[The one with all the big dresses on the covers]

Ugh, this is such rubbish. And we know that it's possible for the different arms of Amazon to have different systems/policies, too, because just look at Createspace where despite being owned by Amazon (and the year being 201 we can apparently only be paid via international check Even if Australians can't order from regular Amazon anymore, authors should still be able to get author copies through kdp!

 

[Simon Haynes]

Check the new KDP/Createspace thread, because an aussie there just said they've been ordering KDP author copies (delivered to oz) for the past year.

 

[Patty Jansen]

OK, so hang on everyone.

When I go to my sole KDP print book and I click the three little dots next to the big Select button on the bookshelf, it tells me I can order print copies and proofs.

Someone else (not me) swears that books were ordered and delivered to New Zealand. Unless that is somehow vastly different from Australia, has anyone here actually TRIED this option? I'm not going to because I don't need books, but you may just try and see if it works and come back here before complaining any further.

 

[Selina Fenech]

OK, so hang on everyone.

When I go to my sole KDP print book and I click the three little dots next to the big Select button on the bookshelf, it tells me I can order print copies and proofs.

Someone else (not me) swears that books were ordered and delivered to New Zealand. Unless that is somehow vastly different from Australia, has anyone here actually TRIED this option? I'm not going to because I don't need books, but you may just try and see if it works and come back here before complaining any further.

Yep, have tried. I ordered author copies through KDP, PRE-GSTmageddon, and it worked fine.

Post forcing us to the AU store, you can't anymore. The Author Copies option in KDP adds them to the .com (or selected country other than AU) store. You can add them to the cart, but as soon as you try to select an Australian shipping address it's red warnings everywhere and cannot progress.

 

[Simon Haynes]

Here's the post in the other thread ... maybe PM them?

https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,266845.msg3716163.html#msg3716163

ETA: In about an hour I'll have one of mine on KDP and I'll test it.

 

[TheWriterFormerly]

I have found their hardcovers to be top notch, although, a little bleed through on cream paper and you can only seem to get the white paper with case-wrap hardcovers. Delivery times are adequate and prices are as I imagined for hard covers.
When you say budget quality for paperbacks, the quality is equivalent to CS?

I have no idea. I haven't found anybody yet to answer that and it will be a while before I can try it out. Only answer I have is from an author who used them a few years ago and said they were comparable to CS but did not remember if it was budget or premium they used.

 

[The one with all the big dresses on the covers]

OK, so hang on everyone.

When I go to my sole KDP print book and I click the three little dots next to the big Select button on the bookshelf, it tells me I can order print copies and proofs.

Someone else (not me) swears that books were ordered and delivered to New Zealand. Unless that is somehow vastly different from Australia, has anyone here actually TRIED this option? I'm not going to because I don't need books, but you may just try and see if it works and come back here before complaining any further.

I actually don't have any KDP print books yet, but my understanding is that this has only been an issue since Amazon decided it couldn't deal with GST and was going to stop shipping to Australia. (That was, July, right?) So I imagine it wouldn't be a problem for someone in New Zealand. And I believe the option still exists on the dash because you can still order proofs and author copies to be sent to US addresses. (At least that might be of some use for giveaway winners and that sort of thing, I suppose.)

This is the big deal breaker for me with moving to KDP print. (Along with the watermark on the covers of the proofs.) I'd sure love to have the reporting centralized, though. And the payment via wire transfer!

 

[Simon Haynes]

Actually, amazon.com doesn't appear for me, only Amazon.uk.

 

[The one with all the big dresses on the covers]

I just caught up with the Createspace to KDP print thread. Looks like I'm not getting a choice about moving to KDP print anymore. Sigh. I guess that solves the check annoyance, though.

 

[annski82]

Does anybody know how an indie author gets listed as an "Australian author" on the amazon.com.au site? Looking on there, the main ones that turn up are those published by the Big Publishers. Now that everyone in Australia has to buy from the .au site it means that publicity there becomes all important for local writers. I always bought everything from the .com site, and have to go back there all the time just to find out essential information. I don't see anything there to promote or help non-mainstream authors, or any advice on how to be listed by Amazon as an Australian author. Or am I missing something obvious?

