The Second Edition - When is it needed?

Sometime soon, a second edition of my first book, which was self-published, should be gracing the online bookshelves (and hopefully some physical ones too.) So, I thought I’d share with you some of the things I’ve learnt in considering the publishing of second editions. If you’re traditionally published, whether or not you can do this is likely not your call (unless you reclaim the rights to your original manuscript) so I’ll stick mainly to how it works with self-publishing here.

So, when might you publish a second edition? There are three main times:

1. You change publisher
2. The material has significantly changed i.e. a fresh edit or a revision to bring a non-fiction book up to date.
3. You wish to change your Pen name or Book Title

As regards number 1, there are a few potential scenarios here: a) A change in your publishing imprint’s name b) The aforementioned reclaiming of your rights to a manuscript from a publisher and subsequent decision to self-publish the same book, and c) The opposite – The publication of a previously self-published book by a new publishing house. 

As the ISBN of each edition of a book belongs to the publisher and not to the individual, any change in publisher must result in a new edition of the book with a fresh ISBN number. 

For me, the third scenario applies. I am bringing my previously self-published books under the banner of a new publishing house. To decide whether or not this was worth it, I did some digging.

So, regarding number 2: Self-published authors have a lot of leeway to change their manuscript already. In fact, I can make any changes to my ebook (including cover, content, length, price, ISBN, Publisher name) all without needing to issue a second edition. I can even change the Title and Pen name. I can change all those and then pop a “2” in the edition box if I want to – but I don’t have to.

However, this doesn’t apply to Paperbacks/Hardbacks. Here's where we get into (3) territory. For hard copies, I cannot change the Pen name or Title without issuing a second edition. This is because you can publish an ebook without an ISBN number, but you cannot publish a Paperback/Hardback without an ISBN, and the Title and Pen name are linked to the ISBN just like the Publisher’s name. Remember: change publisher, change ISBN. Always.

So, what can you change on a Paperback/Hardback without issuing a second edition? You can change the cover image, content & price. However, it is best practice not to change more than 10% of the content, and you need to remember that if you significantly affect your page count, your cover might not fit (and The Zon is within its rights to moan at you.) There are workarounds – say you did a fresh edit and knocked 5000 words off your manuscript. In theory, you could increase your margin sizes until your page count is the same as the original, then you might get away with it. But do you want to?

Ah, that’s another big question. We all know that 1st editions of famous works are prized objects. Yet when it comes to print on demand, the hallowed 1st edition slips into obscurity rather. If the author were constantly tweaking their manuscript, there could be lots of slightly different books out there all with the same ISBN number. By contrast later editions (particularly when it comes to time-relevant non-fiction titles) are important for keeping material up-to-date and ensuring your book doesn’t lose its educational value. By having several editions, you indicate to the reader that you can be trusted to put your best work out there and to keep it fresh. 

What about fiction then? Is there any further justification for a second edition if you’re not changing those names/titles? I suspect it all depends on your manuscript. There are probably several self-published authors out there who look at their debut novel and see a million things they would probably do differently now they have more writing experience. Whether or not you choose to act on that niggle is entirely up to you. Personally, as a chronic perfectionist, I am a tweaker. I can’t help myself. I know not everyone is like me, and that’s absolutely fine! But if you are like me, and you want to splash out on a fresh edit that significantly changes your manuscript (and you’d really quite like everyone to know about it) then a second edition might be a good way to go.

My main worry about issuing a second edition was that I would lose my reviews. It came as an absolute joy and surprise to find out that (on Amazon at least) I wouldn’t, providing that I don’t change the Title or the Pen name! So I thought I’d share that little snippet of joy with you in case you live in fear of the same. As long as you have your books claimed under your KDP Author Profile (which you can do even if Traditionally Published btw), Amazon should “find” any new editions and link them to your old reviews.

Phew, that was a whirlwind of information, but I trust it was helpful. Hopefully my Second editions will be out next month; if they are, I’ll let you know how it all goes and if it worked out how I’d hoped.

Natasha Woodcraft lives in Lincolnshire with her husband, 4 sons, a spotty dog, 2 kittens, a misunderstood bunny and some much-maligned fish. She believes stories have power to communicate deep truth and transform lives. Her published novels, The Wanderer Scorned & The Wanderer Reborn, explore God’s redemptive purposes for messy people by reimagining the tale of Cain & Abel. Also a songwriter, Natasha peppers her emotional prose with poetry and song. 

Disclaimer: This is blog is based on knowledge I’ve gleaned from various sources, but I cannot promise it is all 100% correct. So no suing me if you find out something is wrong – pretty please! 

Images courtesy of pixabay.com