In a recent post I spoke about my flash fiction entry in the Flash Fiction competition being run by Indies Unlimited. I’m kind of embarrassed to ask but if you liked it, or even if you liked one of the others better, would you mind following this link to the voting page and voting? Thanks guys. 
The other news concerns an issue I’ve just recently discovered about the availability of ebooks in certain countries – namely Australia.
Back at the start of the year I bought the ebook version of ‘Shades of Milk and Honey’ by Mary Robinette Kowal and loved it. The review is here if you’re interested. However when her new book came out not long ago – A Glamour in Glass – I couldn’t see an ebook version on Amazon. I thought that was a little strange but it was not the first time this had happened to me so I looked at all her books and discovered that now I couldn’t even buy the ebook version of the first book in the series either! What was going on?
I queried Amazon support and received this reply :
‘Hello,
I’m sorry to hear the trouble you had in purchasing Kindle content “Glamour in Glass” and “Shades of Milk and Honey”.
I’ve checked our website and see that the books are not available in the kindle version. I’m sorry if this may cause you any disappointment or inconvenience.
The content in the Kindle Store is provided to us directly by the publishers or authors who own that content. Also, publishers grant eBook rights on a country by country basis. As a result, availability of titles in the Kindle Store can vary based on your country of residence.
You may contact the publisher directly to request him to make the content available in the Kindle version.’
The bold highlighting is mine. It seems this is another issue related to the new distribution model the big publishers have adopted. Not only do they now set their own prices on ebooks – making them ridiculously high – but apparently they do not consider Australia to be worthy of distribution. Thanks very much, not.
I have no idea how many ebooks are now not available to Australian readers or how many other countries have been knocked off the list the way we have been but I’m more than a little peeved. If this is how the big publishers think they are going to reclaim their dominance in the new world order then I’m here to tell them that they’re running full tilt into a dead end. Alienating your readers is not a smart move and this reader is more determined than ever to support the growing list of excellent indie authors who are in touch with the times.
Please check out my own list of favourite indie authors under ‘Indie Recommendations’ at the top of my blog. And if you have discovered a problem getting ebooks in your country could you let me know? I’d like to start a list of ‘ignored’ countries.
cheers
Meeks
Authors' favourite books
NANO 2012
August 9th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
I voted for you!
August 9th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
-blush- THANK YOU!!!!
August 9th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Don’t worry Meeka. Usually the big publishers sell the rights for publication in Australia, who will then Release the ebook here under their own masthead. It doesn’t really make sense for electronic format but I assume copyright law will catch up eventually…
August 9th, 2012 at 11:58 pm
I hope so
Still peeved though but then I am a bit of a grumpy!
August 9th, 2012 at 8:54 pm
voted… but I still think you should at least give traditional publishing routes a go
August 9th, 2012 at 11:56 pm
I’m writing about alien hermaphrodites with nasty mating habits! I don’t really see a major publisher touching my with a ten foot pole! But hugs for being so nice.
And for voting!
August 10th, 2012 at 12:02 am
Anne Rice said the same thing… Gay vampires, creepy little girls, she thought it would NEVER get published in 1976- but it did!
You can be the next standard bearer, envelope pusher.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:06 am
-giggles- That’s right, I forgot about Anne Rice but then maybe the publishers were a bit braver back then. Nowadays it seems as if they expect you to sell 10,000 copies and then they may take an interest in you. -shrug-
August 10th, 2012 at 12:08 am
If you get a good agent, they do the selling for you
August 10th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Isn’t that the catch 22 though? I’ve read such horror stories about people trying to find agents.
August 11th, 2012 at 12:04 am
On the other hand if you get someone who understands your mindset it can be great…
August 11th, 2012 at 8:43 am
I would love to have an agent and I guess until recently my fantasies still included the possibility of a publisher but… honestly Pinky? I am better off without either. If I do eventually publish The Book I’ll still have to do all the marketing myself anyway so why hand all the [few] sales to someone else?
The way I see it I’m a total unknown. It will probably take a couple of books and a couple of years before my name becomes familiar enough for readers to take a chance on my work. Then, if they do like it and sales start mounting into the thousands, /then/ a publisher may take notice and offer me something – because I have a track record. But by then why should I care?
August 10th, 2012 at 1:57 am
I just voted for you. I had left a comment after I read it.
August 10th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Thank you!
August 11th, 2012 at 3:36 am
tried to vote but wont work
i dont Know if its the country thing or i missed the time
August 11th, 2012 at 8:45 am
-hugs- Thanks for trying Littlemiss! I think the voting is only open for a day or something. It is most definitely the thought that counts!
August 11th, 2012 at 7:45 pm
August 11th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Next time! -big grin-
August 14th, 2012 at 9:59 pm
I didn’t even realize this was a problem. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I’ll be interested to see if my publisher makes my e-book available in other countries.
August 15th, 2012 at 2:30 pm
I hope it’s available in Australia!