The Disappearing Kindle Versions

I was planning on going the entire week without doing a post -- why, I don't know; just a way to mix it up, I guess -- but then I just saw Nick Mamatas post on Twitter how Amazon has taken down the Kindle version of his novel Sensation, as well as every other Kindle edition from PM Press. Here's a bit of why:

President of the second-largest independent book distributor Independent Publishers Group (IPG) Mark Suchomel said in an e-mail alert yesterday, "I am disappointed to report that Amazon.com has failed to renew its agreement with IPG to sell Kindle titles." As of yesterday, Suchomel says, Amazon has taken down all IPG ebooks from its site, though they continue to sell print books from the distributor's clients. (Our own check confirms that Kindle editions are missing for IPG titles, complete with the standard box to "tell the publisher!" you would like to read this book on Kindle. Individual Kindle hyperlinks now result in error messages.)

Suchomel writes: "Amazon.com is putting pressure on publishers and distributors to change their terms for electronic and print books to be more favorable toward Amazon. Our electronic book agreement recently came up for renewal, and Amazon took the opportunity to propose new terms for electronic and print purchases that would have substantially changed your revenue from the sale of both. It's obvious that publishers can't continue to agree to terms that increasingly reduce already narrow margins. I have spoken directly with many of our clients and every one of them agrees that we need to hold firm with the terms we now offer. I'm not sure what has changed at Amazon over the last few months that they now find it unacceptable to buy from IPG at terms that are acceptable to our other customers." Suchomel reiterated to us that the company's terms of sale for ebooks have not changed.

Obviously, this is messed up, and I hope IPG and Amazon come to a quick and fair agreement. Everyone makes Amazon out to be a bully, and it's stunts like this one that just goes to prove it.

I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon. On the one hand, I'm currently benefiting quite well by self-publishing my ebooks through them, but on the other hand, they go and strong-arm the smaller publishers (and sometimes even bigger publishers) into agreeing to terms that will ultimately hurt not only that publisher, but the writers and even the readers ... not to mention, of course, putting bookstores out of business.

Anyway, if you'd like to support Nick and PM Press, you can purchase his novel directly from the publisher's website.

In Which I Read Somebody Else's Story

Just a quick reminder that I'll be at Fergie's Pub tomorrow at 2:00 pm for the Stripped Launch Party. And just to be 100% clear -- I am not actually stripping at this event. Though, if I have too many shots, who knows what might happen, so be sure to bring some extra singles just in case.

Again, Stripped: A Collection of Anonymous Flash is edited by Nicole Monaghan and asks the question of just how important is gender in storytelling. All the author names have been "stripped" from their stories, and won't be revealed until next year. So I can't tell you which story is mine. But I will tell you that the story I'm reading tomorrow is not mine. So there -- that's your first clue.

If you're in the Philadelphia area and have nothing better to do tomorrow, head over to Fergie's to see me and a few other contributors read some anonymous stories.

Finally, Man of Wax got its best one-star review yet. Even better, I've been compared to John Steinbeck! Well, not really, but apparently I'm telling little dirty secrets of myself and what I do in my free time. Maybe someone needs to explain to this reader what "fiction" means. Also, recommend her next book be The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. That's a very wholesome read!

Attention Goodreads Readers And Authors

If you're an author and you're active on Goodreads, be aware of this:

At Goodreads, we make it a priority to use book information from the most reliable and open data sources, because it helps us build the best experience for our members. To that end, we're making a major change.

On January 30, Goodreads will no longer display book information that comes from Amazon.

Amazon's data has been great for us for many years, but the terms that come with it have gotten more and more restrictive, and we were finally forced to come to the conclusion that moving to other datasources will be better for Goodreads and our members in so many ways that we had to do it. It may be a little painful, but our aim is to make it as seamless as possible for all our members.

Amazon data that we will stop using includes data such as titles, author names, page counts, and publication dates. For the vast majority of book editions, we are currently importing this data from other sources. Once the imports are done, those few remaining editions for which we haven't found an alternative source of information will be removed from Goodreads.

Member ratings, reviews, and bookshelves are safe, but your data may be moved to a different edition of the book. If we can't find a matching edition, then your review will be attached to a book with no title or author. But the good news is that there's a way you can help.

Today, we are announcing new tools to help Goodreads Librarians source data for the books that need rescuing.

There's more, but further down the post they do address the books published solely at Amazon:

There have been many questions about Kindle Editions and books in the KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) program. As these editions are unique to Amazon, there are no alternative data sources. We anticipate keeping these, and will bend over backwards for all our authors who publish via Kindle to make sure their readers on Goodreads have a smooth transition.

If you're an author, it's in your best interest to make sure your books are rescued. If you're a reader, it's in your favorite authors' interest to make sure their books are rescued. Supposedly all of my titles are safe, though their covers and product descriptions have disappeared, which means I'll be very busy in the next week fixing all of that. If you're on Goodreads, be sure to click here to see any books you've read that may need saved.

