Why my book isn't in print:- a warning about Ingram/Lightningsource

[Kevin]

Why my book isn't in print:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsGgV...

Please watch this if you have questions about the practices of Ingram and Lightning Source

[Mark]

I tried several publishers, or so-called publishers, that wanted high fees to print and maybe distribute my book. In the end, taking hours to learn to self-publish was the right move for me. Now my money can go for marketing. Good luck with your future endeavors.--mark :)

[Mark]

My original comment doesn't really apply here. I guess I shouldn't leave comments at 3am without first viewing the video. I was reluctant to view the video since they terminated me on YouTube. But that's good information. Sorry to hear what happened to you. Seems all anyone wants to do is take advantage of struggling writers.--mark :)

[Vanessa Eden]

I don't know

[Laurel]

None of this surprises me. I read the contract from Ingram/Lightning source and even dabbled a bit with them on the digital side. But I could not accept their terms for print and didn't feel I needed to in light of using CreateSpace for my paperback editions.

To add more information to all this, I wrote up this information for Yahoo Voices last year shortly after releasing the first edition of my first book (that book is in revised edition following edits recommended by reviewers) http://voices.yahoo.com/paying-writer....

We need to both be wary of practices that exploit us and inform readers that there IS a difference between buying a book from a regular retailer like B&N verses buying from SmashWords or CreateSpace. Most people I talk to are SHOCKED how little I make from a sale from B&N verses the same copy purchased on CreateSpace or even Amazon.com.

The readers want US to get paid when they buy our books. We just need to help them do that.

[Feliks]

I've had my eye on Ingram for a while now. Thanks/

[Daniel]

This was very interesting. I am sure there is confusion through the corporate structure but I am astounded they banned your work.

That's just censorship by another name.

[Sharon]

What a terrible thing to happen to you. I agree that Independent Authors are taken advantage of, there must be some way in which it can be stopped.
I hope you have better luck with the rest of your writing.

[Kevin]

thank you :)

Also, please spread this around to all who watch it. Many people don't know about even the "legal aspect" of these practices.

[Rory]

Interesting. I am a member of Romance Writers of America. They have been very proactive in helping writers find publishers and alternative approaches to the market that are not predatory. I guess I've been a little shielded.

[Kevin]

Rory wrote: "Interesting. I am a member of Romance Writers of America. They have been very proactive in helping writers find publishers and alternative approaches to the market that are not predatory. I guess I..."

People warned me about Lightning Source before, but no one ever warned me about the problems being this extreme. It really kind of irritated me with those who warned me because they actually had problems close to this level, but neglected to say anything because they didn't want to seem like "sour grapes".

My whole problem is this is not a "sour grapes" issue, this is a big one. There were other things LS did which ticked me off, but this is the type of thing you need to tell others about.

Some times you just have to warn people, and this is one of those times.

In contrast my issue with Create Space is much less severe, so I didn't go into detail. That issue is an issue of binding and margin layout, it's not criminal, it's just a jerky policy that irritated me.

[Mary]

Laurel wrote: "None of this surprises me. I read the contract from Ingram/Lightning source and even dabbled a bit with them on the digital side. But I could not accept their terms for print and didn't feel I ne..."

I was shocked by several things in self publishing versus my former attempts in traditional publishing. I liked the profit in self-publishing. What I didn't like was the necessity of pricing my book so high that the average reader passes it by. I certainly wouldn't buy a paperback for $25-$30 from an unknown author unless it was already getting great reviews. I could reduce the size of my novel until it was a series of $4 pamphlets, but I'm not sure that would be profitable either.

I hadn't tried Lightning Source, but thanks for the tip.Children of Stone: Voices in Crystal

[J.D.]

Kevin wrote: "Why my book isn't in print:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsGgV...

Please watch this if you have questions about the practices of Ingram and Lightning Source"

That's just awful.

[G.G.]

Kevin wrote: "Why my book isn't in print:Please watch this if you have questions about the practices of Ingram and Lightning Source"

Thanks for the warnings Kevin. That's just wrong! :(

[Fletcher]

Kevin wrote: "Why my book isn't in print:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsGgV...

Please watch this if you have questions about the practices of Ingram and Lightning Source"

Thanks for that eye-opening information, Kevin!

[[deleted user]]

I had a great publisher. Unfortunately one of the partners died and the other decided to close the company.

I search for a new publisher for my latest book and rejected contracts from 4. Three only published e-books which I can do myself and the forth was onerous.

However with their acceptance of my book came great reviews like "gripping story," "Edge-of-your-seat thriller," "I like that there is a big hurdle to overcome in their romance"

So getting bad contracts can pay off as I am using the reviews.

Richard Brawer
www.silklegacy.com

[Kevin]

Thank you all for your support!

Please help spread the video around so they can be warned!

Richard, oh, believe me, I've had situations like that where a contract failed but I at least managed to salvage something.

There was little to nothing that could be salvaged from Lightning Source fiasco, though. :sigh:

[Martyn]

Richard wrote: "I search for a new publisher for my latest book and rejected contracts from 4. Three only published e-books which I can do myself and the forth was onerous."

One of the main reasons I started self-publishing was due to the horrible contracts offered to (new) authors. I'm not desperate for validation, so I self-published three novels and three short stories. Since I began I've received offers from several publishers, but none has the sort of contract I'd sign. I've also been approached by vanity publishers like Authorhouse and I'd warn everyone if possible to stay as far away as they can from Authorhouse.
Kevin, you're performing a public service posting this video. Thanks.

Martyn V. Halm, author of the Amsterdam Assassin Series.

[Carole]

I've self-published too because publishers often seem to want only certain types of books. I didn't think about any bloodsucking vanity publishers. Thank you for the video. It's a good reminder that bad people are always there to take advantage of other people's dreams.