by Jay Hartman
Authors and publishers are hypocrites. There, I’ve said the ugly part out loud that nobody wants to admit to, but let’s face it…we all know it’s true. Myself included.
For the last month, my inbox, Facebook feeds, message lists and other places are filled with people disgusted by what’s going on with Twitter. They’re horrified, and cancelling their accounts immediately.
Meanwhile, the same people continue to sell their titles through Amazon—a company with a proven, documented history of abuse of its employees, a company that charges authors and publishers to deliver an ebook to a reader and deducts that cost from royalties. And that uses other slimy tactics.
And yet…nobody pulls their books. Nobody shakes a fist in the air and says “fight the real enemy” a la Sinead O’Connor on Saturday Night Live many years ago. Why? Because it’s easier to jump off a social media platform and pretend that somehow makes a difference in today’s climate. That it somehow makes an impact and moves the needle to a more harmonious environment which, of course, just isn’t true. Nobody wants to risk the income they get from Amazon, even though it’s proven you can make money without Amazon in the equation. It’s more difficult, but it’s doable.
So, as the holiday spirit continues to move us to become better people and to make changes that improve life as we know it for authors, publishers, and readers, take a look at the places you should be to make a real difference.
Yep, I’m a staunch advocate of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Twitter is an amazing platform for connecting with authors, readers, publishers, and booksellers from all over the world. Twitter has one of the best literary circles of any social media. The ability to connect, promote, and otherwise gain visibility on a platform that costs you nothing can’t be rivaled anywhere else. Many countries, where certain types of literature are banned, find their content through Twitter. Libraries reach out to their patrons about what’s happening in their locations, thus stimulating their grants and budgets. If you believe enough in the value of something, then you stick around to protect it until the ship is completely underwater and broken apart. Twitter has asked little of its users over the years. Sure, it’s asked that hate speech not be used and it’s chosen not to give people with wild and dangerous ideas a megaphone. Focus on what you’re there to do—enrich the literary community.
DriveThruFiction.Com
Back in the golden days of ebooks, when you made a living selling short stories, before self-publishing came along, and before authors started to charge $0.99 or give away their works to get a ranking on an Amazon list, the field for selling ebooks was far more diverse. Numerous ebook retailers existed, all with their own special promotions, features, and capabilities. Now, that’s pretty much gone because $0.99 and free isn’t a sustainable business model.
The one company that survived against all this is DriveThruFiction.com. These folks are the last, true, independent ebookstore on the internet. Although their specialty is science fiction and fantasy, pretty much any other genre of fiction is welcomed. You can sell in any format you like, create paperbacks through them. Heck, you can even sell decks of cards and roleplaying games. Their royalty rate is similar to Amazon and they don’t charge to deliver an ebook to your reader. There’s an affiliate program, unlimited promotions to participate in. DriveThru even helps you promote your titles without asking for a dime. Best of all, anyone can sign up to sell with them. No other ebook retailer in the industry right now offers the dedicated publisher and author approach DriveThru does, and they’re very much an overlooked gem in the industry.
Storygraph
GoodReads used to be a great place to connect over anything and everything having to do with literature. Then, Amazon took over and it’s become a horrible place. The rampant attacks on authors by other authors, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and everything-phobia has turned GoodReads from a place everyone wanted to be into a place everyone is afraid of. Until now, there hasn’t been a good alternative to the platform.
Storygraph is a newcomer to the arena, but already is a breath of fresh air. From reading journals to book clubs, being able to rate with half and quarter stars, to marking a book as Did Not Finish, Storygraph has introduced a platform that is all about the reading experience. I’ve been test-driving the platform for the last few months. I absolutely love it. You can build a reading audience, share your books with friends and potential buyers, and use AI to help you figure out what your next great read should be. Best of all, you can import all your existing GoodReads data. Did I mention it’s free to use?
These are three places where you can help push things in the right direction and support those businesses that support you.
Do you have any other must-be places for your fellow authors? Be sure to share them in the comments below.
Looking to get The Publisher Perspective? Send your questions to jhartman@untreedreads.com with TPP in your subject line. If your question is used, we’ll send you a free ebook from Untreed Reads.
Jay A. Hartman, editor-in-chief at Untreed Reads Publishing, founded Untreed Reads to promote ebooks with an emphasis on independent authors and publishers. He’s written about the ebook industry for fifteen years and previously served as content editor for KnowBetter.com, one of the internet’s oldest sites reporting on ebooks and epublishing.
Well said, Jay.