Deby Fredericks's Blog, page 12

Farewell to Amazon

Today I am pondering an important publishing relationship. I no longer wish to continue self-publishing through Amazon.com. This comes about after recent revelations that Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, intervened to prevent the Washington Post from endorsing a presidential candidate. Without getting into the thicket of our varying political beliefs, or even the validity of newspaper endorsements, this greatly concerns me.

With this election, it seems evident that the United States is teetering between freedom and tyranny. And, per the eminent scholar of tyranny, Timothy Snyder, the worst thing institutions can do is obey tyrants in advance. It teaches them what they can get away with.

By interfering in the editorial process, that is what Bezos has done. He is obeying a tyrant in advance. I’m not interested in guessing his reasons or impugning his character. They are irrelevant. My personal standards are to resist tyranny as much as I may. My immediate means of resistance is by withdrawing my books from Bezos’ platform.

This is not easy. Amazon.com was the foundation of independent publishing. Beginning more than 20 years ago, they provided the means for authors to produce our own books, and the platform to reach potential readers. Amazon is still the leading e-book seller and a familiar touchstone for the audience.

At the same time, Amazon has changed dramatically from the plucky online book seller it was then. They sell everything now, not just books. With that success, Amazon became a massive target for book fraud and with AI the scamming has only become worse.

Looking at my own financials, between 2021 and 2023, I see that sales on Amazon were between 1/5 and 1/3 of my annual writing income. Getting off that marketplace could really hurt me. But so would an authoritarian takeover of the United States, which puts a number of my immediate family at risk.

Ironically, the technology Amazon pioneered means that there are other platforms now. Indy authors don’t have to go through them. I’ve already had an established relationship with Draft2Ditigal, which gives me access to Smashwords as well. That means I can now do paperbacks through D2D. I didn’t like their terms as well, but I like enabling a dictator even less.

Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have a WIP at the moment. It’s going to take time and patience to disentangle myself from Amazon’s platform. But in keeping with my personal standards, I can no longer do business with Amazon.com.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Betwixt and Between

Acorn Canyon is all set up, in the Kindle, Epub, and paperback formats. I’m not ready to make an official announcement yet. That is on hold until November 1st. This gives me time to create advertising and other things to go along with it.

I was able to order author copies of the paperback, though. They will be here in time for Fall Folk Festival. So that’s one bit of mischief managed.

Otherwise, I’m in that strange between stage where I’m not writing anything and I don’t quite know what to do with myself. One of my resolutions for this year was to write three short stories. I’ve only done two, so it would be ideal to write the third one. I might even have an idea for it.

On the other hand, I have a YA novelette that I finished last year. I could try to market that, although novelettes are a tough sell. There’s also a pair of short stories about Mistress Henbane that I haven’t been able to sell anywhere. I always intended to write a third one, so perhaps I’ll spur that into motion. Then I can do all three as a set.

Lots of choices, but I’m betwixt and between.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Final Touches

The ebooks for Acorn Canyon are pretty much set up for Kindle and Epub formats. Pre-orders will be open soon on Books2Read and Amazon. I do have the cover put together, so I can start making promotional materials.

My current task is to lay out the paperback. This is a lot more fiddly, and it will take some time to get it just right. Previously I did my paperbacks through Amazon. However, Books2Read now offers paperbacks, too. Amazon’s paperbacks have been acceptable, but it’s always good to review my options. I’m going to take some time and compare their offerings.

The time pressure is that I’d like to have printed books for Fall Folk Festival in 3 weeks! So I can’t fool around with it for too long.

Of course it will be worth it to hold those beautiful books in my hands!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Book Shepherd

This week I’ve been sanding and polishing that final draft for Acorn Canyon. Honestly, I was focusing so much that I almost forgot to set up this post.

Anyway, I do have a minor announcement to share. My 2024 Best Reads has been posted with Book Shepherd. At least one of the books, Tanith Lee’s Kill the Dead, has already been mentioned on this blog. I’ll let you find out about the other two by checking out my entry.

And now, back to Acorn Canyon!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

New Publication

I have a new story in print! “Transformations” is in the October issue of The Lorelei Signal electronic magazine.

What’s it about? A dying witch’s spells are coming undone. Only one young woman understands that it isn’t a joke, and steps up to the challenge.

I hope you’ll take a look!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Sneak Peek

Here’s a sneak peek at the nearly finished cover for Cleodora, Book 1: Acorn Canyon.

This book has been even more of a learning experience for me than usual. For one thing, the title and illustration are by two different illustrators, and they don’t mesh perfectly. I should probably have chosen just one to work with.

