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Should you self-publish exclusively on Amazon? That is the question many authors consider whenever they put a book out.
The benefits of exclusivity
Here are my thoughts as to why you should consider exclusivity with Amazon, which basically means that you cannot publish a particular work anywhere else BUT Amazon for a 90 day period when you opt in with the checkbox on the KDP publishing page.
KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited
The KDP Select help page describes the benefits to opting in as:
- Earn your share of the KDP Select Global Fund amount when readers choose and read more than 10% of your book from Kindle Unlimited, or borrow your book from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Plus, earn 70% royalty for sales to customers in Japan, India, Brazil and Mexico.
- Choose between two great promotional tools: Kindle Countdown Deals, time-bound promotional discounting for your book while earning royalties; or scheduled Free Book Promotion where readers worldwide can get your book free for a limited time. [Note: you can still make your book permafree if you publish on multiple platforms, pricing free and then reporting the cheaper price to Amazon.]
- Help readers discover your books by making them available through Kindle Unlimited in the U.S. and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL) in the U.S, U.K., Germany, France, and Japan. Kindle Unlimited is a subscription program for readers that allows them to read as many books as they want. The Kindle Owners' Lending Library is a collection of books that Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle can choose one book from each month with no due dates. When you enroll in KDP Select, your books are automatically included in both programs.
Ease of changes
One of the big pains when you go direct to all platforms is the timing of price changes for sales. You can schedule a price change on Kobo and iBooks, but Nook can take a few days and Amazon's speed of change vary between 4 – 72 hours. Similarly, if you want to change back matter or fix a typo, you have to do it multiple times. Of course, you can use services like Smashwords, BookBaby or Draft2Digital and update once for all platforms, but I prefer to publish directly for the extra metadata fields I get on the various platforms.
If you are exclusive to Amazon, you only have to manage one site and one set of changes.
The drawbacks to exclusivity
There are several reasons why you shouldn't be exclusive to Amazon.
Global growth of digital markets. Don't miss out!
Amazon may be the biggest player in the US and the UK, but there are other retail stores and devices that dominate in other countries.
Germany, for example, is possibly the next big market for ebooks, and Amazon has 40% of the market. Apple iBooks and Tolino, an ebook reader and associated stores that are run by a group of German publishers, have the rest. I have found that my sales on the other German platforms match Amazon almost exactly.
My sales in Canada primarily come from Kobo, and both Kobo and iBooks break sales down into 50+ countries. We haven't even got started in the massive Asian markets yet!
The Compound Effect
I've found that by going direct to iBooks, Kobo and Nook, I have started to grow an audience there, and my income ticks up every month as their ecosystems discover my books. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy is a fantastic book that describes how little actions taken every day can add up over time to massive change, or massive impact over years. You can't expect to load your books up on Kobo and expect them to sell straight away, you need time in that market.
Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, says in his post on exclusivity that,
“It can take years to build readership at a retailer. Authors who cycle their books in and out of KDP Select will have a more difficult time building readership at Amazon's competitors.”
I have seen the Compound Effect on my blog, my online platform and my book sales over the last six years. I know things take time to build, and a few hundred dollars a month now may grow if I stay my course.
Independence and possibility of disruption
I'm an independent author, so I don't want to be dependent on any single income stream.
I love Amazon as much as the next indie author, as much as the next Amazon Prime junkie and happy customer, but in early 2008, I was laid off, along with 400 other people in one day from my department.
My one source of income disappeared very fast.
Few people saw the Global Financial Crisis coming, and we all had to adapt. Change is inevitable, so I choose to spread my bets amongst the retailers as well as selling directly from my own site.
In Jeff Bezos' interview with Charlie Rose in Dec 2013, Jeff said that at some point, Amazon itself would be disrupted. He just hopes it happens after he is dead!
I think about the future of this business a lot.
I'm 39, and I am not just building for the next year, I'm building for the rest of my life and hopefully leaving something for my family when I'm gone. As Amazon continues to rise and rise, we see the push back of many different industries against their domination. Who knows what the next 5 years will hold?
Conclusion: My personal choices around exclusivity
One of the best things about being an indie is personal choice, but of course, this can make it harder as well. I can't tell you what to do with your books, I can only say what I do myself.
