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Moving away from Amazon and expanding my ebook publishing breadth

kennyc

Inkling
You may have heard that Amazon has disabled 'download and transfer' books to kindle devices or for backup on your computer. Due to this I'm moving my publishing to DrafttoDigital and expanding to the bookstores they supply (i.e. most ebook publishers like Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes&Noble, Apple, etc). Many my books are Poetry or Micro/Flash/Prose poetry - Particularly the Prosthetic Amalgams series, but various other stuff as well. They all include a wide range of 'genre' including literary, SF, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Weird and even straight fiction/prose. :)

Currently a few of my books are still locked down by a Kindle Unlimited contract but I will move them in a month or so what that expires.

I've also lowered all the prices to $2.99

You can find a list of the books and links to the various ebook sellers on my books to read Author page: Find books by Kenny A Chaffin at your favorite digital store!
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Why is it a problem that they cannot be downloaded and transferred?

What do you know about Amazon's reason for this?
 
Why is it a problem that they cannot be downloaded and transferred?
The main argument is that you no longer actually own the books you bought, but you licence them. And Amazon can, without giving any reason or notice, remove them at any time they wish without refunding you. Or close your account and make you lose access to them.

What do you know about Amazon's reason for this?
The most common reasons I've heard for this is that they want to turn books into a streaming service as much as possible, and lock you into their environment as much as possible. If you can't remove your books from your kindle, then you're stuck with Amazon if you want to keep access to them. It makes it hard to switch to a different platform.

It's more or less the traditional monopolist taking steps to make it harder for competitors to disrupt their market.
 

ThinkerX

Myth Weaver
I recently had to get the free Kindle reader for my PC because of this. (My Kindle is getting slow and cranky.)

That said, all but one of my books is published through Draft2Digital. I also signed up for D2D's in-house promo partner thing, which means I participate in promos on the likes of Kobo and Hoopla. I unloaded 40 books - most of them freebies in the Smashwords Readers Week thingie.
 

kennyc

Inkling
The main argument is that you no longer actually own the books you bought, but you licence them. And Amazon can, without giving any reason or notice, remove them at any time they wish without refunding you. Or close your account and make you lose access to them.


The most common reasons I've heard for this is that they want to turn books into a streaming service as much as possible, and lock you into their environment as much as possible. If you can't remove your books from your kindle, then you're stuck with Amazon if you want to keep access to them. It makes it hard to switch to a different platform.

It's more or less the traditional monopolist taking steps to make it harder for competitors to disrupt their market.
Yes, this!
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
So...from an author perspective, this is a problem cause my readers have to have a kindle and be in good standing? I dont think that effects me too much. My assumption is, once purchased, if nothing else changes, they can look at the book whenever they want so long as Amazon exists. I suppose, I might want to price my book differently, if it is a rent/check out situation, and not a purchase, but...I think I probably would not.

As a reader (which I am not), I may find this annoying. I am paying to own, not rent. So, I can see not liking it.

I see many saying 'it is because Amazon wants everyone stuck in their ecosystem', but I dont see any place where amazon itself is explaining the policy, or claiming this as the reason. Since amazon is one of those companies that everyone loves to hate, I am discounting this pending verification. Might it be that Amazon is doing this for some other reason, such as to stop piracy, or such? Do we know their official stated reason?
 

ThinkerX

Myth Weaver
So...from an author perspective, this is a problem cause my readers have to have a kindle and be in good standing? I dont think that effects me too much. My assumption is, once purchased, if nothing else changes, they can look at the book whenever they want so long as Amazon exists. I suppose, I might want to price my book differently, if it is a rent/check out situation, and not a purchase, but...I think I probably would not.

As a reader (which I am not), I may find this annoying. I am paying to own, not rent. So, I can see not liking it.

I see many saying 'it is because Amazon wants everyone stuck in their ecosystem', but I dont see any place where amazon itself is explaining the policy, or claiming this as the reason. Since amazon is one of those companies that everyone loves to hate, I am discounting this pending verification. Might it be that Amazon is doing this for some other reason, such as to stop piracy, or such? Do we know their official stated reason?
not quite. I had to download the Kindle Ap onto my PC.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Not quite, as in, they are not doing it to stop piracy?

I guess i will say, regardless of what spurs a change away from amazon, there is no reason to stick with them, and diversifying into other downloadable formats can have its own rewards. I am just wondering why this is a problem for authors, and what reason did 'Amazon' give for wanting to do it. It seems like a problem for readers--more specifically, kindle owners.

It could be for the ecosystem advantage, but...you know... a lot of big media companies want you in their ecosystem. Amazon is not special in that.
 
why this is a problem for authors
It's bad because it's forcing authors to accept whatever policies Amazon dictates. It means that they can force indie authors to be exclusive to Amazon if they want to be included in the KDP select program. Which means Amazon can dictate the money they pay out to authors per page read for that program (which has been steadily declining). It means they can get away with forcing indie authors to price their ebooks between $2.99 and $9.99. It means that they can make authors pay for a download fee per MB (for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99), which is ridiculously high (when compared to download costs for regular Amazon services). It means audible can get away with paying something like 25% royalties to authors.

