In August I set up and listed my titles with CreateSpace, a subsidiary of Amazon, for sale on the Amazon marketplace. After 15 proofs and hundreds of dollars later, I sold only 3 books through them in August and September. According to CS's payment policy, I was to be paid for sales within 30 days after the end of the month in which the sale was made. I waited until November before I contacted them, when they informed me that they would only pay out after $20 was accumulated. I have not sold another book since, not even a book I know sells well through Amazon or other sites. Further, all my attempts to get my money has met with deaf ears. I know that the books sold through Amazon, but since Amazon has never been responsive to anything anyone has asked it to do, I have no way to track the date they were sold, or for how much.
I am already contemplating removing my books from CreateSpace and sticking with the only professional printer in the publishing business so far, LSI. As it was, I had already moved to CreateSpace from Lulu, which proved to be another money-wasting proposition. I am removing my Amazon links and any connection to that market, and if I sell anything through Amazon it will be through LSI. Further, I call for a boycott of any self-publishing house which offers promises it can't keep. From what I hear of Amazon, there is no profit to be had when a company keeps all the money and shuts out the seller or producer of the product. That is not only a bait and switch tactic, it is out and out fraud. It's time to consider what's good for the overall online economy and shut them down.
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