Amazon is Screwing Over Authors and Publishers ONCE AGAIN!

Amazon is Screwing Over Authors and Publishers ONCE AGAIN!

The latest action by Amazon that hurts authors and publishers is explained in Publisher’s Weekly.

To summarize:

  1. People can buy an audiobook from Audible, which is Amazon’s audiobook division.
  2. Those people can listen to the entire audiobook.
  3. If the customer “returns” the audiobook (which is actually a download, not a physical product) within 365 days, they can get a full refund!

“If you’re unhappy with your purchased book, you can return or exchange it easily as long as it’s within 365 days of the original purchase.”

Amazon then deducts the author’s or publisher’s royalties they’d previously earned on that “sale” from their future Amazon royalties!

Now, why in the world would Amazon let people who’d completely used and benefitted from a product “return” it for a full refund? I know why. They’re trying to get more people to sign up for Audible, which has an annual fee of $7.95 to $14.95 per month.

So, even if a customer “returns” a book, Amazon still gets THEIR money. It sure seems to me that they couldn’t care less about screwing over authors and publishers in the process!!

So, if you’re thinking about selling your audiobook through Audible, you might want to think again. You may end up giving it away instead.

POSTSCRIPT

Amazon issued this statement after receiving the complaint letter with more than 12K signatures: “…in recognition of these concerns, moving forward and effective as of January 1, 2021, Audible will pay royalties for any title returned more than 7 days following purchase.”

Still not good enough! If Amazon is tracking the number of pages customers read of ebooks, you can bet they’re tracking the amount of time a customer has listened to an audiobook in their system. One or two chapters is enough for someone to determine if a book is right for them. No customer should be given a full refund after listening to an entire audiobook, whether it takes them seven days or just seven hours.

RELATED



Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.

About The Author

AngelaPortrait72dpismall_400x400

Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).

Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.

WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.

BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."

Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.

PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!

Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.

Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)


See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.


ANGELA ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/AngelaHoy


BOOKLOCKER ON FACEBOOK - Provides links to free excerpts!
https://www.facebook.com/booklockerbooks


ANGELA ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/angela.hoy.750


ANGELA ON LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahoy/


Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/



Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE



90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy

Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it - a lot more.

We know what you're thinking. You're an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts and we're going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online...and almost all of our techniques are FREE!

Online book promotion is not only simple but, if you have a step-by-step, day-to-day marketing plan (this book!), it can also be a very artistic endeavor, which makes it fun for creative folks like you!

Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!

3 Responses to "Amazon is Screwing Over Authors and Publishers ONCE AGAIN!"

  1. Pamela Allegretto  December 11, 2020 at 5:33 pm

    I am just as shocked by the buyers who return an audio or ebook, or a paperback for that matter.

  2. Donna S Cohen  December 11, 2020 at 11:34 am

    Angela,

    Donna Cohen here! Absolutely! I never could stand Amazon. You get yourself in that KDP select or whatever it is, and loads of people read you book for free,

    Here on the island, we do have to use Amazon to shop but although this is a revolutionary idea–I do not trust my work with them. I like FREE, but unless I am signing up to be a volunteer then I do not like free.

    Sincerely,

    Donna S .Cohen RN

  3. Pingback: Book Marks – thebookselfblog