21 Comments
User's avatar
Suzanne Olsen's avatar

Puffin books are good then just go through your normal bookstores

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

That is a publisher (I believe) of children's books (unless I misunderstood)... Workplace NeuroDiversity Rising is NOT a children's book... also, with a publisher, they would have to "buy the rights" to my book under contract... and then I would have to OBEY whatever contract they put me under... and this book is not one I would trust to a publisher as I don't want to sell the rights to my work. I self-published it because I wanted to have full control over how my work is handled.

Expand full comment
Suzanne Olsen's avatar

Ok fair enough. It's just that you'll be restricted (which can be awful) to using things that you wish to avoid.

Puffin books isn't just kids books. Jamie Oliver uses it as his publisher because his cook books are popular and are at the price you'd be looking at.

Expand full comment
MonriaTitans's avatar

I highly advise checking out Bookshop.org, the Etsy for small business bookstores, for an Amazon alternative.

(Workplace NeuroDiversity Rising is already there, which means a bookstore has it.)

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

Yep! I'm working on getting it other places as fast as I can. :)

Expand full comment
Allan Moore's avatar

All power to you for this Lyric, are you happy with draft2digital? It has some horrific reviews, if they’re to be trusted

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

I've enjoyed Draft2Digital... no problems with them, though Amazon was a pain when I was on there.

Expand full comment
Allan Moore's avatar

Ah that's good to know. Yes, wouldn't touch Amazon.

Expand full comment
MurielSweating's avatar

Thank you for this sacrifice ❤️

Expand full comment
Autistic All Along's avatar

I have a few books published on Amazon and I'm facing the same decision. I can refuse to purchase anything else on Amazon but withdrawing the books and finding other options is proving a harder choice to make. So I admire you for taking that step. Thank you.

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

I already had some experience with draft two digital that made this a bit easier.

I will say if you have experience in KDP drafted digital is much easier than KDP was - at least for me.

Expand full comment
Rosanna Tufts's avatar

I'm so sorry you're having to do this. At least my previously-purchased ebook is still readable on my Kindle, for now. But I'm planning on buying a physical copy too, in case Amazon decides to "disappear" the ebook. I don't suppose your book would be high priority for banning, but one never knows. There is a movement afoot to file a class-action suit against Amazon, because people who buy ebooks should OWN them, without risk of them being taken away again.

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

I asked someone about this on the Amazon hotline on customer service and I asked them because they said I got to keep the books forever if this was true if Amazon stops offering the books and he said for now, so we’ll see

Expand full comment
Deanna Brook's avatar

I admire you for taking a stand, that can’t have been an easy decision to make. But you’re right- if things keep going in this direction we’ll have bigger things to worry about.

Thank you for showing us how it’s done (and can be done)

✅ Done: requested your book at our local library

(BC, Canada)

Is the e-book offer available in Canada too?

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

thank you so much for your support.

The eBooks should be available ever-where, though there might be something to "toggle" to get it to the correct currancy.

Stay safe!

Expand full comment
Allan White - Dyspraxic Lens's avatar

I definitely commend your decision to pull your book from Amazon. I'm coming close to self publishing a book, myself and have been looking for alternatives to Amazon KDP. So far, you're the second person I've encountered, who has mentioned Draft to Digital as a viable alternative to Amazon so I think I'll likely go with that one. I've heard good things about it. Best of luck to you with regards to finding a viable way to distribute your book,sans Amazon!

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

Draft2Digital was also a much easier experience and they actually have PEOPLE to help me... it was much nicer and simpler...

Expand full comment
Allan White - Dyspraxic Lens's avatar

That's good to know.

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

I really like drafted digital. I really like their customer service Amazon it gave me exposure, but everything else was yucky.

Expand full comment
Allan White - Dyspraxic Lens's avatar

Yep, good customer service and overall user-friendliness are among the benefits I frequently see sited for draft to digital over Amazon KDP. I actually do have some minimal experience from ages ago, publishing through Amazon KDP and remember the process being very aggravating. It was a book that I published, then subsequently retracted from publication about a year afterwards simply because I was later ashamed of the quality of the book. I basically wrote and published the thing when my mental health was at a very low point which caused me to make a lot of terrible judgement calls during the entire process. But I still do remember what a headache it was navigating the dashboard and whatnot.

Expand full comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's avatar

Yeah I’m looking forward to not dealing with Amazon for my next book.

Expand full comment