Right now I am so frustrated. Barnes and Noble is selling my books and I am not getting any royalties or correspondence from them. Trying to inquire as to what is going on is a difficult task to undertake. I can’t get hold of anybody who knows anything. I am led around in circles trying to follow up on inquiries I have submitted according to their instructions. Each inquiry is leading to a dead-end.
I don’t know what is going on with Barnes and Noble but I intend to get to the bottom of it, even if I have to make a complaint with the attorney general’s office here in my hometown. All of this is leading me to the conclusion that these big bookstores have no respect for Indie Authors. My publicist can’t even get a book event scheduled with them. They do not work with Indie Authors is their excuse.
So I am beginning to think that the publishing world does not care about Indie Authors. It has taken me from 2007 up to the present time to finally get that they want nothing to do with folks like me. How else do you explain the runaround I am getting? They give out wrong information and you are left trying to cut through the red tape just trying to get to a live person who can guide you and give you some answers.
The disrespect is unbelievable! They place your books on the site without any input from the author; they sell them with abandon without ever having to answer to you about your royalties. I have yet to master how to get my ebooks up and right now I don’t have the will to do that with what is happening to me right now.
I’m beginning to wonder if my books are categorized as a “vanity press?” That is something authors have to stay away from. My first publisher was iUniverse, Inc. which is a print on demand publisher. They did a beautiful job editing and publishing my book but I eventually had to move away from them because they were not serving my needs. Now I am with Createspace and I’m not totally happy with the way my book was re-published but have to live with it for now.
If your publisher is considered a vanity press then you are “dead in the water” before you have a chance to establish yourself as a respectable author. Maybe that is my problem. Because I am not getting any respect for my work.
It is a discouraging revelation if it is true.
So I did a search and this is what I discovered online at Preditors and Editors: iUniverse: Not recommended. Vanity and self-publisher service. A division of Author Solutions.
I am shocked. Something I was trying to avoid has happened. I was done before I got started. iUniverse was not listed when my book was launched in 2007. After they merged with AuthorHouse, the service went downhill fast. Now I see why.
Createspace doesn’t seem to be targeted. They are a publishing arm of Amazon and I am receiving royalties. But iUniverse? Well that is a shocker.
Barnes and Noble knows that my book is now published through Createspace so what gives now? Why am I being jerked around and ignored? I think sometimes that I would have been better off trying to get the big publishing houses to take me on or I should have gotten an agent.
I found some information on Preditor and Editor, some tips & guidelines to avoiding scams. I’ll share this with you: http://pred-ed.com/general.ht.
I am still checking and talking with Lightening Source distributors. I never knew anything about going to them. I will keep you posted.
Question: Can anyone shed some light on all this?
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/aF3ZBZFn3AY
Five Star Review of Our Lady of Victory by Nonnie Jules “Seal of Approval”
CONNECT HERE…
Author Page: http://wp.me/P43s9i-1m
FACEBOOK LAUNCH PARTY: https://www.facebook.com/events/276868179187591/?context=create&source=49#
Email: sharrislaughter@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharrislaughter
PURCHASE LINKS…
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B00KDO1MSM/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail
Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4751309
Limited Editions: http://rememberourladyofvictory.com/about-the-book/
SHIRLEY’S BLOGS…
https://shirleyslaughterblog.wordpress.com/
http://rememberourladyofvictory.com/
Shirley Harris-Slaughter 
An Update: My research traced back to the publisher, iUniverse, and as of today they have no answers for me. They actually want me to go back to the customer who originally got in touch with me to get receipts from her. Where are the records from Barnes & Noble? That’s what I asked the royalty dept. and she has no answers. When I raised holy hell she said she would investigate further and get back to me. So it looks like no real answers are forthcoming for me from this publisher whom I severed ties with in April 2014. This is what I can expect as an Indie Author. I need to report this but to whom? Should I hire a lawyer? I don’t think its that much money, but it would help to get answers as to why there is so much passing the buck and the disrespect that is so apparent and no accountability.
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I am so sorry Shirley! I don’t have any answers for you…wish I did.
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So Kathryn what you’re saying is that you do get your royalties from B&N? Or do you even do business with them?
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I don’t deal with them directly.
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Wow Shirley! I feel terrible. B&N is a threat to go under. They have some ridiculous policies that prevent them from providing true customer service.
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Well I am learning a lot through all of this and will report back soon. I just want my royalties.
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