The list goes on for quite a while. In short, a monopoly is bad for everyone except the party that has the monopoly. Why? Because it puts all the pricing power in the hands of the party that holds the monopoly. They don't have to do anything to make life easier for their customers.

what reason did 'Amazon' give for wanting to do it.
They didn't give any. And I doubt any company would ever announce a plan as "we want to increase our stranglehold on our customers so they can't leave our ecosystem, ever." It's certainly nothing to do with preventing piracy. They could implement a lot of very basic measures to prevent those, and yet they never do. They just shift the blame to authors who get pirated.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
It's bad because it's forcing authors to accept whatever policies Amazon dictates.
This does not connect. The policy of not being able to download purchased books to my computer is a subscriber issue.

It means that they can force indie authors to be exclusive to Amazon if they want to be included in the KDP select program.

This they do already.

I am sorry, but this does not feel objective to me.

None of the companies are negotiating. So they are all dictating terms. Can you disagree with D2D and get them to give you special pricing or privileges? Or do you just check the box saying I agree to the terms and services, for which, I am sure they have language saying they may change.


I guess, I am just not going to go upset the applecart over an issue that does not seem to really affect me. Amazon may do a lot of bad stuff, but that does not mean this is one. And...its not like other companies don't as well.

Near as I can tell, my issue is if a reader wants my book and amazon wont send it to them, it might create a bad feeling about me as an author and disappoint a reader. But, I suspect that will really be between the reader and amazon. There are many ways to get my book.

I dont really care enough about this issue to go on for pages, so...I'll just leave it with, if you dont like amazon, make your own choices. Its not my issue anyway.
 

Fidel

Troubadour
So...from an author perspective, this is a problem cause my readers have to have a kindle and be in good standing? I dont think that effects me too much. My assumption is, once purchased, if nothing else changes, they can look at the book whenever they want so long as Amazon exists. I suppose, I might want to price my book differently, if it is a rent/check out situation, and not a purchase, but...I think I probably would not.

As a reader (which I am not), I may find this annoying. I am paying to own, not rent. So, I can see not liking it.

I see many saying 'it is because Amazon wants everyone stuck in their ecosystem', but I dont see any place where amazon itself is explaining the policy, or claiming this as the reason. Since amazon is one of those companies that everyone loves to hate, I am discounting this pending verification. Might it be that Amazon is doing this for some other reason, such as to stop piracy, or such? Do we know their official stated reason?
This is such a nuanced issue! From an author’s perspective, it’s frustrating if readers can’t access your work easily, but you’re right, once purchased, the book should ideally stay accessible. The idea of pricing differently for rentals vs. ownership is interesting, though it might complicate things.

As for Amazon’s reasoning, it’s hard to say without their official statement. While the “ecosystem lock-in” theory is popular, it could also be about piracy prevention or even streamlining their digital rights management. It’s definitely worth digging deeper to see if Amazon has clarified their stance.

Either way, it’s a reminder of how much control platforms have over how content is distributed and accessed. As authors and readers, it’s something to keep an eye on.
 
This does not connect. The policy of not being able to download purchased books to my computer is a subscriber issue.
Not the downloading as such. I meant that it's another step where they tie readers into their ecosystem, making it harder for them to leave. Writers have to go where readers are. If all readers are on Amazon, then that is where we have to go. And the more Amazon ties readers into their ecosystem, the more writers are tied to Amazon.

I am sorry, but this does not feel objective to me.

None of the companies are negotiating. So they are all dictating terms. Can you disagree with D2D and get them to give you special pricing or privileges? Or do you just check the box saying I agree to the terms and services, for which, I am sure they have language saying they may change.
The reason Amazon can force exclusivity is because they're the defacto monopolist for ebooks. Which means they can dictate whatever terms they want.

I don't get any special priviliges or negotiating power with D2D. However, the Kobo plus system, which is equivalent to KDP Select, doesn't force exclusivity. Why? Because they don't have the marketshare to get authors interested if they force exclusivity. Would they if they could? I don't doubt it for a second. But they can't. It's an example of how competition between platforms makes things better for authors.

Same with audible by the way. They're the monopolist for audiobooks, and they offer by far the worst royalty rates. Since authors have little choice but to use them, we have to put up with that.

That was my point. Once there is a monopolist, there's no reason for that monopolist to make things better for their users because they have no choice. And the more people are tied to the ecosystem of the monopolist, the harder it is to disrupt them.

Will this one change make things very different? Of course not. But it's one more small step.
 

