Tis the Season (of Waiting?)

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season, this winter of 2024. I had a lovely Christmas day, seeing family and watching the kids opening presents and generally getting spoiled beyond all hope. The new year is right around the corner, and I have to say that I am eager to get it started!

This coming year, I have high hopes. I have aspirations for my family, for myself, and for my books. I hope you will join me on the journey. What kinds of hopes do you have for 2025?

Let me tell you about something I was NOT hoping for....long waits for orders.

Some of you wonderful people ordered my newest book, Twisted Hearts, directly from this website. You may be wondering where your copy is?

I sincerely hoped that they would have been in your hands by Christmas, but I've run into a problem. Amazon won't print my books.

Is there a problem with my books? Is there some formatting issue or a content problem? Nope. None of that. I've done everything I was supposed to, ahead of time. I put in my order as soon as it was available. And despite using a Prime membership, I had no option for expedited shipping. I didn't even get the normal shipping times. I was given a 5 week window in which I might get my order.

What is going on?

Despite Amazon dealing with a worker strike, and the overwhelming number of orders that they always face at Christmastime, Amazon has assured the public that orders won't be delayed. Using my KDP author portal, I've been looking through the author community posts- that is, Amazon authors posting questions for other Amazon authors- and there were over 50 search results for "long waits on author copies." A simple search flooded my computer screen with other authors like myself saying that they were being forced to wait weeks and weeks to receive their copies of the books they were publishing through Amazon KDP.

You see, authors can order their own printed copies for resale, at printing costs. Translated: Amazon doesn't make much money off of those orders. So when an author like me puts in an order, it goes to the bottom of the printing queue. And because Amazon is trying to make money like any other business, if someone orders the same book from their website directly, and pays the full retail price, they will have that book in a day or two.

This is just one obstacle that an Amazon-only author like myself faces in marketing their own books. Add to that that I can't get copies of my own book ahead of the release date, I can't offer ARCs, or Advanced Reader Copies, to a promotional support team for the purpose of having reviews already on the website on the day of release, and I have very little control over the quality of the printed copies I receive...you might see why authors are looking for other options than using Amazon for their publishing needs.

One of my hopes for 2025 is to not be so dependent on Amazon for my book business.

What does this mean for you?

Hopefully it means that this is the last time you'll have to wait so long to get a signed copy of one of my books.

It also means that if you are reading my books through Kindle Unlimited, you're going to lose access to the first two books in the coming months.

Amazon is a business trying to make a profit at the end of the day. They are just a lot bigger than most other businesses. I don't hold it against them, though I wish they offered better options for the folks like me trying to publish books on their own. Amazon has been a great partner to me up until now. And, honestly, I could stick with them and build a business around the limitations they have and probably do alright. I'm not saying anyone should boycott Amazon (or at least not over this) or that there should be a KDP author strike. It's good to know what your money is supporting though! Maybe you know another writer like me and have wondered about why they did things the way they did...it may very well be because of the limitations of the KDP platform!

To everyone who ordered a book from me, I will have those signed and into your hands as soon as I get them! I have a little bonus merch to include in those packages, and I'm so excited to share it with you! Thank you for your patience!

To anyone who would like to know how to best help me or any other author on Amazon, it's pretty easy! If you can buy a book, that helps tremendously. There are a lot of costs involved into publishing a book, and they add up quickly. If you can't buy a book, share links to the book in question on your social media accounts. Show up for in-person events and snap a picture for the 'Gram. As your local library if they will carry your author friend's books, or even your kid's school library.

Possibly one of the most useful things you can do is leave an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads. Obviously, you'll have to read the book first (most authors have an ebook for a few dollars or even free). Did you know that an author needs 25 reviews before their title is eligible to appear on any lists on Amazon? Getting enough reviews is a game-changer for a lot of authors publishing on Amazon!

2025 is sizing up to a busy and exciting year for me! And if you're reading my books and blog posts, I hope it's exciting for you, too! A new series is in the works. I can't wait to tell you all about it (to be honest, it's killing me a little to not talk about it!).

What is your 2025 looking like? Are you excited? I hope so. I hope you greet January 1 with a heart full of hope and your eyes wide open. There is a lot to be frustrated about, you only need five minutes of watching the news to get your fill of that. But I hope you can look past all of the noise and hold tight to the good coming your way.

Love and blessings, friends!