I KNOW I shouldn’t post when I’m angry, but I need an outlet for my emotions.
I finally got my royalty statement for my sales-to-date and it says that I sold NO books when it came out. I know all you readers know this is untrue, and my first ever royalty statement proves otherwise. I am also well aware of the sums of books purchased (and sold) just in local outlets. I signed (and SOLD OUT) twenty at Waterstones in Hexham; that Henry’s Books sold 20-30 in the first few weeks. I also monitored sales at the large distributers, and know that Borders bought 10 when I did the signing there. I know these figures don’t sound like much, but it’s considerably more than zero. That doesn’t even take into account Amazon sales, when the book sold out often in the early months (or doesn’t ring true with the conversations I’ve had with people at the Publishers).
What they are playing at, I don’t know. I sincerely hope that it’s an error, as I would hate to think that what’s going through my mind was correct. It’s no wonder I can’t enjoy writing like I used to, as I feel used. I’m just glad that I had no outlay, but my ‘prize’ has lost its shine. I feel no less angry, but was surprisingly restrained with the email I sent my publisher. Will let you know what happens next…
Finally, I would never say that an author should not use a particular company, based on someone else’s experiences. Simply judge the facts, and come to your own conclusions – not every author feels disillusioned with DA.