Amazon Needs to Change

Earlier this year, I wrote an article explaining the importance of not putting all your eggs in the same basket as an indie author. You can read it below.

Since then, I have noticed an increase in negative conversations about Amazon. Indie authors are fed up with the company’s unfair business practices. And they are more than right!

Want to know why? Read this tweet from author Lisa Kessler.

What is Lisa Kessler referring to? The Amazon rule that allows customers to return ebooks (for any reason) up to 14 days after purchase—and for a full refund. And even after seven days, they might still be able to get a refund!

Let me rephrase.

Customers can return ebooks that they READ IN FULL to Amazon to get a complete refund, as long as they do it within 14 days of the date of their purchase.

Not sure why this rule is problematic?

When Amazon refunds a customer for a specific ebook, the affected author loses all royalties attached to that sale. Even if the ebook was read in full!

Let me repeat.

When Amazon refunds a customer for a specific ebook, the affected author loses all royalties attached to that sale.

While this practice has been going on for a long time, things started escalating because of a TikTok trend. Since the launch of the #ReadAndReturnChallenge trend, many authors have reported that their ebooks are being returned in droves!

On Monday, I spent most of my afternoon on Twitter chatting to fellow indie authors about the Amazon rule, and came across the petition below. If you are an indie author and/or just want to show your support, I encourage you to sign it and spread the word. The more people see it, the better!

I also found a few comments from Twitter users who consider returning an ebook after reading it to get their money back as a fair and noble pursuit. Here is one particularly obtuse example.

The whole thing is infuriating for several reasons. Indie authors are at a risk of losing a lot of money and even going bankrupt. They may never want to write books again, which would hit marginalized voices hard and once again suppress the diversity of reading options. The result? A potential jeopardization of the whole indie publishing industry!

Artist C.B. Powell explains things better than me. Below is the first tweet in his thread. Click to read the rest.

With that said, there is good news. Indie authors are now ready to talk and educate the general public about what is going on in the background. And they want change!

So, what can we do as individuals to implement that change? Apart from signing the petition mentioned above, tag Amazon (@amazon on Twitter) to demand that they change their rule. You can also use the #StopStealingFromAuthors hashtag to raise awareness of the issue on Twitter. Feel free to take the discussion to other social networks like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. And publishing your thoughts on Vocal is also a good idea!

Another option would be to stop using Amazon as a publishing venue and go for other platforms. Unless I missed something, none of them have the 14-day refund rule for ebooks.

Now, if like most readers, you care about indie authors, my biggest recommendation would be to stop feeding Amazon. Visit your local bookstore. You should even get a library card. Why? Because authors are paid every time you borrow their ebooks from libraries that use the Hoopla or Overdrive/Libby system!

It’s time the madness stopped. Amazon needs to change.

That's it for today! Thank you for reading!

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.