Shiraz vs Amazon ...

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The battle lines have been drawn, will I or Amazon be the victors?

My problem is that Amazon seems to object to my books living anywhere else on the internet. This isn't a new issue, and many published authors have hit the same problem, but usually it is a simple issue to fix.

Not this time, I loaded Testing Times onto Kindle a week back and that took a day to be authorised, but it's the paperback that's giving me trouble. To be honest, I'm only putting a paperback option on Amazon for completeness (plus so I can have a dead-tree edition on my bookshelf!)

The issue appears to be one of copyright and rights in general, if you search for any of the Tammy books then every search comes back to here, BCTS. I made a promise that I would leave the Tammy stories here, to be read for free, if I started promoting them on Kindle. The books are staying here, and that is the problem - for them not for me!

So, for now, that paperback is unavailable, oh well. To be honest, at $15, I don't know who would buy it?

My website's had a refresh btw.

Shiraz
Shirazbooks.co.uk

Comments

i've had

Maddy Bell's picture

similar issues but only when i've tried to put a new edit up. So they accept the Kindle edit and the 1st edition print is up but they just won't have a 2nd ed. In short, i've given up, new editions are currently only Kindle but when i get to it i'll do Lulu dead tree and forget Amazon dead tree reissues.

The other thing you could do is rename the book so their search engine doesn't find the BC version.

As to who buys them, well i don't know names of course but whilst 99% of my sales are digital i do get a trickle of paper buyers, the newest Gaby had 1 paper sale last month from @ 90 total buys, previous tomes are about the same - a total of 29 dead tree editions in 2020.


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Madeline Anafrid Bell

KIndling

shiraz's picture

Thanks Maddy,
I'm a mere beginner when it comes to e-books, compared to yourself of course! Currently I have 7 tomes up there and 6 are available in deadtree including four of the Tammy books. Ironically, two of the dead-tree editions arrived in the mail yesterday, only a day after ordering them for myself.
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Is it even worth it

All these horror stories with Amazon are making me dread actually finishing and publishing my book And question whether or not it’s even worth it

On another note I can’t wait for the next Tammy story to be released

I have heard

Hypatia Littlewings's picture

I am not an author, not really tho I have posted a couple of things here. But I am a regular reader here.

This topic has come up before.
And I am sure you do not have to pull your stories from here to be on Amazon. But you also can not be part of certain of their promotional programs, which I think include the "read free on prime" set up. They do try to make you think your books needs to be on Amazon and only Amazon.

You need to talk to some of the authors here who have gone the route of, having the same stories both here and on Amazon. I have no idea of the exact details. I just know that this has been posted about before.

Additionally:
1) It is also possible to sell on Amazon an other sites at the same time, both independent authors and big name authors do so. Some authors here are already doing so.
2) It is also possible to opt out of their DRM system, if you wish.

Note(an example): E-books from "Baen" Publishing are both DRM free & available from multiple sellers. They have posted on their own site that, "They believe that this promotes more sales in the long run".

.

PS. Make sure your proofreading is thorough. Eliminate typos, and make sure you rating, and category tags are correct. Amazon has gotten very aggressive on taking down stories, because of stupid complaints.

That's great!

As to Amazon: they send me lots of stupid advertising – but do I get timely notification of new publications by the authors that I follow? No, of course not.

Well, thanks to your blog entry I now have your newest book despite Amazon. :-)