There’s evidently a trick to uploading YouTube videos onto your blog without messing up all the formatting. I’ll have to check in to this.
In the mean time, enjoy this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxschLOAr-s
So true,
Beth
If you’ve been keeping up with freelance news, you’ve undoubtedly heard that Amazon is planning to remove the “buy” buttons from all books printed by LightningSource and demand that all those titles be printed by their own company, Booksurge.
This news is real. Wall Street Journal as well as Publisher’s Weekly have reported it. Angela Hoy at Booklocker broke the story when a Booksurge rep threatened to remove all of Booklocker’s “buy” buttons.
Already PublishAmerica and Whiskey Creek Press have had their buttons removed.
This move impacts all of us… as authors and publishers. Subsidy publishers, university presses, traditional publishers, we all use print on demand technology. In fact, Filbert Publishing has six titles affected by this move.
With literally thousands upon thousands of titles on Amazon, many of the subsedy POD presses will incur great expense moving all those books over to Booksurge. The squeeze on these companies companies will most certainly affect their freelancers.
Those who won’t move their titles to Booksurge will lose an outlet for book sales. Sure, we can head to other online bookstores, but let’s face it, Amazon is a book selling juggernaut.
So, if you’re an author who is (or who may be) impacted by having the “buy” buttons removed from your Amazon book page, you need to start weighing your options. First and foremost, don’t panic, act professional in all your dealings with this issue, and remain open to directing your potential readers to other outlets.
Whether or not Amazon will remove more “buy” buttons is unknown. I’m the kind of person who watches the world through rose-colored glasses and remain optimistic that everything will turn out just fine… in fact I’m sure it will. I would love to continue to sell through Amazon, but if it isn’t in the cards, so be it, it’s really Amazon’s choice.
And on a personal note, I sell very few copies of my own books through Amazon. I suggest that if you’re an author, get your hands on a few copies of your book and sell them direct on your website. You’ll make more money, you’ll grow your own customer list, and (most of all) you’re not as affected by the whims of retail outlets who can change their terms at a moment’s notice.
But that’s just me. 
These two links come courtesy of Dan Poynter (http://PublishingPoynters.com).
http://www.slate.com/id/2185746/
As they’d say in Minnesota… Uff-da.
Catch ‘ya later!
Beth
P.S. It’s good to be back!
OK. I’m all for ethical promoting. Heck, if you’ve got a product, service, or cause feel free to promote it until the cows come home.
But I’ve got big problems with promotion when it crosses lines I personally (and I have a hunch a large group of people) may find offensive.
Case in point: a few months ago Prince Philip killed a fox. Yeah. It was gross. They shot it, clubbed it, then stepped on its chest. It finally died enough for them to pick it up and throw it in some neighboring brush. Here’s the link:
http://www.theroyalist.net/content/view/1657/1/
Terrible story, I admit.
But it gets worse.
To protest this event and to (presumably) draw attention to his personal cause, British performance artist Mark McGowan has decided to eat a Corgi. His reasoning? The queen loves her Corgis so to protest her husband’s treatment of the fox and highlight “the RSPCA’s inability to prosecute Prince Philip and his friends”, he’ll eat one of her beloved pets.
Dang, that’s harsh.
It makes me wonder how two obvious “wrongs” can make a “right.”
Now, I realize that the animals we choose to eat seems to be a culturally arbitrary decision. Some cultures find eating dogs absolutely fine. Others frown on eating cows. Still others won’t touch pork. I’ve read about people who’ll eat anything with a heart beat.
But that’s beside the point. Right now I’m wondering why McGowan chose this particular avenue to express his protest, considering he’s a vegetarian and doesn’t eat meat.
OK, freelancers. This one has me stumped. Your thoughts on this publicity stunt?
If you need more info, here’s a link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6703423.stm
Beth – who’s puzzling over this strange turn of events.
