Please check this out, sign it...and then go spread the word...

31 Mar 2013

This was posted in my LSF group earlier today...important stuff my friends...

Lois Winston via yahoogroups.com
1:57 PM (3 hours ago)

to undisclosed recipients

There's a petition on Change.org to get Amazon to change their policy regarding ebook returns/refunds. Right now too many people are buying ebooks, reading them within the 7 days allotted for returns, then returning them for a full refund. There are people who cheerfully brag about doing this and see nothing wrong with it. I and many others see it as another form of piracy. Whether you're traditionally published or indie published, this policy negatively affects authors' incomes. If you're interested in signing, here's the link:

Amazon Kindle e-Book Return Policy: Stop allowing refunds on e-Books after e-Books have been read.
http://www.change.org/petitions/amazon-kindle-e-book-return-policy-stop-allowing-refunds-on-e-books-after-e-books-have-been-read

And here's a tweet to help spread the word:
Pls RT Sign & spread the word: #Change.org petition against #Amazon #ebook return policy. http://ow.ly/jATIZ

Feel free to pass this post along to others.
Lois

Lois Winston
The Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries
Publishers Weekly & Booklist starred reviews
http://www.loiswinston.com/ - http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/
Emma Carlyle romances - http://www.emmacarlyle.com/
follow me on Twitter: @anasleuth

Amazon Kindle e-Book Return Policy: Stop allowing refunds on e-Books after e-Books have been read.

You know you want it, you know you need it bad...get it now on Amazon.com...
Lush Erotica, an Anthology of Award Winning Sex Stories

31 Mar 2013

Thanks Alan,

I agree, and have added my support as well.
After 30 minutes reading an authors words, you have decided to read it all or cast it aside. Don't belittle an authors efforts, but allow the reader to return within 30 minutes. More than enough time...

31 Mar 2013

You can read a preview on Amazon. You can skim a book in a bookshop.

Making a poor purchasing decision is your fault. Asking for a refund, is pretty pathetic if you ask me.

I can read a book in a day, the 7 day refund ruling as it stands, is hopeless.

31 Mar 2013

Quote by nicola
You can read a preview on Amazon. You can skim a book in a bookshop.

Making a poor purchasing decision is your fault. Asking for a refund, is pretty pathetic if you ask me.

I can read a book in a day, the 7 day refund ruling as it stands, is hopeless.

Here here! 3601

Couldn't agree more.

@Lizerotica

31 Mar 2013

Thanks DM!!

Nothing to see here...

31 Mar 2013

So do Apple allow one to download a track or album and then return it?
I think not.
Amazon should cut the bullshit and work with reality.
Rules to protect consumers should be appropriate to the product on offer.
Be pious about taxes due before screwing an impotent supplier.

argue

Caveat venditor

Of all our inventions for mass communication,
pictures still speak the most universally understood language.

Walt Disney

31 Mar 2013

Holy Mac!! I had no idea that was even possible... I couldn't agree more with this petition! Great post!

31 Mar 2013

This argument has a fundamental flaw:

The kinds of people you're talking about - who do the 'read and refund' thing - almost certainly wouldn't buy your book in the first place if they couldn't return it. Forget about them, they are a waste of your time and effort.

Amazon aren't the enemy. They hate refunds too; just as much as us and just as much as every other shop. Don't forget that they lose their money on the sale too and refunds are a pain in their ass. It's a service that their customers want and it's a service that INCREASES overall sales. Amazon aren't stupid. The vast majority of their customers don't behave as described above and a lot of customers buy things with the safety net of being able to return them that they wouldn't otherwise buy.

If you don't want to see refunds, sell through Smashwords - once you get a sale there, it stays sold.

If you don't want to give your books away on Amazon through promotions, you're missing a trick by not publishing through Smashwords anyway - it doesn't take long (30 mins) to reformat an ebook for their 'meatgrinder' and the Smashwords keyword search is vastly superior to Amazon's, making your ebooks much easier to find (and thereby sell).

'Secret' to selling books? Write a great book that people want to read. Best marketing tool? Write another one.

Everything else is just pulling at threads and hoping.

31 Mar 2013

signed and tweeted.

always happy to help

4 Apr 2013

Here's something somewhat related...Caridad Piñeiro, who is a New York Times bestselling romance author, and just so happens to be an attorney as well, has been talking about this in my LSF group as of late...basically the ruling is that you can't resell eBooks...this just came out in the Writing-World newsletter...

ReDigi Case Ruling - You Can't Resell Ebooks
---------------------------------------------
If we and Publisher's Weekly have interpreted this properly, the ruling by federal judge Richard Sullivan has rejected the expansion of first sale to cover digital products such as ebooks and mp3 files. This is one area of law we all need to keep a close eye on.

In ReDigi Case, Court Forcefully Rejects Digital First Sale
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/56632-in-redigi-case-court-rejects-digital-first-sale.html

You know you want it, you know you need it bad...get it now on Amazon.com...
Lush Erotica, an Anthology of Award Winning Sex Stories