Dylan

Troubadour
You may have heard that Amazon has disabled 'download and transfer' books to kindle devices or for backup on your computer. Due to this I'm moving my publishing to DrafttoDigital and expanding to the bookstores they supply (i.e. most ebook publishers like Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes&Noble, Apple, etc). Many my books are Poetry or Micro/Flash/Prose poetry - Particularly the Prosthetic Amalgams series, but various other stuff as well. They all include a wide range of 'genre' including literary, SF, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Weird and even straight fiction/prose. :)

Currently a few of my books are still locked down by a Kindle Unlimited contract but I will move them in a month or so what that expires.

I've also lowered all the prices to $2.99

You can find a list of the books and links to the various ebook sellers on my books to read Author page: Find books by Kenny A Chaffin at your favorite digital store!
Smart move ditching Amazon’s lockdown. Diversifying with Draft2Digital is a solid play, especially for genre-blending poetry/prose that deserves wider reach. Love that you’re dropping prices too; $2.99 is a sweet spot.
 

Rexenm

Maester
Fiction Press should monetise, because they have a good community. If they have a way of monetising Fan Fiction, they should do that too. Even if it is just donations. There is no way of knowing where conglomeration will go, and when it will go down hill. That is the whole point of authoring as a posed to just monetising.

But, this is just a random thought, how long will Amazon have these queries, before they take time to look at their bottom line, and make more direct merger attempts?
 

ThinkerX

Myth Weaver
Having been on D2D for a few years...

Yes, D2D is dirt easy to use for formatting and publishing both print and digital books. It also offers internal page layout options not on Kindle - things like Drop Caps and nifty little separators.

D2D gets their cut from your sales - you make less.

You can publish on both D2D and the non-exclusive version of Kindle (the name escapes me at the moment). Check carefully.

D2D does publish to Amazon, but there are restrictions, and you miss out on Amazon's automatic marketing. The biggie for me was no series page/banner.

Yes, D2D has an internal marketing system that cooperates with other vendors besides Amazon. I have gotten sales from Apple, B&N, Hoopla, Kobo, and Smashwords (which is now sort of merged with D2D. My experiences:

I have issues with linking to my books at B&N, especially over the past year. The links often do not work or get flagged as suspect.

About a quarter of my sales come from Smashwords, specifically their big sales. Alas, 90% of my 'sales' from this outlet are freebies. I view it as building brand awareness. Smashwords gives you a full price and a range of discounts. Typically, books below $1.99 drop to free.

Hoopla takes forever - weeks to months - to let you know if you have sold anything. What usually happens is I will get an email from D2D reporting the proceeds of 2-3 sales from Hoopla a month after the fact. I suspect this has to do with a quarterly rather than monthly system, but that is just a guess,

To date, my sales via Apple and Kobo have been...random.

I recently navigated to the back end of D2D via a dubious link and signed up for their joint promos with other platforms. Most of these you have to apply for, discount your book, and you often won't know if you were accepted until the day before the promo starts. Hoopla seems to be a partial exception to this. So far, Kobo and Apple look to be the most involved in this.
 
This is an interesting discussion, and while I haven't been affected by this change myself, I can see why it raises concerns.

Amazon's shift away from 'Download & Transfer' reinforces the reality that digital books, like most online media, are increasingly treated as licenses rather than owned products. This is not unique to Amazon, many digital platforms, from music to software, have adopted similar models. While it's a business strategy designed to reinforce their ecosystem, it does raise legitimate concerns about access and control, both for readers and authors.

For authors, the best course of action is diversification. Many of us already publish beyond Amazon, and if this change pushes more indie authors toward platforms like Draft2Digital, Kobo, or Apple Books, that may ultimately be beneficial for the market. While Amazon remains dominant, relying solely on it leaves us vulnerable to policy shifts that we have no control over.

For readers, the concern is more immediate, if they can't back up their purchases, they risk losing access due to factors beyond their control, like account issues or future policy changes. While Amazon hasn't stated its official reason, it's unlikely to be about piracy, given that DRM measures already exist.

If you're an author, I'd recommend keeping options open:

- Make sure your books are available on multiple platforms.

- Encourage readers to explore alternatives like Kobo, which allow downloads in open formats.

- If you rely on KU, weigh its benefits against the risk of exclusivity.

This is not the first time Amazon has made a controversial decision, and it won't be the last. But as authors, the best defense is ensuring our work remains accessible, no matter where readers prefer to buy their books.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
The connecting material between this issue and concern for authors just isn't here. Sorry.

There my be many good reasons to try to avoid amazon, but this isn't one of them.

For me, I do not share this concern.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
One concern, common to monopolistic practices more generally, is that the supplier of the service suddenly changes the terms of service to the detriment of the customer or, at the very least, benefitting the provider with indifference as to consequences to the customer.

Amazon has in the past made such changes with such seeming indifference. This doesn't mean the effects were equally bad or even significantly bad to all authors, but that's scarcely reassuring.
 
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