I've been hearing from fans who pre-ordered HOLLY BLUES from Amazon that their orders are on hold because the publisher has temporarily withdrawn the book. Please know that Penguin is currently negotiating with Amazon on this issue, and (according to my editor) hopes to have the matter resolved quickly.
In the meantime, if you prefer to read eBooks (rather than print books), you do have many other choices. HOLLY BLUES is currently available in eBook format through Barnes and Noble.com, Sony, Kobo, eBooks.com, reader applications on the iPhone, and soon on the iBookstore for iPad. I hope you'll exercise your freedom of choice. All the other titles, in all my other series, remain available from Amazon, if you're limited to reading on Kindle--and from most other eBook vendors.
I'm sure you've been aware of this ongoing issue between Amazon and various publishers (not just mine), and you may have already taken sides on the matter. But speaking for myself and my author friends, I hope you won't corner authors.
Here's an example of what I mean, from a reader who is "disappointed" that the title has been withdrawn and wants me to "take a public stand" on this issue. I think she means that I should tell my publisher (whom we all know is making money hand over fist) to meet Amazon's demands. Or should I tell Amazon (whom we all know is a book-world bully) to meet my publisher's demands? She doesn't say. She goes on, in part,
I spend over $5000 per year on books, all of it now as ebooks. I will not be returning to hardback or paperback books so it will be the publishers' and authors' loss. I will miss your writing, I enjoy it. Good luck with your future writings and I hope to be reading them again soon.
Now, buyers have every right to be disappointed when they don't get what they ordered. When that happens to me, I complain to the vendor (boy, do I!) and (when appropriate) to the manufacturer. But in the case of books, I don't think it's fair of purchasers to complain to authors--and especially to threaten to withdraw their support--if the authors' books aren't delivered in the format they prefer. It's also pretty silly. Would you abandon your favorite sports team when you can't see a game because the cable company and the network can't agree on who's going to get the biggest piece of the pie?
Let me be clear. I have everything to do with what's between the covers of my books. I have nothing to do with who ships what and when and in what format or at what price. Threats to stop reading my books might not fit the dictionary definition of bullying or blackmail, but they feel that way. To this author, anyway.
Please. Go beat up on Amazon, or beat up on publishers. Don't beat up on authors.
I think I just took a public stand.
UPDATE 1:30 p.m. CDT: Here's where the negotiations stand, as of this moment. My publisher is Pearson (Penguin/Berkley), which is said to be working on a new pricing structure. The bottom line: Amazon will no longer be selling eBooks for $9.99. And please don't blame the authors for this price increase.