Wasting Time is worse than Wasting Money.
So once more I have to thank Amazon for wasting my time. The self-publishing saga continues. The response from my publisher and printer/distributor only seems to show the high-handed arrogance displayed by Amazon. Amazon would do well to remember that it’s the little things that kill – think of the insignificant Mosquito. A mere speck that with one tiny insignificant bite might be capable of delivering a fatal disease…
So the saga continues for anyone with the patience to be bothered reading about one lowly author doing a David and Goliath with Amazon. I received the following email with the correspondence between Feed A Read and their printers Lightning Strike (no small tin pot business).
From FeedARead re Jimmy Mack
Customer Service 03:17 (8 hours ago)
to me
Hi John
Thank you for your mail and very sorry that this has not been resolved yet. Our printers Lightning Source who distribute our books including to Amazon have raised this four times with Amazon as per email copies below upon each of our emails and chase-ups about your book to them and are still waiting on Amazon’s response and resolution as they outline further below.
Accordingly, we have outlined in our latest correspondence with Lightning Source this week how exasperated both you and we are with this not being resolved and have copied in senior management at Lightning Source in our latest email to Lightning Source and asked them to address this via senior management with Amazon.
Lightning Source are the world’s largest print on demand printers, printing 7.5 million titles, and normally resolve issues with Amazon very quickly as their distribution agreement with booksellers including Amazon involves so many titles and they both have such a large infrastructure. The reason they are addressing with Amazon via us is because Lightning Source take care of distribution for publishers who utilize them as printers. We publish, and they manage the distribution network. Normally both Lightning Source and Amazon work very well and professionally together to resolve such issues in a much quicker fashion so this is why we have raised this to the complaint level mentioned above as this has not happened in this case.
An important note is that Lightning Source do not list books with Amazon through Vendor Central re the Amazon response we saw that you quoted. It is the case sometimes that generalist advisers at Amazon, such as via the Amazon response to you, may not be aware of how all aspects of the book industry works, including in relation to how print on demand books are distributed in book channels via Lightning Source through booksellers such as Amazon and others.
As soon as we hear further from Lightning Source we will let you know. We are also adding an extra year’s distribution to your existing distribution.
Best wishes S..... Feedaread Team
Correspondence so far with Lightning Source in response to ours: (Lightning Source ) Thursday Mar 15, 11:55 AM CDT Good Afternoon,
I have raised the issue with Amazon and will let you know as soon as I have an update. Kind regards, L*** Senior Account Representative Client Relations, Content Acquisition <theteam@feedaread.com> Tuesday Mar 20
Hi L***, any news on this one please? S....
(Lightning Source ) Wednesday Mar 21, 1:23 PM CDT Good Afternoon S.....,
Amazon did not provide me with a helpful response so I raised another ticket with them yesterday. Kind regards, L*** Senior Account Representative Client Relations, Content Acquisition Further follow-up from Lightning Source after we at FeedARead chased up further to see if Amazon had resolved: (Lightning Source ) Mar 28, 1:07 PM CDT Good Evening Steve,
Still nothing I'm afraid! I am now not even getting a response from them and when I raise new tickets I get notification they have merged them into the original ticket. Kind regards, L*** Senior Account Representative Client Relations, Content Acquisition
(Mar 28) to clientservices.,
Hi L***
Can this be stepped up a level please? If Amazon is merging tickets then this looks like it may impact on more than just one book re publisher books and any issues with amazon.
S....
Dear John,
Our staff at FeedARead then followed up this week as mentioned with Lightning Source as nothing further from Amazon, this time with a complaint asking Lightning Source to raise to their management level and address with Amazon accordingly. As soon as we hear further we will let you know. Thank you for your patience and we will keep on this until resolved. As mentioned, normally
Lightning Source and Amazon distribution works well given their infrastructures but this time we are needing to keep working with them to resolve.
Kind Regards, S...... FeedARead
At least this in contrast with an earlier Amazon reply...
Your AccountAmazon.co.uk
Message From Customer Service
Hello John, I trust this email finds you well. I do understand the type of frustration you must be going through due to this all situation. Please reach out to your publisher or the vendor distributing your books. Your publisher/vendor will need to create a request in Vendor Central to address any availability. They can access Vendor Central here: https://vendorcentral.amazon.co.uk/st/vendor/public/contactusapp I hope this information is helpful. I wish you a lovely day ahead.
Warmest regards, Lucie S.
Really? You understand? "I do understand the type of frustration you must be going through due to this all situation."
I DON'T THINK YOU DO!