Dear Readers…

thoughtful - morguefileDear Readers,
Imagine this scenario … a young man spends two years earning his credentials as a chef at a top rated culinary school. Now imagine another young man who loves to cook but, for whatever reason, wasn’t accepted at the school. So he takes a few courses here and there, studies every book on cooking he can find and through trial and error, learns the same exact skills.

In the end, each one knows his way around a kitchen. They apply for a single position at a fancy restaurant in a classy part of town. Who’s going to get the job? The one who was accepted at the school.

And that, dear readers, is the difference between indie and traditionally published authors. Because bookstores—brick and mortar and online alike—have bills and employees to pay, they must promote the books and authors they believe are most likely to sell. That almost always means those who have had their books accepted by a publisher.

Unfortunately, this means to have a fighting chance, indie authors have to do a lot of advertising. Let me tell you, that can get expensive in a hurry. The saying that it takes money to make money? Spot on.

So, after much soul searching—and counsel from someone I trust, I’ve had to make a tough decision. I love what I do. I mean I really love it. And I want to continue writing for many happy years. Those years won’t be as happy if I have to get a day job. That means I need to continue earning a modest living—and enough to accumulate a decent advertising budget.

This will allow me to make my books available in all online bookstores again.

Again?

Yes. Over the next few days, my books will be sold exclusively at Amazon. I’m not sure how long at this point, but my advisor believes it won’t take more than a year. You see, Amazon is the only business that promotes independent authors. Maybe not quite as much as bestselling, traditionally published authors, but they do support us.

I wish it didn’t have to be this way but it’s very difficult to get any traction at the other stores without advertising. So I need to go with the company that gives indies a fighting chance. At least for a while.

This doesn’t mean that those who use other e-readers can’t still get my books. There are, in fact, several ways to get them.

Amazon has Kindle reading apps for most phones, computers, and tablets. If that’s not something that works for you, then I will gladly email you a mobi, e-pub, or other compatible copy of the book—if you can send me a proof of purchase for the book(s) from Amazon.

I truly am sorry I have to go this route for now. Much as I wish I could, I can’t just write because I love telling stories.

Photo credit: Morguefile.com

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7 Responses to Dear Readers…

  1. karenmcfarland says:

    Kristy, yes, as writers we write for our readers. And you of all people love writing books for your readers. Every book is a labor of love. But as an indie, there are tough decisions that need to be made. Self-employment isn’t easy and the business side of writing is very difficult. And I’m sure this was a tough decision. But you have to do what is best for business. If not, your readers won’t have access to your books! Most readers are connected with Amazon. They will follow you because they love you. This will all work out fine. ((Hugs)) 🙂

    • Kristy K. James says:

      Thanks for the encouragement, Karen. I appreciate it. And yes, this was a very tough decision. I just don’t want to have to try to find time around a day job to write. I know from experience that it’s not easy. Now, with the whole thyroid mess thrown into the mix, it would be nearly impossible for me to do both. {{{hugs to you too}}}

  2. Amazon has forced authors into making a tough decision. I feel for you. 🙁

    • Kristy K. James says:

      Thanks, Ruth. I hate it. I’m looking into trying to sell new releases – mobi’s and e-pubs’s – directly from my site for a while after they’re published so hopefully that will help, but yeah, we’re all between a rock and a hard place with all of the online bookstores these days. :/

  3. Libby says:

    That sucks.I have all your books on nook. I should still have access to those previously purchased, correct?

    • Libby says:

      It just shouldn’t be that way.

    • Kristy K. James says:

      Absolutely. And at the rate I’ve been going this year, there won’t be a whole lot of new ones during this period. And the ones I do get published will still be available with the other options.

      And you’re right. It shouldn’t be that way. I wish it wasn’t, but I only sell a small handful of books at B&N. Hopefully, that will change once I’ve saved enough to advertise like I need to. 🙁

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