Small Press Pubs CONTINUE to be abused on Amazon

**** I just learned that Amazon ISN'T setting prices on my books. They actually ordered four of my POD non-returnable copies of Never Ceese and couldn't sell them and were attempting to get rid of them. Read my newest blog to learn more. I'm sure the price will go straight back up to retail now as I bought the books myself. My work there is done. LOL However I stand by the Small Publisher Abuse claim. Amazon could care less about that.******

Looks like Small Press Publishers will continue to be abused at Amazon in 2012 as the only changes being made are for "big mouth" large publishers who are sinking fast under the weight of ignorance and Amazon's fine attitude that "we break the rules because we can unless you have more money than us."

Oh, you want an example? Sure.

My book Never Ceese, published by Black Bed Sheet Books, distributed by Lightning Source Inc, Ingram's POD publishing arm, retails for $16.95. LSI demands that you give folks like Amazon a 55% discount. And that's EVEN IF you make your books non-returnable so you at least don't have books floating around out there that LSI claims they destroy when they are returned-from-the-bookstore after one or two large bookstores decides to "take a chance" and ordered a few copies (why not. They don't have to pay for the books if they return them. That's what that crappy Industry Standard Return Policy states.) For the record, I don't believe LSI ever sees the "returned-from-the-bookstore books again to destroy then. When I asked to come visit the site where the destruction is done, they wouldn't tell me. Just said, "take our word for it, they're destroyed." Bogus!

Anyway, at a 55% discount Amazon gets the books for $3.00. I have three books on Amazon. All are listed for sale by Amazon at retail or a bit less. At this particular moment, Never Ceese is listed at *drum roll please* $3.00!!!! Hmmmm . . . I recall a similar incident where large publishers were peeved because Amazon was selling their e-books for waaaaaaay less than what they wanted to sell them for. And oh MY, the big publishers got their way, threw out their money and brought their lawyers in. Oh well good for them. Small Publishers barely have enough money to breath much less time to deal with Amazon's maze of operators put in place to baffle and confuse.

So you say, "But Sue, you'll sell more books." Since my books are non-returnable, I know each and every time a book sells and to whom. Would you like to know how many have sold through Amazon at $3.00. None. You can tell this because Black Bed Sheets version has no sells ranking on Amazon. Would you like to guess which book of mine on Amazon does have a sales ranking? The hardback of Never Ceese that Amazon won't take down even though it is no longer available through Baker & Taylor, my first publisher's distributor, and even though I, Sue Dent, the legal rights holder has asked them to remove it. I have the official documentation to prove the reversion of rights and have supplied it to Baker & Taylor at their request and yet Amazon still sells the hardback for retail and "AS NEW." The only place Amazon can get the book is through those liquidators my first publisher sold over 4000 copies to -- for like ONE DOLLAR or less!! Amazon is selling books that they are acquiring for probably less than a dollar for RETAIL and they won't pull the book at MY request. So don't any of you tell me that if you don't like Amazon, pull your book!!!!! You can't. And the reason, I suspect, is that without small publishers, Amazon would go down fast and hard. Yes, I could work and work to get my books off Amazon but unless it is a mass exodus, it won't matter one bit. Well, it will matter to me, one of the many starfish on the beach that perhaps saved myself. But what's the point in that?

Amazon hearlds their lending/stealing library.

This is a blurb from Amazon! You'll see it when you log in today. It reads:

"In November we introduced our newest Prime benefit, the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, where Kindle owners can borrow and read thousands of books for free, with no due dates. The library has grown to over 50,000 titles and includes more than 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers such as the Hunger Games trilogy, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Moneyball. It also features Kindle Direct Publishing top-selling authors like J.A. Konrath, C.J. Lyons, and Julie Ortolon. We've also worked hard to make Kindle devices affordable, and they start at just $79 for Kindle and $199 for Kindle Fire.

Small publishers are dropping like flies due to this stealing library. Amazon uses the guise of a "lending" library to get around asking the "kindle" publisher whether they want this to happen or not. They claim they do ask but the bottom line is if you don't allow them to "steal" your e-book, you don't get to publish. The window of opportunity to opt out is short and most "kindle" authors don't even know about it until their fate is set.

Worse than that, why are e-books lent out in the first place? Most only cost NINETY-NINE CENTS!!! Oh yes, I suppose reading an e-book for free is WAAAAAYYY better. Most every publisher I know offers at least a free first, and sometimes even second chapter preview. Plenty of time for a reader to decide whether they want to "break the bank" and support an author's hard work. Amazon is trying to sell Kindles. They're doing it at the publishers expense in a desperate attempt to avoid the inevitable, the absolute and complete death of proprietary e-books and e-book readers. This is why I won't publish a kindle on Amazon EVER! You may find Kindle versions of my book at http://www.blackbedsheet.goshopper.net

Once again history repeats itself. IBM was the first out of the gate to attempt to keep the competition at bay with their propitiatory software and personal computers. Look where we are today. If you're a publisher or an author, you'd be wise to stay away from allowing Amazon to steal your work for their own benefit. Just saying! Barnes & Noble too but apparently their lending/stealing library is too complicated for customers to care about.