- For anyone with one book and no platform, exclusivity seems to be the best way to get your book moving, at least in the initial period. I helped my Dad self-publish his historical thriller, Nada, last year, and put that in KDP Select. There was no point in going with the other platforms when the majority of his sales would be Amazon, and he had no intention of doing any ongoing marketing for the book. Free books allowed us to get the sales started and get some reviews.
- For translations, in a new market, with little ability to do other forms of marketing, exclusivity is also a good idea. I'm using KDP Select for my Spanish and Italian books, and the free promo days have enabled us to get the algorithms moving and get some reviews.
- For an established series that you are building over time, using more than one site is my personal choice. The compound effect will mean that over time, as I add books onto the platforms, and reach readers one by one, my sales will grow on the other sites. I also like spreading my income streams so I am not dependent on one platform for my livelihood. That's why the vast majority of my English language fiction and non-fiction is on all the major platforms.
- Trying new things is important! For this year's NaNoWriMo, I'll be writing a stand-alone novella that I will put on KDP Select in order to try out Kindle Unlimited. As a reader, I love the idea of KU. I already utilize borrows on Prime and I consume a lot of books. I also love to play with the available options we have.
So basically, when you have multiple books, you can adopt multiple strategies. Fantastic!
What are your feelings around exclusivity? Do you keep all your books on Amazon only, or do you spread your books on multiple sites? Have you started selling direct, and why? Please leave a comment and join the conversation below.
Top image: Flickr Creative Commons fence by John Curley, solving the GFC by Cathrin Idsoe
Ed James says
Hi Joanna –
I ran an experiment earlier this year where I took my books off amazon exclusive and tried Kobo and Nook, where I’d had the first book free for a year, with DLs over 30,000 (vs 240,000 on Amazon).
I blogged about it here – http://edjamesauthor.com/2014/04/30/kobo-nook-amazon/ – but the upshot for me was on amazon I sold three times in one day than in six weeks on Kobo and Nook combined.
I’ve kept the combined edition of my first four books on both sites and have sold six in two months, which I’d usually sell in a day or two.
Personally, I don’t think the competition does a good job of promoting indies until they’re huge on Amazon, eg Hugh Howey. Amazon don’t care who they’re selling as long as they’re selling. Given this is my day job now, I’m all in with them – it makes financial sense, much as I’d like to avoid the many eggs in one basket conundrum.
One additional thing to note is the daily deal – I got selected for one in May and shifted LOTS of books, but that’s only open to KDP Select people.
It’s an interesting time.
— Ed
Joanna Penn says
Hi Ed, I hear you – but I hold to my own feelings about exclusivity and the time it takes to grow an audience on other platforms and in other countries. It’s a personal decision for everyone!
Ron Estrada says
I’ll put my first book on the market in November, with the intention of adding another every two to three months. While I’m filling the pipeline, I think I will start out with KDP for the first. That will allow me to get a quick boost and immediate feedback. I’m also writing YA and Middle Grade, which hasn’t quite taken off in the e-readers yet. But it will, and I want to be in a good place for the Christmas wave. My personal Christmas fantasy is millions of ten year olds unwrapping e-readers and pads this year!
Joanna Penn says
It’s definitely worth being KDP Select, at least for the initial period on the first book – all the best with it!
Kate Sparkes says
Great post! I’ll be referring people back here when they ask why I didn’t go all-in with KDP Select for my first book, or why I didn’t pull from other platforms when KU started. It’s a great program, but pre-release I already had people asking for the book on Kobo and iTunes, and I remember how frustrating it was when I only had a Kobo (I can’t read on a phone/tablet/laptop and enjoy the book, so apps were out for me). If I couldn’t get a book on Kobo, I didn’t add it to a list and wait for it to come out of Select; I just forgot about it. Maybe only 1-5 people find my book outside of Amazon on a given day, but I’m glad they could get it when and how they wanted it. I hope that, as you said, I eventually gain traction on those other retailers.
I’m pleased with how things have gone so far, but I can understand the arguments for getting a debut book into Select, for sure. If/when I release a lead-in short story, I’ll probably try it in Select, just to get into KU for a while and find a different audience. I have no moral objection to exclusivity. It was just a personal decision. 🙂
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Kate, and everything is a personal decision in this business! It’s fantastic that we are empowered to make the decisions 🙂
Cassandra Leuthold says
I’ve been exclusive to Amazon so far – 2 books and 4 short stories. I really appreciated this post because I’ve been thinking about branching out with future works. I like everything KDP select offers, but I’d like to try expanding my reach.
