Filed under Writing.

I read the articles in The Stranger regarding Amazon. I have to say, some of the writing is biased and doesn’t paint a full picture. Yes, they are blackballing a publishing house and this affects authors who have signed on with that publisher. Part of big business, and the little guy suffers.

 
However, the other side is I’ve been listening to authors for the past five years discuss their careers……almost all who say it’s not possible to make a living, you have to have a second job…that is until about three years ago thanks to Amazon.
Every author this past year that I’ve heard speak on panels say the publishing industry is being turned on it’s head…that authors can make a living now by doing self-publishing, or a hybrid (using both a traditional publisher and doing some self-publishing online). That if you want control of your book (book cover design, pricing/sales strategies, marketing, etc.) self-publishing is the way to go. If you want more of the royalty, self-publishing is the way to go.

 

Amazon is not against authors, it’s how they make money. They want authors to succeed, to help them line their pockets. The nice thing, is they don’t take nearly as much money as the big publishing companies. Publishing companies are just as ruthless as Amazon in their tactics. It’s in part because of Amazon that authors can step around the middleman.

 

I will continue to use Amazon.  And I  hope to publish in the next year, including on the Kindle. Do I miss having lots of small bookstores in my community? Yes. Will it stop me from purchasing things online and to my Kindle? No. Will I continue to support my local bookstores and go to author readings and purchase books from them when I can? Yes. It’s a balance I live with, and a reality of big business. It’s not going away.