BookTok Talkin': Book Covers, Indie Authors, & Austen

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[cindywingetbooks]

Indie author here: i will try not to make this too long, but people who aren't authors for some reason think we make a ton of money. The truth is, MOST TRADITIONALLY published authors can't actually make a living being an author, so for an indie author its nearly impossible. It is sooo hard to get your name and book out there. I don't even break even after paying for cover design and editing. So i can either make a little bit on Amazon that i squirrel away and use to pay for editing on my next book or when i tried to go elsewhere I made literally zero money. For publishers, its a business. For authors its an art. So for me personally I do feel like not shopping on Amazon hurts the author more than Amazon. They are HUGE you are not realistically going to hurt Jeff Bezsos. I don't even have indie bookstores where i live.

[mplbooks]

As an indie author, my take is: as long as most readers are buying from Amazon, we'll be focused on having--feel more or less forced to have--our works on Amazon. All my stuff is available elsewhere, and I took my work out of KU (and now make far less than I used to)... I'd be happy to NOT put my work on Amazon at all, but that won't work for me until most of my sales come from other places. I do always encourage readers to order books from their local stores rather than Amazon, but...

[markreadsbo]

The problem with amazon in relation to what the pay writers with books on Ku is that they get paid more if its not available anywhere else.

[BookReviewsWithBecky]

I loved seeing how the covers are changed!

[zahreads]

The frustrating thing is that if you don't have a kindle or ku you literally can't get that ebook anywhere else. They have a exclusivity clause that says you can't sell that book widely. For me, that just puts me off the book. Its annoying.

[booksandcoffee]

Luckily a lot of indie authors I read are on kobo or print. I won't ever judge an author but I still make a decision about my own money

[zee]

one thing i find strange/worrisome about the austen covers is that they're apparently targeted towards a YA demographic, but 5 of the authors who did the forewords write (spicy) adult romances...

[Razgriz]

It's really hard to get away from amazon when bookstores cost twice as much.

Today, I tried to buy 2 books from a bookstore and I was 1 CENT from free shipping. So I would spend $60 after shipping and tax for 2 measly paperbacks. Picking one extra book would get me free shipping but then cost $80 total. These weren't books kept in physical stock so shipping was my only option. I couldn't justify the price when those 2 books together were $30 on amazon :/.

[AndyB_]

I am someone who only really likes reading physical books and a lot of times the only way to get an indie book physically is through Amazon. But I'm gonna try harder to see if the books are available physically elsewhere. I kinda have niche tastes though, so sometimes it's an extra layer of difficulty. I'll keep trying though! 😭

[MsPodder]

the fact that nobody sees that Az has the right to remove these books at will and change them is a major problem for me. We purchased the books we should be able to keep them. I cannot support Az anymore. With regards the KU issue and indie authors again, they can just remove them at will and change the books at a whim. I won't let Az dictate to me what i can and cannot read.

[LittleMissTotoro]

I didn't know Oathbound HAD come out and I love the series! I should have seen it at my local book shop at the very least. I am sad about it!

[cindywingetbooks]

I already left a comment addressing the indie author stuff but i wanted to also leave one talking about the rest of the video 😂 Regarding the fantasy book by the BIPOC author, i completely agree that it shouldn't still be on the cart, definitely should be shelved by then. However, i think its wild to freak out about ONE book not being shown prominently when hundreds of books come out every month. And as to the covers for the Austen books. I don't necessarily think that specific set of books is problematic but i do hate when covers give you false sense of what a book is about. I am now leery of the cutsie cartoon romance covers because you think you are getting a fun rom-com and instead its smut city! Or you buy a cozy mystery only to discover its also smutty or way darker than you expected. It feels like false advertisement where you are getting dooped lol.

[jaxnd]

The big issue with Amazon and indie authors is their compensation program and the fine print... But even beyond that... To assume that everyone can just opt to not buy from the billionaires that created the monopolies is a super privileged take and I call people out on it all of the time. Many people do not live in large metro areas. Those of us in rural communities had our mom & pop stores die out 20+ years ago. And if they are still in business, their prices are typically much higher (understandably) to the point that people on a fixed income can't afford to buy milk there if they can get it at Walmart $2 cheaper. So many people are living on a budget that is so tight that they can't even afford their $5 copay on their medication, so that dollar or two difference in price for grocery products is the difference between making sure the heat stays on when it's -10 or freezing just so they can "stick it" to the big corporations. Sorry! That is kind of a tangent, but I feel it's an important point to make (as a nurse that works primarily with people with a very limited income) with so many people trying to shame someone for not boycotting a company all together. I think it's more important to be intentional with your spending and avoid it where you can, but don't feel bad when you can't.

[BookishlyYours-lm]

This is a much needed video...good narration 💯

[Erdhenne]

As someone outside of the US, yeah I have a hard time finding indie books from your country in any other book store here. If they're a bit more popular, it's possible, but usually no chance in hell. 😂

Edit:
Also the same ebook usually costs 6€ at Amazon and 14€ at the "local" (it's actually more like your barns and nobles) book store.
And I really don't understand why?