Sue Dent and Mark Twain

I foretold of an interview not that long ago, between myself and a quite reputable columnist who contacted me via email likening me to a maverick of sorts in regards to making a resoundingly fantastic impression on "Christian" (quotes means evangelical Christians and not all faiths that are supposed to be housed under this broad label) readers as well as General Market readers (general market actually has more "Christian" readers and Christian readers than the unofficial official "Christian" market.)

Anyhoo, the interview was amazing and I'm looking forward to the column. In the meantime, you can read a little about the impression I made during the interview here: I recently discovered, by reading a blog, about Sue Dent, a southern novelist who has a fascinating story. I will write about her soon in this space, and I dare say many writers can learn from her. That wouldn't happen if Sue had not taken on the added task of utilizing social media.

Read more: Mark Twain lives again!

The only thing I'd like to add about the article in general is that an agent is mentioned and heralded as a "great" one. Unless something has changed, this agent is and always has been an agent for the "Christian" market meaning that this is where he's "great." For those writers not wanting to target the "Christian" evangelical specific, extremely closed market of readers, then you should definitely to someone else. I of course would advise every writer not to seek an agent at all as at this point in publishing history an agent can't actually do anything but waste your time. In fact, I actually contacted this agent once due to the fact that it sounded as though he had access to some non-targeted publishers. He did not. It's just about change though. It will all come out in the wash. ;)

As Large Bookstores Drop Like Flies . . .

As Large Bookstores drop like flies and theories are thrown around as to why this is happening, please keep in mind that a theory is just that but the facts remain what they are.

Fact 1: Large bookstores are outlets for the books large publishers continually spew out. They don't and never have cared one thing about small publishers that now, thanks to technology, make up the largest part of the publishing market.

Fact 2: Thus the "Industry Standard" return policy put in place during the depression (first by Simon & Shuster) to save these bookstores doesn't work for small publishers as they weren't around during the depression to be considered.

Fact 3: In spite of Fact 2, small publishers are forced to sign on to that "Industry Standard" return policy in order to have their books placed on the shelves of any large bookstore which actually rarely happens as large bookstores only cater to large publishers. Because after all, that's who they serve.

Fact 4: If anyone still believes that e-books are the reason for the demise of the large bookstores then they're simply ignoring the facts. Get a grip!

As I've stated before, I've asked my publisher to make my books non-returnable according to that "Industry Standard" return policy as it will successfully take any small publisher down, eventually. I've been with two publishers who met their demise because of it.

This of course means that B&N and other large bookstores won't order my books for their store and therefore won't humor any book event (which actually means very little to me.) B&N used to do consignment for local and small publishers who don't sign on to that "outdated" return policy but they no longer even do that. I do find it interesting that the very publishers who saved their bookstores back in the day are currently throwing their bookstores under the train.

At any rate and for the record, you may purchase my Black Bed Sheet published books anywhere in the world from any bookstore in the world as you can ANY author who has an ISBNumber. I just want you to keep in mind that this means the BEST books out there will NEVER be on the shelf of a large bookstore. I wonder how long it will take for large bookstores to realize that there will be no rescue for them this time as large publishers cut and run. ;)

I'd like to feel sorry for them but I simply can't bring myself to. Not unless they change the way they operate which is to humor a return policy that actually works for ALL publishers large and small. But if they did that, I wouldn't have to feel sorry for them because they wouldn't be going anywhere. Such a simple solution.

British Fantasy Society's review of Forever Richard

Since the original review pointed to an edition of Forever Richard that is no longer available, (or at least wouldn't be if Book Masters hadn't dumped books belonging to my publisher to "returned from the bookstore" vendors), the BFS has kindly updated the book information on Maryann Boo's fabulous review. This is wonderful news considering all that is corrupt in the publishing industry. Thanks Book Master's, you so RAWK! I thought it was under handed for you to send signed and dated returned-from-the-book-store books to me as NEW!!!! I never dreamed you'd be as underhanded as to actually sell returned from the bookstore books to second hand vendors as opposed to returning them to a publishers stock as you say you do. At any rate, here's the awesome review. Just click the logo below. Love me some Maryann! ;D

Forever Richard finally here . . . AGAIN!

It is my pleasure to bring to you the re-published and re-vamped, Black Bed Sheet Books Edition of my 2009 British Fantasy Society long-listed, (hey, it meant something to me) 2009 Pluto Award short-listed Forever Richard. My Thirsting for Blood Series is now officially under one publisher and a damn good publisher at that. Any copy of Forever Richard that you see for sale out there with any ISBN other than: 9780976994770 is stolen and I don't make any money off of it. Book Masters, my second publisher's distributor states they send all "returned-from-the-bookstore" books back to the publisher. When my publisher left Book Masters they were supposedly sent all these books and actually had to pay for them. But apparently Book Masters lies as some of these books (many in fact) are still showing up for sale as new. The rights reverted back to me and I can guarantee you that I've not republished that version of the book. Just the same old same old. Distributors stealing because they can get away with it.

But enough of that!

Go straight away to www.blackbedsheet.goshopper.net and get you the only legitimate copy of Forever Richard out there!!!! Just in time for Christmas!!! Also, as soon as I get my copies I'll offer signed copies from my site. ;)