The Struggles of the Self-Published
If you’re coming here after my video, then you already know the gist of this post. TL;DR: You can buy my books in both ebook and paperback versions, and they’re available on Amazon.
Publishing is expensive. And time-consuming. If I didn’t have a passion for it, I would’ve given up a long time ago. Between the lack of choices for printing companies, the exorbitant upfront costs of physical copies, regional rights, distribution rights, quality control, etc., it’s enough to make your head swim.
For my first book, Deus, I opted for an all-encompassing package with what is essentially a vanity publisher. It was expensive and not sustainable, but I am very happy with the quality and what I got for my money. I just couldn’t afford to keep doing it.
For Kill Bite and Prey Drive, I chose one of the heavy hitters in self-publishing, IngramSpark. It was more work-intensive, since I didn’t have a point of contact putting things together for me. I was on my own. And I liked that, really. I am a bit of a perfectionist*, after all.
But then the trade wars happened. Tariffs. Political strife. Canada-first consumerism. And now I have a problem.
Camouflage, the third and final book in the Topaz Trilogy, came out AFTER everything turned to shit. Which means that pricing is higher, quality is lower, and certain features I used for my first two books are no longer available, causing slight design changes between entries (as both a reader and a writer, I HATE this). All this to say, I had a choice to make. And while it’s not one I’m super happy with, I think it’s needed.
Moving forward, I will only be posting my books on Amazon. I wish I didn’t have to do that, but my priority has been and always will be making my books accessible to as many people as possible. It’s not about the money for me, it’s about the stories. I don’t care how much I make. What I care about is how much you pay. With IngramSpark’s current model, I would be forced to charge almost $40 CAD for hardcover editions and $30 for paperback. That’s absurd.
By going Amazon exclusive, I fix a couple of problems. One, it’s all coming from the same supplier/printer, so quality control should be easier. Two, I have significantly more control over the pricing since I’m no longer sourcing through a third party. That means I can offer my books for way less, think $16 as opposed to $30. At the end of the day, that alone is worth making the switch.
So, what does this mean for you, the reader?
For the next few months, nothing at all. Come February (ish), I will be taking my titles down from the IngramSpark website and moving everything to Amazon. You might see a slight change in the design features, and you WILL see a price change. Lastly, and this is the big one, my books will no longer be available in hardcover, at least not for a while. I hope that Amazon eventually adds the option to list jacketed hardcover editions, but until they do, you will only be able to buy my books in paperback or ebook.
I’ll be sure to post plenty of warnings before the hardcovers go offline, so to speak. In the meantime, and moving forward, if you’re looking for my work, check out the ‘zon.
*cue my husband absolutely CACKLING at that understatement.
