Should You Unpublish and Republish Your Old Self-Published Books?
Should you revise and republish your works?
Heidi Thorne (author) via Canva
Should You Revise and Republish Your Work?
One of my blog readers recently asked about unpublishing previous editions of a fiction book series in order to rewrite and republish them. Because positive reviews for the original book series had been received, there was a concern about losing those reviews with new editions.
There are a number of considerations for rewriting and republishing. What follows applies to self-published books on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and ACX/Audible.
Unpublished Does Not Equal Gone
Realize that when you unpublish a book or eBook on Amazon KDP and it’s listed on your Amazon Author Central page, it will continue to be listed on Amazon and your Author Central author page. It doesn’t go away. (I speak from experience here.) It could show as unavailable/out of print, but used copies or remaining inventory may still be available for sale.
Is It Really a New Edition?
If any revision merely corrects minor typos or updates items such as author contact information but is in all other respects the same book content, an author can simply upload the revised manuscript to KDP. The corrected/updated edition will be available for sale after that point. Previous copies that were sold would not be updated.
However, per KDP, if the book is significantly changed in terms of content, structure, or extensive editing, it should be published and clearly noted as a separate revised, 2nd, updated, etc. edition to avoid confusion for readers and buyers. Essentially, it’s a different book. During the setup process on KDP for the new edition, you indicate what edition you are publishing (2nd, 3rd, etc.).
Print books, audiobooks, and eBooks that have an ISBN number in addition to an ASIN number on Amazon should also be assigned new and separate ISBN numbers to clarify that they are different books than the original. Remember, too, that if you have multiple formats (print, eBook, audio) for a book, each format of the revised edition needs a new ISBN number.
For Kindle eBooks that only have an ASIN number assigned, a new edition would be assigned a new, separate ASIN number.
All these new numbers are assigned during the setup process for the new edition.
Disappearing Amazon Reviews
Authors are often scared to do separate revised editions because they will lose any Amazon reviews they received for the previous edition. Yes, you will lose those reviews. There is no way to blend reviews of all editions on Amazon. Every new edition is a separate product entity. The reviews from the previous edition will not carry over to the new one, and you’ll have to start gathering reviews from zero.
Do not be tempted to keep updating the existing edition with your significantly changed book manuscript just to preserve reviews! Those previous reviews were for a completely different product. So they aren’t authentic reviews for this updated edition. Bad customer experience!
A better question is why do you believe you won’t be able to gather reviews for the new edition?
Do You Really Need to Rewrite and Republish Your Old Self-Published Book?
The author who asked about unpublishing and republishing her book series felt that she had grown in her writing skills, and wanted to revise these older books to meet her current personal writing standards.
The author’s concern, in this case, is a personal one. Did she feel that she didn’t have the capability to create something brand new, choosing to go back to a place of previous success? Or was she just embarrassed by her previous work, wanting to make things “perfect?” Many authors are sure to relate to this.
Fiction readers may not want to buy a revised book but may be looking for new, but similar, material. An option could be to publish a "reimagined," "revisited," or "next generation" type story using the same characters, settings, or situations, but retold in a new way. This provides something new for people to read and buy that builds on something familiar. Think of how many movies (Terminator? Batman?) retell or repackage a story with a new twist on the same storyline.
For nonfiction books where the subject matter can change, rendering previous editions irrelevant, the decision to rewrite and republish is usually an easy and obvious one. For example, if a guide is written for a computer software program, a prime opportunity to update the material and publish a new edition would be when a major change is made to that software. Some nonfiction books, such as travel guides, might be updated as often as annually to keep them current and useful.
Whether for fiction or nonfiction, the decision to rewrite a book should be based on the needs of the market it serves and the subject it covers. If it will not better serve the market, then rewriting may be just an exercise in seeking unrealistic and unwanted perfection.
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
© 2019 Heidi Thorne
Comments
Heidi Thorne (author) from Chicago Area on May 31, 2019:
Hi Dora! Indeed, lots to consider when considering the future of your published works. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a terrific weekend!
Heidi Thorne (author) from Chicago Area on May 31, 2019:
Flourish, I think I'll take the "Frozen" advice, too. :) Not only are these folks trying to rewrite their past, they're often trying to relive it, too. Move on!
Thanks for chiming in and have a lovely day!
Heidi Thorne (author) from Chicago Area on May 31, 2019:
Thanks, Linda, for the kind words! You're right, there's a lot to consider, even for something that seems as easy as eBooks. Appreciate you stopping by. Have a terrific weekend!
Dora Weithers from The Caribbean on May 30, 2019:
Thanks for your insights on this important matter. Wise counsel to chew on before making the decision to unpublish or republish.
Elaina Baker from USA on May 30, 2019:
When it comes to rewriting the past, I'm embodying Elsa in Frozen and gonna sing, "Let it go, let it go!" I would hope in 99% of cases that those authors would just focus forward and create brand new material.
Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on May 29, 2019:
You have a very useful collection of articles about creating eBooks. There are so many details to think about, but your articles are a great help. Thank you, Heidi.
Heidi Thorne (author) from Chicago Area on May 29, 2019:
Hi Chitrangada! Thanks so much for your kind words! I agree that it's probably best to keep moving on and let past work be the past. Have a beautiful day!
Chitrangada Sharan from New Delhi, India on May 29, 2019:
Wonderful article, very useful, well explained and your video is amazing.
Instead of rewriting a book, it’s good to write a new one. And updating an article is different from updating the books.
Thanks for sharing this useful article.
Heidi Thorne (author) from Chicago Area on May 28, 2019:
Bill, I agree. It's just too much work to update old books, especially ones that are still selling. Upward and onward, I say. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a terrific week!
Heidi Thorne (author) from Chicago Area on May 28, 2019:
Liz, updating a blog is so much easier than updating books. And we should be doing it! But books are a completely different scenario. Thanks so much for making that point about blogs and have a wonderful day!
Heidi Thorne (author) from Chicago Area on May 28, 2019:
Thanks, Pamela, for stopping by anyway! Have a beautiful day!
Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on May 28, 2019:
Great information as always. It just seems like too much work for me with very little reward. :) Not that I'm lazy, but I've got other books to write and no time to revisit old ones. :) Happy Tuesday, Heidi!
Liz Westwood from UK on May 28, 2019:
This is an interesting article. On Hub Pages we are encouraged to update and revise articles on a regular basis. Your article helpfully putsthe pros and cons of this on a much bigger scale with books.
Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on May 28, 2019:
This article does not apply to me, but I still found it very interesting. am sure it will help anyone that wants to unpublish a book and have a do-over.
