The Book Ordering Question Answered

I’ve gotten many questions lately from people asking about the best way to order my books in paperback format because apparently many of you enjoy holding a “real” book as you read (me too!). And let me just start by saying I will never complain about how or where you order my books, I just want to make your options a little more clear.

On my Where to Buy page there are a multitude of options and links for your book shopping convenience, but these don’t really tell you the best ways to buy based on your location, based on which gets you the best book bang for your dollar, or based on which option puts more of the book’s price in my pocket (versus “donating” most of the sale to a distributor like Amazon).

So let’s start with the best methods for both of us and work our way down…

Contact Me via Email: Really, that’s all it takes to get your books. This is a great option for those of you located in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Just email me with a list of the books you’d like to buy and what country you want your books sent to (so I can sort out the shipping). I will then confirm and send you a PayPal invoice. Once you’ve paid, your books will be ordered ASAP and sent to you directly from my publisher (except for pre-orders which will be sent on or just before release day). This option also allows me to give you a slightly-lower-than-retail price (about 10 to 20% lower).

Order Directly Through My Publisher Createspace: Here’s the deal, when you order through Createspace, I get to keep 30 to 50% of the book’s price (compare this to only 10 to 20% when you order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.). Again, this is a good option for those of you in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as some parts of Asia and South America. The Createspace store isn’t the most search-friendly thing in the universe, so if you prefer this option, I’d definitely suggest using this direct link to my books.

Order Through Your Local Amazon: If you have an Amazon in your country, or one that delivers to your country, this is a great way to order because most Amazon sites give you free shipping if you order enough stuff. Because Createspace is an Amazon company, I get about 20% from the sale which isn’t too shabby.

“Order” Through Your Local Library: If your library has the means and the space, they will often take patron suggestions for books to order. This not only gets you a copy of my books for free, but also means my tomes will be on the shelves for others to see once you’re done reading! I don’t earn much on library sales, but having a book on a library’s shelves is basically free advertising (yay!!). By the way, if they don’t have the space or are going digital, you can let your library know my ebooks are also available to most libraries via Smashwords and Overdrive .

Order via Ebay: This is a little like ordering from me directly (option #1), but to make up for the eBay fees I have to charge a little more. I mostly use this option to get rid of books I have on hand. Since I send books directly from my home (as opposed to sending them through my publisher) and have to pay the exorbitant USPS shipping costs, this is only a good option for those of you in the U.S.

Order Through Another Online Book Retailer: While I understand that you may prefer/require this option based on your location or your hatred of Amazon, I only see about 10% of the sale prices when you order through through online retailers other than Amazon (this works out to less than what I earn on e-book sales!).

Hope this answers some of your questions! And in case you missed it, don’t forget to check out yesterday’s post that included my book trailer for my upcoming book, The Maze.