Joanna Penn says
All the best Cassandra 🙂
Teagan Kearney says
A very helpful post on a topic that I’ve wondered about recently as I’ve just released my debut novel, ‘One Summer in Montmartre’ (sorry had to take advantage of the opportunity to give it a plug!) on Amazon with KDP. However, I did buy, and have used my own ISBN (though Amazon puts its ASIN number on the website) so I have the option to place the novel on other platforms.
I’m aiming to release another novel in October and will be keeping your excellent advice in mind.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Teagen, and just so you know, you don’t need ISBNs for any of the main stores. I don’t buy my own, and I don’t need them to publish direct on Kobo, Apple or Nook.
Alice Degan says
This makes a lot of sense.
An important consideration for me was where my initial audience would come from. Part of the reason I chose to go indie in the first place was because I felt I’d written a book that would appeal to a pretty specific community (Anglo-Catholics) to which I belong. I’m in Canada, and although the US is a much bigger market, the people whom I can reach with my own grassroots marketing efforts are mostly in my own country, where Kobo has a bigger market share. Not only that, but a lot of the people I know would prefer a paper book to an ebook. So for me it made sense to get into all the major vendors and to produce a paper edition. But those factors are quite specific to my situation; I think you need to think carefully about where your potential readers are and what they want.
I’m super-excited about selling direct, too! It’s on my list of things to get sorted in the near future.
Joanna Penn says
Hi Alice, Thanks for sharing your viewpoint, and you’re right of course, if you’re in Canada, your initial audience may well be Kobo dominated 🙂 In Germany, the Tolino is important … thanks for bringing an international perspective!
Alice Degan says
Plus Kobo has impressed me by bribing me with wine and opportunities to meet my indie heroes! You can’t beat that. 🙂
Margarita Morris says
I originally published my first novel, Oranges for Christmas, on Amazon and Smashwords. But whilst sales at Amazon were fair, sales at the other retailers were almost non-existent. I sold one copy at Kobo, and it turned out it was to someone I knew. He just happened to own a Kobo ereader, rather than a Kindle. I also sold one copy at the iBookstore. So I decided to take that title down from Smashwords and try out KDP Select. I’ve had a handful of lends through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library or Kindle Unlimited (unfortunately you can’t tell which) and I have a Kindle Countdown Deal coming up in September. I also have a second novel which is in KDP Select and a Countdown Deal scheduled for that one too. The results of both Countdown Deals will play a big part in determining whether or not I remain exclusive to Amazon. My husband tried the KDP Free Promotion deal on his novel, and the results were extremely poor, so I’m not convinced the KDP Select benefits are as great as Amazon make out. I’m concerned that Kindle Unlimited could be a huge game changer though and might make exclusivity the only sensible option. I’m watching very closely to see what other people in the industry make of KU, but in my heart of hearts I’m itching to get my stuff out on all the other platforms.
Joanna Penn says
“in my heart of hearts I’m itching to get my stuff out on all the other platforms”
That’s how I felt too 🙂
Margarita Morris says
Sorry, me again – can I ask a question please? Talking about foreign translations, you said ” I’m using KDP Select for my Spanish and Italian books, and the free promo days have enabled us to get the algorithms moving and get some reviews.” So, you’ve obviously published your Spanish and Italian books through KDP, but are they only available in Amazon.es and Amazon.it respectively? Can you do that, or do you have to choose Amazon.com as a territory? And are KDP Select benefits available in those foreign countries? KU is only available in the US, and KOLL is only available in a handful of countries, but not Spain and Italy. But from what you’ve said it would appear that free promotions are available in Spain and Italy. Have I understood that right? I’m interested in looking at the German market myself. Thanks in advance for your help.
Joanna Penn says
The books are available in all stores, and you get the same free promo days – there’s no difference there. Plus, Spanish is obviously a big language in the US so I would expect borrows in KU for the Spanish book at least. There’s no KU to readers in Spain/ Italy – but they still can get books for free. Hope that helps 🙂
Margarita Morris says
Thanks Joanna!
