Can an Author "Go it Alone" ?? - Pottermore and Kindle exclusive lending deal...

Can an Author - any author - completely go it alone?

I know as an indie author it is extremely difficult to get your name out there. Who is SL Baum? Unless you are a Kindle owner (and maybe a Nook owner) you probably don't know. I sell the majority of my eBooks through Amazon, and the people that actively seek indie authors (specifically YA paranormal) will eventually find me. My books show up in a list of "also bought" books when someone is tooling around the Amazon website for Kindle books. I have other indie author friends that help me Tweet and Share on FB when I have a sale or just give me a "shout out" from time to time. I've been reviewed on a few blogs - I should be submitting to WAY more of them because book blog owners are a tremendous help for the indie author. But I am no JK Rowling - even though I am a fellow female author that uses initials ;-)

I've even struggled with whether or not to join Amazon Select - which basically means that I would ONLY sell my eBook(s) on Amazon. I'd have to remove them from B&N, Apple, Sony, Smashwords, etc. I make less than 10% of my eBook earning from all of those other sites combined - so it makes financial sense - but my struggle is with removing the option for a Nook (or other eReader) owner to download a copy of one of my books and discover my books. It seems that being exclusive would just cut out potential readers.

But even JK hasn't pushed off exclusivity it seems.

When J.K. Rowling announced her site Pottermore it was said that the Harry Potter books would only be available for download straight through her site. People said that it was an amazing step for someone to take total control over their written works - Pottermore would be in total control of the download process and the financial scope of the digital copies of the Harry Potter series. But after months of waiting, you can now go to Amazon and B&N and there is a listing for Harry Potter books that redirects you to Pottermore. I have to believe that Amazon and B&N are getting some kind of cut from each sale for listing the books on their sites and redirecting people to Pottermore. Even JK (and her people) see the value of going straight to the site where you got your eReader to get your eBooks.

I would never be able to make it, if I tried to sell my eBooks directly from my website and nowhere else - but again - I am the unknown indie - not the worldwide best seller.

Now Amazon is announcing that they have signed an exclusive deal with Pottermore to make the series available for Amazon Prime members to borrow the books from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library - so JK has given Amazon (and Kindle readers) something that she hasn't given any other eReader.

So... why haven't I decided to go completely exclusive to Kindle?? This announcement seems to say that even Pottermore recognizes the strides that Amazon has taken in the eBook world. I realize that she hasn't given Kindle owners the ONLY access to her books - but she has given Kindle owners the only access to borrow her books, it seems.

I guess I still don't have an answer to that question... and until I do, my books will still be available elsewhere... for now.

Stuff and Things

"What have you been doing?"
"Stuff and things."
That's what I call the day to day pattern that my life gets into. I wake up - get the kids off to school - get on the treadmill - wait for one of the countless number of repair workers to show up (I have been back in my house for close to 2 months now - 2 to 3 days a week of someone coming over to fix something is getting quite OLD) - get on the internet to keep my presence as a writer out there - write some (if I'm lucky) - pick up the kids - take them to their activities - etc etc etc <--- STUFF AND THINGS

Life gets like that at times - as one of my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs proclaims "Every day is exactly the same."

But Summer break is coming soon - my kiddos have exactly 2 weeks left in their school year (next year I have 3 kids in 3 different schools - Lord help me) - so things will lose their pattern and I am actually looking forward to that. Family vacation - Summer Music Camp (for my girlies) - a couple of Concerts - Family visiting from out of state - a Camping trip - this is looking to be a great summer :)