Just Contemporary Romance: True Friends Are Priceless

Just Contemporary Romance: True Friends Are Priceless: With: Marie Lavender I’ve been writing stories since I was about nine years old. In most of them, a minor character – a friend – was ...

Some Authors Are Shifting Away from Amazon — Why?

I've been seeing a trend for a while. There are authors - apparently popular ones, for that matter - who have decided to forgo using the usual bookseller sources, and release their books exclusively on their own websites, sometimes with subscription-based services. 

Being a reader of romance too, I occasionally come across these authors after a newsletter sign-up. Except, suddenly I can't find their book title on Amazon, and I am forwarded to a website that, for all intents and purposes, is professional, but makes the reader in me cringe. 

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Why?

Why, indeed. Why should I be forced to move away from my beloved Amazon, or in lieu of that, avoid every other possibility to use some random website that might collect my personal information and sell it to the highest bidder? 

Am I paranoid? Exaggerating?

Perhaps. Yet, there's a grain of truth to this line of thought. I doubt I'm the only book reader who has clicked off an author's wares just because they don't offer your preferred format or they use a resource you're unfamiliar with. 

Is this method of abandoning Amazon and other booksellers successful? I imagine it works for some. But for most authors, we must bite the bullet and go with what our audience wants. Is the Zon annoying with their strange policies sometimes? Sure. And royalties that come from 'pages read' on Kindle Unlimited are a significant risk, granted that someone who purchases the book actually opens it. But we muddle through the chaos to offer enough comfortable formats to appeal to our fans. Whether you have an e-reader or just prefer a print copy, you can often find each type of book at different retailers. 

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Would you be willing to ignore the typical places and try a random author's website to retrieve your copy of a new release? Hmm...for myself, probably not without some guarantees, such as a discount promo code for the first purchase. I mean, I don't shy away from PDF or mobi copies; God knows I've found a ton of books through Rafflecopter giveaways and Bookfunnel. But I still become wary of an impending scam when an author cannot be found at any retailer other than their own website.

Maybe it's just me. But even as a fellow author, if better sales are the only reason to move away from Amazon, then why get into writing in the first place? Isn't it about passion, telling a story? Don't you want your audience to actually read the book?

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So, you tell me as the reader. Where do you most frequently buy books? Answer through the poll below...


And if you just happen to have used these exclusive website deals on authors' official sites, then let us know in the comments. Are you still hesitant, or did you get accustomed to the approach? Or, if you're an author too, would you try this method, or do you agree with me? Why?

I look forward to reading all about your thoughts on this topic!