Donna White Glaser says
I love your podcasts, Joanna! Thanks for all of the great info. As far as exclusivity, it worked well for me in 2011 in the Gold Rush, and more recently, when I had absolutely no traction in other venues, I took several out of BN & Kobo and started making more via Select borrows. Then, I got a BB ad for the permafree 1st in series and put the other three up in the other venues again to catch that tail. It worked.
But now that KU looms large, I’m wondering how long or if I should keep them out of Select. BN is still making me a little change, but Kobo stopped dead in the water after the first BB surge. I hate exclusivity for all of the reasons you’ve mentioned, but frankly, I am trying to build capitol too. I guess it depends on long-term or short-term goals. If I had more confidence in building readership in BN and Kobo, I’d take the long-range outlook.
Joanna Penn says
What about Apple, Donna? With IOS8 bringing iBooks to all Apple devices as standard, it might make the difference there. We live in interesting times, for sure!
Donna White Glaser says
I really have to figure Apple out. I write on a PC so it’s a matter of finding someone’s Mac to upload it which seems… weird. But it only make sense and I’ve certainly done stranger things for my writing. 🙂
Margarita Morris says
Is that really true that you can’t publish to Apple unless you own their hardware? We don’t have a Mac in our house and have no intention of getting one, or an ipad for that matter. You’ve got me worried now.
Yael Shahar says
Sadly, yes, that’s the way they have it set up. You can open an account on itunes and fill out all the tax information, etc. But you need to have a Mac to upload the book. The trick is to have a friend with a Mac that you can use, although you can also rent virtual Mac in the Cloud space.
Margarita Morris says
Thank you Yael for explaining that.
Maggie Lynch says
PC users can publish to Apple through Apple in the Cloud. That is where you, in effect, rent an Apple machine in the Cloud in order to do Apple-only things. See Mac in Cloud http://www.macincloud.com/ It is reasonably priced and an answer to anyone who wants to control their iBook uploads without investing in an Apple computer.
Margarita Morris says
Thanks for the link Maggie – I’ll check it out.
P.D. Workman says
I release my books on KDP Select initially, but don’t renew after 90 days. Then it goes to the other channels for distribution. Because I am publishing at least quarterly, there is always 1-2 of my books on KDP Select available on KU/Lending Library. I can take advantage of free days or countdown. And then expand my distribution (with appropriate announcements to keep it at the front of people’s minds…)
Joanna Penn says
That sounds like a super strategy PD 🙂
Jane Davis says
Hi Joanna (and readers), I have four self-published books. I have kept one in KDP select and have published the others on Smashwords and Kobo. At the moment I make very few sales on Smashwords, but they are growing and I am aware that Smashwords will be the route into UK libraries (albeit that there will be no immediate financial benefit as PLR doe snot apply to e-books.) Smashwords is also the route into major retailers such as W H Smiths and I figure that if they take my e-books and they sell, in time, it may be a route to getting onto the shelves of their bricks and mortar stores. Sales is not my main reason for experimenting, however. Discoverability is. At the same time, leaving one foot in the KDP Select camp enables me to do promotional giveaways with ease.
Yael Shahar says
I also tried KDP Select for the first 90 days with moderate success. I especially liked the fact that the book was available for loan, as that actually brought me some readers who otherwise might not have taken a chance on an unknown author. However, I decided not to renew the exclusive contract after the 90 days were up, for some of the reasons you mentioned above–the need to build up the other platforms over time, reach a variety of audiences, as well as worrying about being overly tied into any one platform.
One other thing–in addition to the point about different platforms dominating in different countries, different platforms and devices also cater to different people. The more artsy crowd may prefer Ipads, while the more mainstream audience may opt for a Kindle.
This may not make much difference for every genre, but I’m beginning to think it is important in my own case (and this may be true for other non-fiction writers as well). Consider that itunes users may include, on average, more creative types. If so, then it might make sense for me to advertise the book slightly differently there than I would over at Kindle–perhaps emphasize the spiritual aspects of the book, rather than its historical setting.
By diversifying my reach, I can change the book description to emphasize the aspects that might appeal to each particular audience. Whether I’m guessing right as to the type of audience using each platform is another story! But at least I have the option.