One special hiccup was that the titles were provided with the dark brown background. That pretty much made me match the color for the whole cover. Not what I planned, but I think I did all right with matching it, and it does give a natural framing effect.

Anyway, never mind my fussy self-critiques. Just enjoy the pretty picture!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Drakanox Snippet

Since The Tale of the Drakanox was featured yesterday on Bad Moon Rising, I’m sharing a passage today. This is one of the most dramatic moments of the book. Enjoy! And if you’re intrigued, you can read the full interview by clicking the link, above.

“Elldri!” Duessa cried.
She only had a moment to glimpse the struggling pile as the wagon rolled past. A guard straddled Elldri’s back, twisting her arm up and back. A second one strode close enough to aim a kick at her head.
“I’m coming!” Bettain tried to crowd between Tisha and Cylass, but the guardsman pushed her back from Tisha, who continued her swaying dance.
“Don’t get off the wagon,” he warned.
The next moment Tisha called, “Shield your minds!”
Before Duessa could even decide what she meant, Elldri’s shriek crashed into her mind. Her soul was splitting, torn apart from within. Something dark and horrible flooded through her. Alemin and Bettain were bent over, clutching their heads and wailing together as if they had all one voice.
It was like the Larder again. The anguished howl reverberated inside and outside her. In a dim way, she heard Cylass demanding what was wrong, and some vague reply from Tisha. Duessa could only rock and keen with terror.
Yards behind the wagon, a dark blur erupted where the soldiers had tackled Elldri. Duessa thought it was a fountain of blood, darker than mage robes, but then it fanned out into jagged tentacle arms. The pressure in her mind eased. She blinked and tried to understand.
The squid-like horror hovered, Elldri’s face amid blackened scraps of fabric. Her toothless mouth stretched in a hideous O. There was more screaming, but it came from the men who had been beating her. Shark-toothed tentacles shoved them off, but also carved flesh and slithered through gaps in their armor. Blood spattered around her. Elldri’s tentacles drove into their throats, silencing their cries, but then came worse — a sickening flood of desire to rend and kill and consume, not their flesh but their very souls.
There was so much of it. Too much. Duessa’s mind went momentarily blank as the sensations overwhelmed her.
“No, no,” Bettain was moaning. Alemin stared with dreadful recognition.
Duessa gagged and choked out, “Elldri’s a devourer?”

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Bad Moon Rising

Today is the day! My book, The Tale of the Drakanox, is featured on Teri Polen’s blog event, Bad Moon Rising. This was the finale of my Minstrels of Skaythe series and I’m still really proud of how it came together.

Sadly, it’s probably my final turn on Bad Moon Rising. The blog features horror, thrillers and dark fantasy, but my next two books will be cozy middle grade fantasies.

Anyway, I hope you’ll take a look.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Woman at Work, October 2024

What’s Happening? The spooky season is here! I always enjoy Halloween and this year should be no different. Besides which, the new Dragon Age game, Veilguard, is releasing that night. I’m super excited for that!

What I’m Working On. I’m waiting for reader feedback on Cleodora, Book 1: Acorn Canyon. Once I do those final revisions, I can start on book layouts. It will release in mid-November, as planned.

What’s Next? I’m not really sure! I could jump into revisions on Cleodora, Book 2: Willow Lake, but my husband hasn’t even seen it yet. I’m hoping a short story idea will turn up.

Where I’ll be. This month is Teri Polen’s blog event, Bad Moon Rising. My appearance will be on October 4th, so you’ll get an extra blog from me this month.

Fun and Games. While I wait for the Veilguard release, I’m playing Animal Crossing and Subnautica.

I hope your Halloween will be haunted in a good way!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Back Cover Blues

As I prepare to publish the first book in my Cleodora duology, I have the usual struggle to write back cover copy. It needs to be intriguing without giving too much away. In some ways, writing the back cover copy is harder than just writing the book!

I’d love to hear what you think of my current encapsulation!

People say the shrine is cursed… but to her, it’s just home.

Ten-year-old Cleodora grew up in Acorn Canyon, where her mother is guardian of a shrine to the nature spirits. Spiteful rumors have isolated them from the rest of Tenebira.

Then a stranger arrives. Navaire is a member of the Majian Guild. He’s on an urgent mission — to learn why the nature spirits have made it stop raining. But a corrupted spirit is after him.

Instead of fighting the spirit, Cleodora saves it. Now the nature spirits are calling her to take a new path!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.