If you are not familiar with Amazon's Kindle Delivery Fees, you should check out their HELP Section on this topic, which can affect your book pricing and your subsequent royalties.  As you'll see, if you select the 70% royalty option, a delivery fee of $0.15/mb will be charged, on each sale, before your royalty split with Amazon is calculated. As an example, if your deliverable file size (final mobi file size) is 10MB, Amazon charges you $1.50, deducted from your sale price, before they split the remainder with you, 70/30%.  This is important to think about when you're creating your book, if you are using a lot of images, charts, and the like.

Remember Amazon's Royalty Calculation:  Royalty Rate x (List Price - Delivery Costs) = Royalty

You don't want to inadvertently create a book that's 20mb in size, with a $2.99 sales price; you'd end up with the delivery fee costing $3.00!  Obviously, that math won't work, so always keep it in mind, as you design your book.  For books purchased in Mexico, the delivery fee is $1/MB--not $0.15, so if you are creating a Spanish-language book, this could really hurt you.  (All figures in USD).  

Important note:  if you create a "coffee table book," you may decide instead to opt for the 35% royalty option, which incurs no delivery fee.  Some of our artwork-book clients have chosen this route pretty successfully.  It's a viable alternative, if you know that your book needs a lot of imagery to work.  

T'was the Night Before Christmas... 

 (With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore, may he forgive my doggerel...)

...and all through the shop,
all we minions were working,
   until ready to drop.

The ebooks were flying,
the covers were spare,
The edits were crazy,
   with "one more thing I must share!"

We waited for Santa,
'Cuz we love old Saint Nick,
But Hitch made us work,
   Waving 'round an old stick!

So slave we all did,
And made all your books,
So that Hitch would say now,
   that we're off the hook.

Come today we're off,
to rest up our fingers,
Our hats we will doff,
   No books they do linger.

But we'll all be back,
Don't give it a thought,
for like all wage slaves,
   we're easily bought.

We'll be back on the fifth,
all eager and fresh,
All ready for you,
   after a well-deserved rest.

So Hitch wants to say,
very strongly and loud,
THANKS ALL YOU GUYS,
  you're the best type of crowd.

Indy and Len and Hitch and the gang,
will be back on the 5th,
to do books with a BANG!

In the meantime don't worry,
if you're in a hurry,
'cuz some poor guy got stuck
   sitting here like a duck.

Your emails we'll receive,
so no need to grieve.
We'll be a bit slow,
but we're raring to go.

Your books will be worked on,
your edits still made,
we're just resting a bit,
   before we all fade.

So please excuse the delays;
It won't be for days;
we'll jump on your queries,
   for your wondrous new series.

We waited for Santa,
'Cuz we love old St. Nick,
And sure 'nuff he came,
   It wasn't a trick.

And as he rode off,
into the night,
I could swear I heard Hitch yell,
   "That Edit's Not Right!"

~~~~~~~~~~

We'll be back on the morning of January 5th; we'll be here parttime between now and then, thanks.