I Have a Hunch Amazon Erased Indie’s “Backdoor” to Pre-Ordering Books
There is a serious matter that has hijacked my attention for the last two weeks with a client and I thought it was an isolated incident.
I just confirmed the extent of this problem, and it has caused me to put everything on pause until I can sort out a solution for everyone that I work with.
I have had to contact my clients and alert them that I am in full panic mode, but I am willing to get my hands dirty and figure this crap out.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Today, I was trying to do my thing, editing, emailing, making deals with vendors for the upcoming writer’s conference, and juggling balls. And then I got a call from a client asking about her bestselling rank.
That’s when I got hit between the eyes. I couldn’t find my client’s books that we listed on Ingram anywhere on Amazon’s platform, AT ALL!
Now listen! If you want to argue with me about THE HOW and WHY I do this, that’s for another conversation. I do it this way to set up pre-orders and to get my clients into bookstores that are running antiquated policies. Don’t tell me it never worked, because I have published hundreds of clients and run a successful freelance editing business. I publish FREQUENTLY. In the last month, I published three books.
I had to find out if I was wrong. So I first called my publishing, editing, self-publishing expert, and friend Troy Lambert. He just got back from LTUE (Life the Universe and Everything Conference). I wanted to know if there was talk. He said that it was the usual about Amazon. “They’re jerks,” and “They’re screwing the independent author.” You know the mantra. It’s all true, but some still bend to their rules to access that damn audience. Don’t get huffy, I am part of that audience myself. He mentioned the latest news about Findaway Voices’ stunt, but that is for another rant.
I went to the Googleverse and found no one else talking about this. Then it hit me that I could be the first to talk about this because of how frequently I publish for self-published authors, and that this must have JUST GONE DOWN!
What did Amazon Do?
AMAZON has found the answer to keeping self-published authors from getting pre-orders on Amazon at all, AND they are doing more than that. I think their latest algorithm is burying other formats to benefit their bottom line.
Keep in mind, they might defend their position by saying they are combatting the onslaught of A.I.-produced books. But this move is going to screw everyone.
**UPDATE 02/2/24
I have been spending all week watching updates and the books have synced onto the Amazon platform; however, Amazon has still removed any type of link that allowed you to be notified when the book was made “available” and they are still burying the books (not showing all formats) for any of my other clients. They are also keeping the more expensive copy up and hiding the format on KDP (see below for more on that).
Hear Me Out!
For over five years, I have practiced a proven strategy to publish books on Amazon and get results. Just today one of my clients earned her second best-seller badge; she is preselling her book now.
BUT, That has all changed today.
Years ago Amazon made a deal with traditional publishers that permitted them to EXCLUSIVELY list books for preorder. This prevented self-published authors from setting up pre-orders on KDP, excluding Kindle (epub was listed ONLY, and that ONLY reached Kindle Customers).
The good news: I knew a way to go around that and it worked seamlessly until about a year ago. I published with Ingramspark to set up preorders. Amazon (the store) pulls inventory from Ingram, and Amazon lists books from Ingram along with the KDP listings. Then Amazon created a separate listing (it would later merge after launch), and then they got ugly. They started to hide the purchase button on listed books with Ingramspark and would put a nasty “Item Out of Stock” or “Unavailable.” But there was a tiny little link buried in the page that allowed you to add the book to your cart. The book would be ordered and Amazon would EVENTUALLY ship it. THEN, they got downright evil, and I noticed that the little tiny buried link disappeared.
Fine! Amazon, you wanna play hardball? I was prepared to find a way around that crap. It was fine, just a pain.
Until now.
Why I am huntin’ WABBITS!
A couple of weeks ago some problems arose with a couple of my clients and their books. Their books were disappearing from Amazon. I could only find their Kindle versions. The preorder option was suddenly gone, but I couldn’t figure out if it was an error on my part, on Amazon’s part, or Ingramspark’s part.
I have since published two more authors and the same thing happened. Their books are not showing up correctly.
One client’s book went live and Amazon is hiding the less expensive books and only listing the higher priced (bigger margin) books. The only thing I can figure out is the algorithm is steering buyers based on the default settings and hiding any chance of finding alternative purchase options.
Amazon’s official word on the matter is they are providing the best possible customer experience out there. “We are Earth’s most customer-centric company,” and “We put our customers first.”
Yeah, Right!
After a long day, I found a back door to find multiple formats and listings of the books. It only is after the book goes live.
It is NOT convenient.
