Whatever our politics, we should be a nation of readers. Reading increases empathy , creates a mental flow state, and reduces stress. This post is about making sure readers can find the books they want in the places where they choose to shop. For participants in the #GrabYourWallet boycott, Amazon is not among the places where they choose to shop. I’m not telling anyone whether to participate or not, just informing authors and readers of some options.
Some authors I know are always tuned into political news, while others do their best to tune it all out. If you’re in the latter group, you might want to read this, in case you don’t know about a movement that is boycotting companies they have identified as selling Trump brand products. Amazon is one.
If the boycott gets momentum—which it might, since slightly over half the country didn’t vote for Trump—that could make a dent in indie authors’ sales. Readers who are boycotting Amazon need to find our books elsewhere. After all, Amazon isn’t the only place to buy books.
Boycotters (and others) can read on a Nook or install a Nook app on a Kindle or on a laptop. They can buy e-books from the iTunes bookstore and read on iPads, or buy paperbacks from independent bookstores. Or buy e-books from Kobo, Smashwords, Inktera, or ScribD, as long as they have an e-reader that reads e-pub formats or have Adobe Digital Editions software installed on their laptops. But they can’t boycott Amazon and still buy your books if you’re in KDP Select.
I’ve always felt strongly that authors should make their books available widely and not give one company a monopoly on their work. The more booksellers are competing in the marketplace, the better for the health of the book business and the more secure indie authors will be. Being published everywhere, I still might lose some sales if boycotting readers who own Kindles don’t take their business to the other retailers, but some might take one of the routes I listed above. I hope they will. Everyone needs to keep on reading.
Ready for a good book?
All the books reviewed on this site are widely available, and although the lists by genre have not been expanded for a while (I’ve been busy writing, reviewing and doing my days jobs), all of them include books that are published beyond Amazon.
Indies Who Publish Everywhere 