon because they make it sooooo easy to make changes and updates without losing anything you’ve built up to that point.
April 10, 2013 at 7:40 pm
I’m with you, Marquita. Can’t believe Nook Press doesn’t have the ability to make changes, especially for something like my how-to books that routinely need to be updated with ever-changing industries.
April 10, 2013 at 7:52 pm
Jason – Are you sure about the no changes to manuscripts? Someone at KBoards was saying there is an edit button for the manuscripts, and that it’s easy to use.
April 10, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Yeah, unfortunately. This is the part from Nook Press that explains it…at this time, the NOOK Book itself cannot be updated or replaced. To update or replace a NOOK Book that is currently On Sale, you would need to take the Project Off Sale, download the ePub from the Project page, create a new Project, upload the downloaded ePub or create a new Manuscript in that Project, and then put that new Project On Sale as a NOOK Book.
So you could update it, but you’d lose all reviews, ratings, etc.
July 9, 2013 at 4:14 pm
Three months later and the move it mandatory according to an email from B&N. Thanks for going ove it with those of us waiting until the last minute.
e-mail says: “It’s Time To Move”
Don’t Make Us Email You Again 😉
Yes, we’ve been sending lots of love notes, but it’s time to move on. Next Wednesday, July 10th, PubIt! will be officially retired.
The good news? NOOK Press is waiting for you with open arms. Just follow the link below and log in with your PubIt! details. That’s all you have to do to switch your accounts!
July 9, 2013 at 4:15 pm
oops “over”
July 9, 2013 at 5:17 pm
Funny stuff from B & N. Thank you, Janna 🙂
July 9, 2013 at 6:06 pm
I’m excited to see someone there has a sense of humor. You’re welcome.