Don’t Make the Amazon Publishing Mistake

I had to do it! I had to write about this topic. It seems that AMAZON has taken a turn for the Monopoly Highway.

Now, on AMAZON KDP an Author can upload their manuscript to have a print on demand print book available.

Similar to what Createspace offers. But do not fall for it, read more to know why.

This is what is says on their KDP Print I have copied and pasted here the exact verbiage from their own website:

Publish Your Paperback on KDP (Beta)

 

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Please allow me to explain why this is a mistake for anyone who wants to publish a quality book and have the opportunity to make money selling their book.

1. Do not assume that readers and book buyers are ignorant.                                                                                                                      You would be surprised how many people look to see if a book is self-published through CreateSpace or Amazon before they decide to purchase it. The reason why is because readers know that subpar material is being produced by self-published Authors, due to lack of editing or proper formatting. They know that many people are producing junk and calling it a book. There is no quality control with self-publishing. Sophisticated readers will not waste their time or money on low-quality books. This doesn’t mean that good books can’t come out of the self-publishing world, but readers expect a higher average standard of books published by a Publishing house and are willing to pay for it at an even higher price.
2.  Do not waste a readers time.                                                                                                                                                                                 If you have decided to publish an unedited book on KDP and do not know proper or correct book formatting then get ready to be cremated by any reviews you get. Even if you have an interesting story or are providing some good information, if it is written poorly, or has editing issues or formatting issues, you are sure to get negative feedback. Because the reader/buyer will feel like you have wasted their time, and they will be sure to use their time to warn other potential buyers to not waste their money.
3. Do not assume that your book will be available everywhere books are sold.                                                                            This is just not the case. Libraries will not carry books that have a CreateSpace or AMAZON publishing stamp on it. And most bookstores that carry new books will not either. There are Ma and Pa bookstores who will carry a self-published book on consignment, but you must provide the books for them and then remember to follow up every month to see if they sold and you can supply them with more if so. Now, as of today April 19th, 2017, you can’t even buy your book at wholesale cost if you publish with AMAZON. Yes, you can with CreateSpace, but not with Amazon. So if you order your books at the selling price, how can you make any money by reselling them? They do not have a wholesale price available for the Author. Also, they said right there in their own words “Distribution: Reach paperback readers through Amazon websites in the US, Europe, and Japan.” This is through ONLY Amazon distribution channels. Your book will not be available on Barnes & Noble. 
4.  Do not expect to see any substantial income from the sales of your book if you publish with Amazon.                      First off, you did notice, that they said you can earn “UP TO 60%” Royalties. They didn’t say you would get a guarantee of 60% Royalties. Conveniently, they do not elaborate anywhere on their website that I was able to find, as to what guarantee of a percentage of royalty you will actually get. They just said “up to 60%” and then that is all that is said about your royalties. Now think about this, you write the book, you do the work to publish it on their platform and then they can’t even be honest with you about how much Royalties you are really going to earn? With CreateSpace, you get 100% Royalties.  I smell a rat.

        Now, let’s talk about the real reason why Amazon is doing this.

Amazon is not really a good friend to Authors. Once you establish this fact in your mind it is easier to connect the dots as to what Amazon is up to. Yes, everyone wants to have their book being sold on Amazon because they are a major book distributor. Yes, they are allowing indie-author a path to publish their own work and get worldwide distribution, so on the surface, it looks like Amazon is a dream for indie-authors. This is an illusion. They are preparing for marketplace war with Barnes & Noble and trying to acquire a complete monopoly.

How many bookstores have closed up since the rise of Amazon? I use to have Hastings, Borders and few other bookstores that were thriving in my city, but now the only one in my city is Barnes & Noble.

Well, do not think for two seconds that Barnes & Noble is not preparing for this war. Because they are. Soon, they will be competing with Amazon and blowing them away. The latest news on the literary grapevine is that Barnes & Noble is getting ready to launch their own print on demand – that will be available in every one of their stores. Imagine, no more having to wait 4 or 5 days for your book, just walk into Barnes & Noble and have them print it right there. Bam! That my friend is competition. And by Amazon trying to get everyone to self-publish through using their own platform, will prevent the Author from being able to have their book sold through Barnes & Noble.

The end game: Two monsters of the book distribution channels go to war, and Amazon can enjoy a slice of humble pie.

Do not side with Amazon or fall for their tricks. They are becoming a big bully and ripping people off.

For more information on Amazon smelly rat dealings check out this news article.