Amazon (and Barnes & Noble) Grrrr!

So a couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog with good news for American readers - and American writers who wanted to buy a copy of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance.

In that I was able to tell you that the publishers had reduced the cost of this book from $27.50 - which was the cost of the imported edition, together with shipping - to $19.99 which is what the new USA edition has been priced at. And I was really pleased to be able to say that Amazon had the book in stock at this price. I even put up a link to that page on Amazon so that you could find it easily if you wanted to buy the book.

That was the link that I put I the sidebar.

But I checked on this again over the weekend and infuriatingly I found that Amazon.com has put the price up to the former $27.50 but is now offering the book at a 'reduction' of $24.75 - which is $5 more than the price the publisher is asking. And it seems that Barnes & Noble has done the same.

Now Amazon and B&N are entitled to charge what they want on their sites but it's annying me becuase I've been trying to get this book made easily available to USA writers ever since it first came out in the UK.

And it it's a crazy situation because if you order it from a Barnes and Noble shop, you should be able to get it from the Chicago distributors at the cheaper price of $19.99

So I just wanted to remind you that you don't have to order it on line and pay that extra $5 - what you can do is take the details to any B&N shop or Borders - any bookshop in fact - and you'll be able to order the book at this great price. And you shuldn't have to wait the 2-4 weeks listed by Amazon either - the book is right there in Chicago, ready to be shipped to any bookstore that orders it!

Here are the details you need - just cut and paste them and print them out and take them to your local bookshop and they should do the rest

Please order:
KATE WALKER'S 12 POINT GUIDE TO WRITING ROMANCE
Author: Kate Walker

ISBN: 978-1842851319

Price : $19.99
Studymates Publishing

Chicago Distribution Center

11030 S. Langley Ave.

Chicago, IL 60628

Phone: 773-702-7000

Fax 773-702-721212

You can even phone the Distribution Centre yourself and they will supply the book and post it too you.

But you don't have to do that - that's what bookshops are for - to sell books!

For those of you who don't know, this is the Second Edition. And the new edition is not only revised and updated, it also has this 40+ pages extra with advice and tips from 21 currently published authors. Authors like Michelle Reid, Anne McAllister, Sandra Marton in Presents, Liz Fielding, Natasha Oakley, in Romance, Trish Wylie and Julie Cohen in Modern Heat (Trish in Romance too!) - and Kate Hardy in Mod Heat and Medicals - along with Gill Sanderson and Margaret McDonagh. And in Historicals there's Nicola Cornick and Michelle Styles . . . and that's only as a taster. There's also Holly Jacobs from Harlequin Everlasting - er - Superromance and Yvonne Lindsay from Desire.

Hopefully, whatever line you're aiming for you'll find something to help you there.

Personally, I'm wondering what Amazon will do about the people who ordered the book two weeks ago when they had the price at $19.99. Anyway, I'm taking down the link to Amazon until they offer it at that price again.

PS Amazon.ca have the book at CDN$15.87 and it's in stock! and The Book Depository.com has it at $16.39