From the inbox…
“WHY WOULD YOU EVER BE ANTI-AMZON WHEN AMAZON LITERALLY OWNS HALVE THE INTERNETS INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLOUD SERVICE? YOU’RE INSANE TO THINK YOU DON’T NEED THEM. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.” – Bryson
Guessing he’s a millennial judging from the all caps “yelling”, the typos, the name Bryson and the fact he used the word literally. (Which is the most millennial expression ever.) Kudos to Bryson for using it correctly though, they usually use “literally” figuratively.
I didn’t reply directly to Bryson because there’s value in sharing why I’m anti-Amazon with “literally” everyone on my list. Along with a lesson on why YOU should seek to remove the Amazon-esque “middle men” from your business…
1. They randomly delete legitimate reviews.
2. And refuse to delete bogus ones.
3. They lowered the royalty on eBook purchases to a pro-rated amount based on the number of pages the reader actually reads. (Bet you didn’t know that, did you?)
4. And now often throw out a bunch of eBook page-reads without any explanation. Go figure.
5. They slashed KDP select funds.
6. They arbitrarily change categories and then your book gets lost in a sea of others.
(All with no explanation or warning.)
As a creator within their ecosystem you have no control over any of this and every time one of these changes happens it impacts your business.
It leaves you feeling powerless, puts your life’s work at the mercy of an algorithm and hits you in the wallet.
It isn’t even just Amazon.
Case in point:
Other retailers like Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, and the thousands of independent bookstores have their own ways of doing similar things. Like ordering cases of books at the beginning of the month, only to return them at the end of the month to make their financials appear better on paper than they really are.
Fun Fact: Every time that happens, which is often for all authors, the author receives no royalty on the books. Even though, technically they were sales which were in fact made. (Bet you weren’t aware of that one either.)
I’m not whining or complaining, simply stating facts here.
And regardless of industry, if you sell a physical product this same thing can and will happen to you if you don’t proactively safeguard against it like I am.
I’ve reached a point where I refuse to be at the mercy of retailers and middle men of any kind.
The Takeaway:
When you’re at the mercy of any middle man, it doesn’t matter how good your product is. It also doesn’t matter how much of your own money, time and sweat equity you invested in creating those products.
When you’re at the mercy of middle men you aren’t in charge of your own career and you certainly don’t control your own destiny.
Your livelihood is essentially handcuffed to an algorithm and at worst the self-interest of the middle man.
If you choose to stay on that path, you can kiss being an “independent” entrepreneur goodbye.
And Your’s Bruly has reached a point where I won’t allow this to continue. My future, my family’s financial future and my professional legacy cannot be left in someone else’s hands.
So I’ve made a change with my books. It’s the first change of many you will see with my business model this year.
I don’t work for Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, or Mark Zuckerberg for that matter either. In fact, as you’ve seen in my last email, they work for me. At least until I fire them.
Same with retailers and other middle men.
The best part of drawing that line in the sand…
I’m selling more than ever before and I keep the lion’s share of the profit. And my future is back where it rightfully belongs… in my own hands.
Which according to Bryson makes me “literally” insane.
If you’re ready to break the chains, take charge of your own destiny, and become the true master of your fate as an entrepreneur…
Then I urge you to grab this exclusive offer before I take it off my shelves permanently:
https://coachbru.com/product/stadium-status-taking-business-big-time/