Live and Let Die

The title for this blog comes from the James Bond movies of the same name, or rather, from the James Bond soundtrack. Because #MyLifeIsAMusical, I keep hearing "and in this everchanging world in which we live in" in my head. Maybe I should have gone with Bob Dylan? For the times, they are a-changin'. (Get on with it Karla.)

I recently read something from an author about how they are reshaping their book distribution. Because of the hot political climate, people are making bold choices. Amazon, once the powerhouse, has long been under scrutiny. I have friends who actively avoid buying their books there based on principle, but the fact remains Amazon is still the largest distributor of ebooks. Usually. Me? Apple works well for me, too. But this recent move by a big-name author? It changes the game. Aren't we all a little tired of making the rich richer? Don't we all want to make a statement, now more than ever? So here's the deal. 

If you don't want to throw your support into Amazon any longer (and I'm on board with that idea), this author is doing preorders on Kickstarter. Yes, it's one more place to sign up. Then the books are distributed via Bookfunnel. Yes, that's one more place to sign up. The difference is that you are buying direct from the author, and the author retains more of their own royalties. The deal is that you "pledge" your support (the cost of the book). There's an extra step in that you then have to fill out a questionnaire (not really a questionnaire, more of a "where do I send your book" type stuff). Okay. Color me intrigued. Does that mean you CAN'T buy your books at the usual places? Heck, no. For those people who don't want two more logins to remember, they can still get the books at all the usual places. 

I'm going to be honest here. While I do see preorder action, I'm not sure it warrants setting up new accounts. If this were ongoing instead of just for the preorder phase, I might be more inclined to give it a go (Hey, Joe 𝅘𝅥𝅯🎵𝅘𝅥𝅰... sorry, more songs in my head). 

My new book? I'm planning a release in early 2026, which means I have to plan for how to launch it into the world. What do you think? Would you fund a Kickstarter to avoid buying at the evil overlord sites? 

Inquiring minds...