Can You Say Scam?

From Publishers Weekly:

Red Wheel/Weiser Conari Press, in collaboration with Hampton Roads and Hierophant Publishing, are entering the self-publishing market for spiritual and self-help authors. The companies have formed Turning Stone Press which will be under the director of Red Wheel /Weiser Conari publisher Jan Johnson.

The press will offer editorial and production services including copyediting, book and cover design that will be overseen by Red Wheel/Weiser’s art and production directors. Red Wheel president Michael Kerber noted that the entire publishing process “is managed 100% by us. We do all the work.” Turning Stone will charge a one-time fee of $7,500 and authors will be paid on a royalty basis. “There are no hidden charges,” said Kerber, noting that if a book takes off, the additional printing costs will be covered by Red Wheel. “We’ll treat [Turning Stone] titles like any other Red Wheel book,” he said.

Print and digital editions of each book will be produced and listed on Amazon and BN.com, as well as other retail channels. Both formats will be featured and sold on a dedicated Turning Stone Press Web site in addition to Red Wheel/Weiser’s main site. Turning Stone will also provide a press release and marketing plan for each book and Kerber said Turning Stone will support events the author creates.

Red Wheel/Weiser Conari Press have long focused on the spiritual and self-help market and Johnson said the launch of Turning Stone will “complement our existing publishing programs.” Kerber noted that with publishing undergoing tremendous change “this is a different type of service we can offer.”

How much ridiculousness did you spot in those four paragraphs? Go!

Barry Napier Guest Post

There was a period of about eight months or so where I thought I was being clever. I thought I was writing this innovative sort of poetry that I wasn’t seeing nearly enough of. It read quickly and almost like really short fiction. At that time, flash fiction, to me, was anything less than 500 words. So I thought these really quick rapid fire poems of about 30 words or so had a chance to be unique.

Of course, I simply hadn’t taken the time to do my research. I found that there are limitless avenues for shorter poetry and fiction out there. This was a fact that slapped me squarely across the face when I saw the submissions call for Hint Fiction, a book that was being edited by some Robert Swartwood guy.

25 words to tell a story. A STORY. It made my little 30-word poems curl up in a minimalist corner and cry. But, finding that I loved to experiment with short forms, I gave it a try. And much to my surprise, my story “Through Tiny Windows” was accepted into the collection. As a result, I was having semi-regular correspondence with Mr. Swartwood. Also, because of Hint Fiction, I can now die happy in the knowledge that my name will forever be linked with Peter Straub, Joe Lansdale and Joyce Carol Oates (even if it is only by circumstance).

So you can imagine my delight when Robert openly welcomed me to stop by for a visit during my blog tour for my new release, Everything Theory: Cold Compass. As the colon and presence of a subtitle suggest, it is part of a series—obviously a far cry from a 25-word short story. Everything Theory is a planned 5-part series that borrows from a variety of genres, but would probably be best suited in the company of horror, thriller, and dark sci-fi.

The series is centered around twenty-year-old Gabriel Warren, a disenchanted young man that has been dragged down for most of his life by the bizarre legacy his deceased father left behind. His father was viewed by his peers as a mad scientist of sorts, dabbling in controversial projects concerning genetics manipulation, advanced space exploration, time travel, and ESP.

Everything Theory: Cold Compass finds Gabe after he has been approached by government officials, requesting that he assist with the work his father was unable to complete. Unable to resist the paycheck, Gabe is tasked with his first assignment as an unofficial member of a shadow organization known as the Center for Scientific Anomalous Research (CSAR). With the assistance of a CSAR official posing as an FBI agent, Gabe travels to the small town of Hasper, North Carolina where people are being killed by an ancient evil that lurks beneath the town.

Along the way, Gabe must also contend with the fact that he is beginning to see ghosts and is being hunted down by an enigmatic figure that calls himself Garrison Sleet. As he slowly unravels the mysteries of his father, Gabe slowly understands that even the evil lurking beneath Hasper is tied to not only his father’s work, but to some integral part of him as well.

What some kind folks are saying about Everything Theory: Cold Compass:

"Everything Theory is a dark and creepy ride that takes you right into the lair of the things that go bump in the night."

-- Robert Swartwood, author of The Serial Killer's Wife and Man of Wax

"The Sixth Sense meets The X-Files ... Barry Napier does an outstanding job of drawing you into the storyline while teasing you with glimpses of the larger world to come. Everything Theory: Cold Compass is a veritable page turner that will leave you begging for the next book, and has all the qualities of being an epic series."

-- Gabriel Beyers, author of Guarding the Healer

*  *  *

To learn more about Barry, his Everything Theory books and other works, visit him at his online home: www.barrynapierwriting.wordpress.com.