Joanna Penn says
That’s a great point, Yael. I also think that some people use specific services because of loyalty to a brand – hence why IOS8 and Apple making iBooks part of the core apps is so interesting. I am waiting with baited breath to see if it makes a difference to sales there!
Eduardo Suastegui says
Personally, I think if you’re getting started (even with multiple titles and series, as is my case), and don’t have the time or resources to manage multiple distribution channels there’s little reason (as in payoff) from going with anything other than KDP. I tried doing so with one of my more recent titles (Decisive Moment), and even after going back to KDP exclusive, it’s languishing. I lost out on the front end exposure and am having to work doubly hard to get it “out there” post facto.
There are other reasons I dislike the secondary channels centering around ease of use and lack of instant updates, but I’m sure if I had more time to “manage” it, this wouldn’t be as big an issue.
In short, my first year strategy will be to concentrate on KDP select, and then I’ll fan out from there.
Joanna Penn says
I think that’s sensible in the first year, Eduardo – managing multiple platforms and multiple books is indeed a pain in the a** !
Elizabeth says
I ‘m planning to publish my first novel within the next few months. Is anyone considering using the other platforms because of the call by some authors to boycott Amazon? Is this boycott having any impact on the indie author or are the readers simply ignoring it? My apologies if you have already blogged on this. I’m a new subscriber.
Joanna Penn says
Hi Elizabeth,
Most readers are not even aware of what goes on ‘on our side of the fence,’ so any authors calling for a boycott of Amazon will only be reaching a very tiny percentage. Most readers shop where it is easiest for them, and so people who use Kindle and Amazon shipping won’t be stopping anytime soon.
If you’re publishing your first novel soon, you’d be crazy not to publish on Amazon since it has the biggest ebook reader base right now. Once you become more established, you can look at branching out – but you’d have to be seriously ethically against Amazon if you wanted to boycott them with your first book.
All the best – whatever you choose.
Seeley James says
You’ve nailed it on the head, Joanna. I ran an experiment over the summer and for just two books, the benefits were negative. First book or first in a new market and KDP Select makes sense. For an author with even nominal footprint, the advantages for multiple outlets is a requirement.
Peace, Seeley
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Seeley 🙂
M.H. Vesseur says
I’ve learned so much from your post and all the comments. From an overall perspective to spicey details (such as the fact that you must own a Mac in order to put an ebook in iTunes – a weird detail; even while I have a Mac it still sounds like a strange barrier to me). Very informative. I have chosen the path of exclusivity for the time being. I publish a series of detectives as ebook and paperback, as well as a series of short stories, and my reason for exclusivity has been basically convenience. I have been too busy writing, designing, uploading, networking etc. and have held off the other platforms. But it’s the first time I’ve read this particular argument, that depending on one exclusive platform could prove to be dangerous in the future. Of course Amazon will meet resistance at some point. “Strategy” is the best strategy to go with, and from that point of view multiple platforms make sense. I’m not ready yet, but I have learned from all of this. Thanks.
Joanna Penn says
I’m not sure it will be dangerous not to be spread across multiple platforms, but as I have been bitten before by depending on one income source, I’m personally not willing to do it again. I completely understand your point about being too busy to work it all out though – I had to make a very pointed effort to make time in my diary to do the iBooks stuff – but it has been worth it!
Laura Fredericks says
Once again you’ve taken a complicated little ball of yarn and made it all unravel and make sense for me, Joanna. Thank you! It will be interesting to see how this changes over time, but I think the way you broke it down makes perfect sense for the current state of things.
All the best!
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Laura, glad I could help 🙂
Maggie Lynch says
First, I thank you for an even-handed view of KDP select pros and cons. It is one of those choices each author must make based on her needs, desires, and long-term career plan. I personally have a philosophical problem with exclusivity, so would never elect to do KDP select. But that doesn’t mean I think it’s wrong for everyone.
Like you, Joanna, I am in for the long haul and have many years of mergers, acquisitions, company disruption in my 40+ year career–much of it in the software industry. Thus I have no illusions that Amazon will always be the top dog and, as you rightly pointed out, it is NOT the top dog in many countries. In fact, it has no presence at all in some countries.