 

[Simon Haynes]

Right, when you try to order author copies through KDP, you select a store and then you're transferred to that store with the books in your shopping cart.

When I choose amazon.com, I can't ship to australia

When I choose amazon.co.uk, the books never appear in the shopping cart on that site.

Next I tried amazon.fr, where my schoolboy french got me through the order process and ... nope. They're telling me to order through amazon.com.au

I didn't bother with my schoolboy german or non-existent italian, but I am fluent in Spanish so let's give that a go:

Nope, just like the UK, they never get added to the basket in the first place. Ooh, wait, I wasn't signed in. I sign in and the items show in the cart.

But again, it's a nope. Es una lastima, pero no pueden mandarme los libros.


So we're toast, until this little problem is sorted out.

I think an email to KDP support is warranted. Wonder how many KDP authors there are in Australia?

 

[RinG]

I've emailed them, and when they suggested I buy my books retail through the .au store, I said the email was unhelpful, and told them it was rubbish to limit us because there's a tax to be paid. I dislike the new
GST laws as much as anyone, but Amazon is an international country, and should be able to deal with them. It's no excuse.

 

[C Winters]

It's pretty interesting the level of protest Amazon is showing for the changes to online tax in Australia. From what I've read about the government's stance and the reasons for the tax they sound perfectly reasonable almost to the point where you'd wonder why online business's weren't already subjected to the same tax system as local services. That Amazon have rejected this and turned their back on Australian customers (authors on KDP are minuscule compared to the consumer base this affects) really displays a severe level of greed and immaturity on the behalf of Bezos and the company. If our own government's attempts to salvage a relationship with Amazon have gone astray, I doubt an email from some puny indie author/s is going to do anything.

 

[Simon Haynes]

I have no problem with the Aus government trying to collect sales taxes on purchases by aussies. My nightmare scenario would be queuing up at the post office to pay $1.50 in GST on a $15 paperback, and this 'make the big guys handle it' suits me just fine. Of course, the big guys are refusing to handle it, but they're just getting between a government and their tax take, which is a pointless exercise.

I have a similar battle with iTunes, where they won't pay me aussie earnings (on apps OR ebooks) unless I register for GST, and I refuse to register for GST for a handful of sales per year. So, I list ebooks through smashwords and block my apps from aussie buyers.  It's not just the paperwork and quarterly statements and so on, it's the fact the ATO will just laugh if I say I'm running a business, then show them about $30 worth of AU sales for the year.

Every time an aussie emails me about not being able to buy my app on the apple store, I explain why. Maybe next time they need a new phone or tablet, they'll go for Android instead.

Google manages to deal with things without annoying their aussie customers. The others ought to take a leaf out of their book.

 

[TheWriterFormerly]

I am awaiting a local "fullfillment center" for KDP POD. Amazon have one for general crap nobody buys already, if they put a printery in there, our problems would be solved. The only draw back being our local laws demand they pay a minimum wage, and the local awards would make a minimum wage noncompetitive for getting people to staff it, so they would likely jack up the cost anyway. That would make their aussie printing noncompetitive against a couple of other local printing POD companies we already know about who absorb the difference and charge the same regardless of where in the world you are... Of course, if their other locations had fair wages paid to staff, that would be great, once the consumers cottoned on to the fact that they were paying more so people could actually eat and buy things. At this point, Aussies who buy books from third party sellers like Book Depository are slugged that much and more with none of the benefit to the actual workers or the authors themselves, which sucks the donkey.

 

[Simon Haynes]

I just posted in the ongoing 'Createspace/KDP' thread, because the response I got from KDP support was that they'd pass my comments to their business team (paraphrased.)

 

[Cecelia]

Does anybody know how an indie author gets listed as an "Australian author" on the amazon.com.au site? Looking on there, the main ones that turn up are those published by the Big Publishers. Now that everyone in Australia has to buy from the .au site it means that publicity there becomes all important for local writers. I always bought everything from the .com site, and have to go back there all the time just to find out essential information. I don't see anything there to promote or help non-mainstream authors, or any advice on how to be listed by Amazon as an Australian author. Or am I missing something obvious?

