Hi everyone, just a quickie update.
I have heard back from Amazon, and I’m going to let their words speak for themselves.
From Amazon:
I checked our records and can confirm that your title “The Dark Collector” is currently listed in our website for the price set in your KDP bookshelf, i.e. $1.99. Check out the below link to verify the same:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GLX4JF2
Please be informed that If you’re (or any of your customers) browsing in the Kindle Store from a location outside of the United States, you may see a price higher than what you listed on the KDP website.
All items available in the Amazon.com Kindle Store are listed in U.S. dollars (USD). The availability and pricing of titles in global Kindle Stores may vary by home country or region, including taxes and other operating costs. We understand and share your concern about prices, and we will continue our efforts to reduce costs and offer the best possible prices to customers in every region.
While I doubt the taxes in any given region equal 1.5 X the list price of the book, it does seem that Amazon is building their international operating costs into the list prices–and I have no way to prevent them from doing so. Nor do I profit in any way from this: my royalty rate remains 35% of the $1.99 list price, not whatever Amazon is charging in your particular location.
So what are your options as a reader if you don’t want to pay more than double the list price and you live outside the US?
If you live in a region with a dedicated Amazon store, it should be available at the local currency conversion of $1.99 through that store.
The book is also for sale (at the $1.99 price) at Kobo, All Romance eBooks, and Barnes and Noble. (It is also supposed to be on iBooks, so keep an eye out for it there too). I hadn’t planned on using Smashwords, but this has given me a push in that direction. It will probably take me a few days to reformat according to Smashwords exacting formatting guidelines, but I’ll let you all know when it’s done.
Also, this book is lendable–take advantage of that! If you have a friend who has a copy, ask to borrow it! Also, use services like booklending.com, who match borrowers up with lenders.
One of the main reasons I chose to self-publish this piece rather than go through a publisher was that I didn’t want it priced at $2.99 or higher. It’s a short fiction piece, and should be priced accordingly. I don’t agree with Amazon’s policy of charging more than double my list price to my readers overseas. I am sorry that this is happening, and I wish I could do more.
Thank you, as always, for reading!
xoxo,
V