Archive for 'distribution'

Where Can I Buy a Copy of a Nadia Lee Book?

I generally do an Ask Nadia session on Wednesdays, but I decided to talk about something else, which several people have asked me about.

Where can I buy a copy of a Nadia Lee book?

If you're buying a print copy, any store is fine. And just for the record, I don't mind if you buy new or used when it comes to print copies. Amazon, B&N and other bookstores should carry them or be able to order them for you if they're not in stock.

For ebooks, I currently distribute to the following stores only:

  • Apple iBooks — All 51 international stores
  • Amazon — All territories
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Kobo
  • Google Play
  • All Romance eBooks

Several people have asked me about my distribution plans at Smashwords. I think this is because I used to distribute my books via Smashwords, and I currently have one book available on Smashwords (Vengeful in Love).

I plan to pull that book down from Smashwords soon and close my account with them. I basically used Smashwords to distribute Vengeful in Love to Barnes & Noble, because Barnes & Noble does not accept books that are free. So I had no choice but to use Smashwords.

But recently, the negatives are considerably outweighing the positives.

Pro(s)

  • You can make your book free on Barnes & Noble.

Con(s)

  • Reporting is extremely slow. Oftentimes I have to wait for weeks for updates.
  • And the reports are confusing. I have a degree in finance and minored in economics and took more accounting courses than I should have in college. I still get a headache when I look at their reports.
  • Their payments are slow.
  • Their ebook file vetting system is inconsistent and slow. (I'm not complaining about having to create a consistent and/or proper epub file. I've been doing that for years now, and Apple, which is one of the pickiest vendors out there, has no problem with my files. What I object to is random errors that don't make any sense.)
  • Their support is slow (if you get a response at all).
  • I've received my tax forms late a few times, and they were often the wrong forms.
  • The biggest problem: Smashwords opts me in for new vendors without my consent or notifying me first. There are certain vendors I do not want to do business with. I understand Smashwords wants to grow its business, but it should respect my wishes as well and not send my books to places without my explicit permission.

I know many overseas readers buy from Smashwords because it's easy and convenient. But I can no longer distribute my books to a place that routinely disregards my wishes (in addition to all the other issues). I try to accommodate overseas readers by making my books available on all 51 Apple iBooks Store, localized Amazon stores and putting them on All Romance eBooks and Google Play.

Thanks for your understanding!


Pulling My Titles from Kobo Books

I really didn't want to do this, but I no longer have any choice.

I distribute some of my self-published titles to Diesel, Kobo, Sony and Apple via Smashwords. It came to my attention last week that Kobo discounted books uploaded by Smashwords. I thought maybe it was a one time glitch or something, but it looks like it is not. Furthermore this random and unauthorized discount has a huge financial impact on writers.

Mark Coker responded to the situation:

April 12, 2011 – Bugs of a different variety. Kobo has experienced a glitch that in the last two days that has caused an automatic repricing of some number of Smashwords titles. We don't know how many are affected yet, but I've personally confirmed about 20 books affected in the last two days. I have noticed an initial pattern that in some cases, the prices reverted back to a previous list price, so it might only be affecting authors who raised their prices after first landing at Kobo. Kobo is aware of the problem, and they've escalated it to the highest priority. If you discover your books are affected, click the comments/questions link and send us a direct hyperlink to your book at Kobo, along with a notation of the proper price, and we'll forward the information to Kobo in case they're not aware of it already. Whatever you do, DO NOT opt out. I expect this to be resolved shortly because Kobo doesn't want this error taking place any more than we do.

Here's the thing — I don't trust that Kobo's glitch was a two-day problem because I know it's been going on longer than that. I'm not confident that Kobo can fix it anytime soon. Given that this can impact my pricing at other vendors, including Amazon and Nook, I'm pulling all my titles from Kobo.

In addition, Mark Coker's comments on Kindleboards give me no confidence that Smashwords or Kobo is going to take responsibility for what went wrong, as they seem too busy blaming Amazon for daring to price match. :?

I'm sorry if you happen to like shopping at Kobo. But all my books are priced below $4.00, and I cannot afford to have Kobo's “glitch” mess things up for me at other vendors, especially given that my sales numbers from Kobo are so much smaller than what I get elsewhere (such as Kindle, Nook and Sony).

So here are the updated vendor links for all my titles:

Carnal Secrets

All Romance eBooks
Amazon Kindle US
Amazon Kindle UK
B&N Nook
Smashwords
Sony eBook Store

Destiny Entwined

All Romance EBooks
Amazon Kindle US
Amazon Kindle UK
B&N Nook
Diesel eBook Store
Smashwords
Sony eBook Store

A Happily Ever After of Her Own

All Romance EBooks
Amazon Kindle US
Amazon Kindle UK
B&N Nook
Diesel eBook Store
Smashwords
Sony eBook Store


“Distribution: the Issues of DRM and Geo Restrictions” Is Up

I'm discussing the thorny problem called distribution, esp. DRM and geo restrictions, on Pearl's World of Romance today. Please come check it out!