It will NOT convert to a direct link, because the algorithm now will forward that link to their preferred option. That means, you won’t have the option of just finding the backdoor and sending your client to that link directly, because…
Amazon is not playing fair.
In the case of my client whose book is live and listed on two platforms with multiple formats, Amazon is burying its own. The KDP-published paperback is buried and the more expensive Ingramspark copy is getting the preferred linking. So they are literally preventing KDP from having preference in this case. So don’t think for a second that this has to do with ONLY hiding books from Ingramspark. (None of my clients list on Amazon through Draft2Digital so this doesn’t apply here.) Also, they are selling the book that gives them the biggest profit, and my client can not offer the less expensive option in a direct link. At one point, I gave her the link to the ASIN, and that stopped working. It now redirects to the other format and their preferred, algorithm-chosen listing.
It’s Wabbit Season
I am going to go down that rabbit hole that is dark and scary. It is a rabbit hole that will require me to dig because no one has dealt with this before now. This is a BRAND NEW problem. I am speaking with several industry pros who weren’t even aware of this issue until today and they have since confirmed that they see the same problem. So, I am going to have to do some leg work to make sure my clients get their hard work out to their readers in the best way possible that suits their individual goals.
If You Are An Author, Here’s What You Need to Do!
- If you don’t already have it, get your author website up and running… YESTERDAY!
- Get a mail system set up to collect emails and communicate directly with people who come to your site.
- Do some homework on eCommerce and decide what will work for your website, and what you are willing to do and spend. There are no cost setups but there are amazing features offered in paid plans and those should be considered. I do understand when you are just getting started that means it may have to wait.
This will all be determined by your willingness to shift your mentality from hobby writer to authorpreneur. Which will it be?
Setting a goal and budget for listing your books and investing in a platform like Shopify.
For my clients, I will be working on a system that best suits their needs and has options available that they can choose from. I will continue to coach them through the whole process. That’s what I do! - I told my clients, “DON’T PANIC.” But that is because I plan to do the dirty work for them.
- I also told them “DON’T Google”: Mostly it is to keep them from hitting blogs that are talking about strategies that were valid in 2021. THAT WAS FOUR DECADES AGO in publishing years.
And as of today, you won’t find anything regarding this. Maybe some forums mention the earlier clues, but this is a very new issue; any blog you find before DEC 2023 will be OUTDATED. - I also told my clients, “DON’T EMAIL ME RIGHT NOW. I am already in full DEFCON 2.”
This is what I am doing:
- I am reworking my plan to publish everyone so that I can give you the best possible chance for success. I am revamping my publishing system, and updating In Print Academy.
- I am adding resources to my website.
- I am learning about more distribution platforms and options that are going to help the independent author who wants to self-publish.
I have tendrils out there working on various aspects of this plan, and my network of professionals is fully entrenched in this industry (editors, publishers, and authors); many successful indie authors have foreseen this and are prepared. But keep in mind, these same authors also have the mindset that bookstores can take a hike, including Amazon. Some of you may wish to remain in those stores, so I will make those options available, it will just require more steps.
This hasn’t changed my solutions for authors; it has made it more resolute!
Self-publishing your book is still the BEST choice for controlling your product, making the highest royalties, and running your author business.
Edits by stacey
So I am a bit of a mess right now. I thought that this was an isolated one-client issue, but it has become an everyone issue, requiring me to find fixes and replace parts on a moving machine.
This shift is causing me to rework distribution and break down the steps into even smaller goal-centered tasks.
UPDATE from 02/23/24 Continued…
After this week’s adventure and all the work that I have done, I am sticking to this plan and using another platform to distribute books. I will also no longer count on having any preorders set up on Amazon; the launch strategy that once got around this issue is permanently erased.
I am diving in head first.
I hope that I don’t get stuck, but I have three interns on staff, and they are working on projects while I try to multitask and sort this mess out.
Good news: If you are a client of mine, I have your back. I will get dirty so you don’t have to. I don’t want to send you into the void without a guide, so I will explore the void first and then double back and get you when I know the coast is clear.
If you aren’t a client of mine, there are options to get your hands on what I find out. Check out my course, In Print Academy. That is a step-by-step guide for authors who want to publish anything in any way, including traditional, independent, or self. It will give you the knowledge to navigate the ins and outs of this process so you can do it yourself or negotiate the best contract. Don’t go into this process blind. This business isn’t for the weak of heart. It takes some serious fortitude, determination, and an almost stubborn obstinance. If you don’t have it, find a coach that does.
You can learn more at EditsbyStacey.com.
