Amazon showing "Out of Stock"

Being an indie writer certainly has its share of frustrations. Ups and downs. Writing is hard enough; and marketing and sales is an aspect of book publishing that needs to be done, but takes me away from the actual writing.

So, you can imagine my frustration to learn today that Amazon is showing both of my books as "Temporarily Out of Stock". My POD publishing house is Lightning Source, a unit of Ingram. Yeah, that Ingram. What could go wrong, right?

Plenty.

See the Amazon.com page for my novel There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes .

And see the Amazon.com page for my nonfiction book Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying: 40 Years of High Seas Travels and Lowbrow Tales .

Both are listed as "Temporarily Out of Stock."

Great. Right at the highest book buying season of the year. And with me pushing both via Google Adwords.

So I called Amazon. They said, "Not our problem. Check with Lightning Source." Great.

I called Lightning Source. They said, "Not our problem. Check with Amazon." Great.

I felt like Dorothy watching the Scarecrow point in every direction yelling, "They went that way!"

Seems like this has happened to Lightning Source titles in previous years. I asked the LS rep "What's up?"

She said: "Your books are available, they're just not showing that way on Amazon. If people order them, they'll get them. On Barnes and Noble everything is fine."

I checked. They were.

I asked her when the issue might be resolved on Amazon. Her reply?

"If past years are any indicator.... After the New Year."

That's just great.

A guy can't get relief.

So I got creative and went around both: re-directed my Google Adwords ads to the Barnes and Noble books pages. Which show both in stock. Of course.

See the Barnes and Noble page for my novel There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes .

And see the Barnes and Noble page for my nonfiction book Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying: 40 Years of High Seas Travels and Lowbrow Tales .

So, if you were thinking of buying a copy of one of my books but saw that "out of stock" notice at Amazon, buy it anyway. Or go over to Barnes and Noble and get them there.

And happy holidays!