Amazon.com - To List or Not to List

2000

It's April 15th and I have to proof the Jettison text.
I mailed the cover back.
I need to mail the text back.
I should buy stock in Postal Express and MailBoxes Etc.
I'm in one of them at least once a week!
I need to confirm a date for the book being ready to ship.
Booksellers are already e-mailing me.
Between the 4-star review in Romantic Times and the bio page and the centerfold (OH MY GOD! IS THAT HOT!) - it is getting attention.
They are looking for the book.
The bookmarks are working.
GOOD!
They looked at Amazon.com.
Whoops! Not Yet!
Amazon won't accept a request to list without the book in hand.
Let's see.
This is how Amazon works.
First I beg them to list the book. (I checked. I meet all their requirements. At least, I would if my e-mail was up.)
Then, I send all the information for their page.
And, I send them a free book.
I then, if they agree, ship them books when they want them AT MY OWN EXPENSE.
They will pay me 45% of the list price (6.99).
They will pay monthly.
They won't carry the poster. (Get it from my web site).
They will list calendars. (Good!)
If they decide to not keep books in stock, they will be sent back AT MY OWN EXPENSE.
Oh yes, I had to pay extra so that I had copies that were shrink-wrapped specifically for Amazon.com.
There is "no negotiation".
I will absorb that cost (expensive).
I will absorb the cost of the mailing tubes for the posters.
I will absorb the transaction costs of cyber cash (about 25 cents a pop plus $25/month).
I will absorb the royalty payment to Adobe if I use Adobe Merchant for the e-book. (2% or about 20 cents per pop.)
Let us not forget that California will collect taxes for anything sold to anyone in California. The other states are on their own!
Except eBooks. No taxes on eBooks. (Oh Good!)
Amazon also carries eBooks but I haven't figured out that process yet. They probably take 55% of that too!
It's on my working list to figure out eBooks.
Banta has a shipping and handling fee (will be primarily paid by the customer) - I haven't got that contract signed yet. I may look at what can be done to keep that down. (Ship by slow truck? Shipping options? Packaging options?)
(I know that I won't take back any book that is damaged (unless it is damaged at the printers or in shipping). In other words, the cover must be intact and the book must be saleable. None of this remaindering BS where they tear off the cover and return it.)
Everybody gets a piece.
Everybody wants a piece.
I feel like the main dish at a banquet.
Maybe I should sell the reprint rights to a publisher and be done with it.
After all, the fact that people know I wrote it and that it got an excellent review after all these years was enough for me to feel vindicated.