It is true that Amazon has a larger market share (particularly in the U.S.) but other platforms are growing and, for me, whether it’s 2% from Kobo, 10% from Apple, or 10% from B&N it all adds up to money I wouldn’t otherwise get. Also, each platform has its unique ways of promoting discoverability. I have personally found it easier to get discovered on Kobo because I have more control over my visibility there–the small pond effect. On B&N I have found that certain genres do better for me than even on Amazon. For Apple, I’m convinced it is a number of titles game. The more titles I put up the higher my numbers become.
I also agree that is time and consistent output that makes a difference on any platform. One cannot jump in for a couple months and expect the same results as a platform they’ve been in for a year or more. I see many people who have been on KDP select for a year, then go off for a month and try something else like Kobo or Apple or B&N and see little to no sales. They then declare it’s not worth it. That is not a test. Each platform has its audience, readers, likes and dislikes. It takes time to figure that out, to determine the nuances of discoverablity for a platform and to get to those readers.
I’m not a bestseller by any stretch of the imagination. But being diversified does make at least a 30% difference in my income. That 30% can be the difference between paying my mortgage that month or having to use my retirement to pay it.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Maggie and I like that you “have a philosophical problem with exclusivity,” as I guess I do too! It’s great that you’re finding it easier to get noticed in the smaller pond of Kobo, it’s all about focusing for a while on each platform IMHO. I have it on my list to tackle Google Play in the next few months – it’s my final hurdle to full direct distribution. And like you say, “time and consistent output…makes a difference on any platform,” and we all just have to keep on trucking. Congrats on paying your mortgage with your books as well – that’s awesome!
Rasana Atreya says
Hi Joanna,
While I’d like to do Google Play myself, I’m concerned about their habit of discounting books without notice, which causes Amazon to price match. This, in turn, could lead to a loss in revenue from Amazon. Since Amazon’s where I make most of my money, this is of concern to me. Hence my reluctance to have anything to do with them
Nick Stephenson says
Nice post, Joanna! Exclusivity should also not just be reserved for Kobo, iTunes, Nook, etc. With audio, translations, and other markets (including affiliate income) there are plenty of other sources other than Amazon to earn a living – even if Amazon ends up being the main source of revenue.
All I’d say is to keep testing. Diversification just for the sake of diversification is just a step away from indiscrimination – every action should be based on some kind of strategy. If you can make more money (or whatever) by being exclusive, maybe that’s a good choice. The main plus of KDP Select is it only has to be for 90 days – it’s not like we’re signing away a lifetime of copyright!
I have some books in KDP Select, some not. I guess I’m “double hedging” that way! Best of both worlds, really. I’m yet to see any massive disparity between those exclusive and those not, but I do think it takes time to grow on platforms like Nook and Kobo – and I won’t even go into the pain of sorting out price-matching issues…
Nick
Antara Man says
I choose to be an indie author because of few reasons:
– I am practical and clearly see that in 20-30 years the majority of writers will go indie and only the big publishers will remain on the scene only to sign with successful independent authors.
– I do care a lot about my works so that they can be destroyed by a publisher, agent, etc.
– And last but not least – I am from a tiny country in Europe and nobody here really buys books as they are expensive and we are the poorest country in EU! So, going abroad, trying to pitch agents, gets tone of rejections doesn’t make any sense, not in the present age! And being a foreigner will make things only harder.
Yes, indie publishing requires a lot of money when done professionally and now I struggle finding a reliable and excellent translator. It’s not very easy here where I am. I only hope the translators in my country are not small minded about self-publishing.
As for the KDP Select, I ‘m gonna use it. I read and listened to your podcast with Nick Looper and Steve Scott’s free ebook about Kindle publishing made my mind and I found “the pitch”.
You are very right about Amazon but hopefully that won’t happen so soon. I feel, when everybody self-publishes on Amazon, then they’ll change the rules. But in order to stand out, one has to have the authority. Steve Scott calls that stage of Kindle Publishing 3.0.
An interesting fact – when I listened to James Altucher’s podcast with Hugh Howe, Hugh said he used only KDP Select, Kobo and Createspace and reported losing on Kobo. Hugh Howe though regarded as the pioneer in self-publishing seems to be very dependent on Amazon and he even sighed petition in support of Amazon against their battle with Hachette. I think the whole battle is ridiculous and no writers whatever they are, should take stands.