Hi Anna:

I have been looking for any site where we can list ourselves as "Australian Authors". Preferably Australian sites. One of my reasons for self-pubing is the closed environment of Australian publishing. It has worked for some of my friend authors & poets, but not for me.

(I can give other Aussie authors a plug in Weekend Notes, if I like their works, but their rules say I can't write about myself...)

So how to get listed as an Aussie is an issue for us Aussies most places I think.

 

[Pacman]

I am going to repeat a post here that I made on the CS/KDP merger thread...

For any Australians still in doubt/denial about the availability of author copies or proofs once they are with KDP, I will post my email to KDP support and their response here.
My email...
Subject: Australian alternatives

It is a shame that I am unable to purchase author copies or proofs delivered to Australia at approximately the same cost as was the case with CreateSpace. The price disparity leaves me with no alternative than to register with Ingram Spark despite the longevity I have enjoyed with your company. I feel you will lose your entire list of Australian account holders for paperbacks because of the extra costs involved and the inconvenience.
The resulting exodus of Australians may well see them move their ebooks over to other companies as well, for the convenience of having their stock in one location. I thank-you for CreateSpace and my time and money spent there with a great product. I bid you farewell for my paperbacks once they are transferred and will seriously consider moving my ebooks as well.

Their response...

Hello,

I'm very sorry for any frustration this issue has caused.

As you aware that, To remain compliant with changes to the GST law in Australia, from July 1, 2018, we've changed the way KDP authors in Australia access their books on Amazon. Authors can purchase retail copies of their paperbacks through a Global Store option on amazon.com.au. However, proof and author copies will no longer be able to be shipped to Australian addresses. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please note that these changes do not affect the ability to continue to list your books on our international sites or have them shipped to eligible non-Australian addresses.
*******
Although at this time there is no option for this, I'll forward your comments to our business team to find alternate solution to ship author and proof copies to Australia at same printing cost, we'll be sure to consider your feedback as we plan for further improvements and find a solution for this.

We definitely value your opinion and will continue to listen and respond to our customers' concerns. We will make every effort to evaluate the information you have provided, and try our level best to lead it to program changes or enhancements.

It is always important for us to hear how customers react to all aspects. Your feedback will help us to improve the selection and service we provide and we're glad you took time to write to us. We are sure that KDP Paperback will soon be supported in Amazon.CA too

Thanks for your understanding and support. We look forward to having to providing continued support to you.

Can't get any clearer than that. The thing they offer about buying a book through retail, even though you get a royalty for that, it denies you a true proof copy. You have to publish your book to order one. There is no disputing a problem with their printing in that case. You have approved it, therefore, no grounds to say they printed it wrong if there are pages missing etc. A proof copy is exactly that--proof, of a product that, if satisfied and meeting your standards, may then be sold to the public.

On a side note..
I have contacted Ingram Spark Australia to see if they can migrate my titles over to their dashboard for no cost. They used to do that if you contacted them. I will let you know their response.

Thanks Poenix61.

Firstly, this ongoing 'story' by Amazon that they can't give us a proof copy of our own books because of Australian tax laws (GST) is plain b/s.

Secondly, I have an IngramSpark account and love it, although their reports are rubbish they do provide me with reduced price author copies whenever I ask for them at whatever volume I need.

All we can do is vote with our feet. I suggest we all migrate to IS and ignore the useless rhetoric of Amazon's b/s smokescreen to gouge more money off Aussie authors.

 

[Marina Finlayson]

I"m firmly convinced that the new GST laws are only an excuse. Amazon's real purpose in refusing to ship to Australia any longer is to force us all into using the new Aussie store, because they want it to dominate the local market, and no one was using it before because it's so inferior to the US store.

Author proofs and copies are just collateral damage of that policy.

 

[Marina Finlayson]

On another, ironic, note: I ordered a proof from Createspace last Friday. It arrived today. Clearly they now have the ability to print in Australia. Finally, fast copies from Createspace--just in time for it to close down.

Why can't they use this facility to print author copies for KDP for us??