Within 2 hours of landing in Boston, I was told by a friend that she couldn’t get Out of the Ruins via the US Amazon site. She said they had accepted her order weeks ago, only to be eventually told it was unavailable. Hmmm, I said.
The next day another friend told me the same thing, so I emailed my publisher, Ward Wood, and asked, politely, what the f`? Well, she knew what the f’ it was and she gave me a very clear, though disturbing explanation. Here it is:
Amazon in the US will not supply orders and will not show our books in stock
as they will only show books as being available with their wholesaler… We are with their wholesaler, Gardners, in the UK, and they could use Gardners in the US but they clearly aren’t.
What you describe is exactly what Amazon does in this situation. They accept
orders and don’t supply the books, then eventually cancel the order. There
are ways people can buy via Amazon if they really won’t buy elsewhere. They
can buy from the resellers listed on your book’s page on amazon.com, which
include Book Depository and Ward Wood. Book Depository will supply the book
to them free of postage if they go to bookdepository.com instead.
They can also buy direct from the Ward Wood website, which is the cheapest
option.
Amazon do this on purpose in order to force publishers into impossible deals
so there’s no way round it. The only alternative is to use Amazon Advantage
and you can see if you look it up that it would mean running at a loss on
book sales (they ask for a 60% discount plus we would have to send the books
to them each time they get an order – some publishers and authors do sign up
for this and [then often go] bust).
So, read it and weep, and know why I often refer to them as ‘the evil empire.’ Please know that I very much appreciate so many people wanting to get my book and there is a very easy solution, as stated above.
*First off, do know that this DOES NOT APPLY to Amazon.co.uk. Those for whom that site is available can get the book from there.
*Ebook readers CAN get the kindle version from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
* In the US and Canada, the best way to get the paperback is either directly from www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk or www.bookdepository.com
Thanks so much for persevering. It does mean a lot. And remember, if you want a signed copy, let me know and I will sign and send you one of the beautiful book plates the lovely and talented Carol Burns made for just those occassions.
PS I’m writing this on my ipad which isn’t so easy, so forgive the lack of photos or links.
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