I've generally been rather happy with Amazon, both as a customer and an author. However, while I'm very appreciative of the company's Kindle platform, I can't help but notice that for a top-listed international retail giant, much of the core business offers and services seem to be reserved for its United States customer (and author) base. Now, I'm not blaming any of my fellow US authors for anything here, let me be clear. My gripe, or rather, my irritation, is with Amazon.
Why, for example, is Amazon unable to pay royalties directly into my account? Why do I have to use foreign currency cheques, which not only take forever to reach me, but also cost me comparably large fees? You have massive dependancies in all major nations you operate in, yet I'm stuck with payments coming from the U.S.? With cheques, which are a means of payment that had pretty much sunken into obscurity in Germany even before the advent of the Euro? What is this? 1970? Puh-lease. Use IBAN codes and account numbers. That's what they are there for.
Secondly, and related, is the limitation of the paid Kindle feed for blogs to authors residing in the US and the UK (why suddenly also the UK?). Besides my own website I also run a blog with a rising number of monthly visitors. Even if I'd make only a few pennies with the Kindle subscription, why is that service limited to the US and the UK? I wouldn't get any great riches out of it in any case, but $5 are $5.
Last, but not least, is ACX, the Audiobook Creation Exchange, also an Amazon affiliate. What does ACX do? Well, it's probably the closest thing to a professionalized selfpublishing audiobook service, linking producers, authors and narrators. Possibly a huge opportunity!
Here, the same problem again: it's reach is only limited to servicing customers/authors who reside in the US.
I just wish Amazon would adopt a payment and provider servicing system that is as adaptive as their standard retail system.
UPDATE: While my own woes are irritating, others have more substantial Kindle/Amazon problems that really cut into their money.
Why, for example, is Amazon unable to pay royalties directly into my account? Why do I have to use foreign currency cheques, which not only take forever to reach me, but also cost me comparably large fees? You have massive dependancies in all major nations you operate in, yet I'm stuck with payments coming from the U.S.? With cheques, which are a means of payment that had pretty much sunken into obscurity in Germany even before the advent of the Euro? What is this? 1970? Puh-lease. Use IBAN codes and account numbers. That's what they are there for.
Secondly, and related, is the limitation of the paid Kindle feed for blogs to authors residing in the US and the UK (why suddenly also the UK?). Besides my own website I also run a blog with a rising number of monthly visitors. Even if I'd make only a few pennies with the Kindle subscription, why is that service limited to the US and the UK? I wouldn't get any great riches out of it in any case, but $5 are $5.
Last, but not least, is ACX, the Audiobook Creation Exchange, also an Amazon affiliate. What does ACX do? Well, it's probably the closest thing to a professionalized selfpublishing audiobook service, linking producers, authors and narrators. Possibly a huge opportunity!
Here, the same problem again: it's reach is only limited to servicing customers/authors who reside in the US.
I just wish Amazon would adopt a payment and provider servicing system that is as adaptive as their standard retail system.
UPDATE: While my own woes are irritating, others have more substantial Kindle/Amazon problems that really cut into their money.
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