Avoiding a trip up the Amazon...

Am I insane or merely a principled eccentric for not having my digital book on Amazon?

I can already hear the chorus of responses all summing up to “insane”.  

But I have a bucket of reasons!

1)  I hate giant, world-conquering monopolies.  A lot.  Whenever I can manage to patronize a “little guy” (some only smaller in comparison), I do so.

2)  Not surprisingly, therefore, that I have no interest in “Kindle” or “mobi”.  If I understand correctly, an entire library of books is still attached to an umbilical leading back to Amazon.  A cord they can cut at any time they choose.  I’m an ePub dude.

3)  I keep hearing rumblings of discontent about Amazon.  There always seems to be hushed warnings in the writer forums and groups in which I’m a member.  "The reviewers are all insane."  "Amazon has changed the compensation rules again".  "This is the current clown suit to wear in order to be on some prime list or special selection".  

       These are all peripheral impressions feeding into my bias, so I can’t cling too hard to this “evidence”.  But, I rarely see an post of “BOY, have I done well on Amazon!  They’re swell!”

4)  I do have my book featured in a half-dozen other outlets (which combined, probably don’t equal Amazon ponderous mass).  Still, I would think the Apple iTunes Store carries some respect?

5)  Of key importance is that I went to some effort to sell my book on my own website.  Effort on my end so the consumer-reader can have an easy-peasy experience with PayPal.  I don’t have to pay anyone a cut of the price.  If you buy it there, you’re supporting the author directly.

No…after typing all that out, I’m going to stay the course.  If I haven’t sold a virtual bucket of digital books, it’s the fault of my self-promotion campaign (or lack thereof).  

Thanks for listening.  I look forward to any thoughtful rebuttals.

Okay, self-promotion time!

http://www.murraylindsay.ca/author_site.html

Will explain “Home on the Strange - a Brewster & Brewster Adventure” and allow you to purchase a professional quality ePub via:

https://books2read.com/u/bxele3

At a whole list of fine online stores!