After reading about the theft of 3 books by Ruth Ann Nordin on Self Published Authors Lounge, I thought I’d do a search for my name on Amazon, even if I have a Google alert on both my name and my books. And here are the results. My jaw dropped. A couple even ended on my Author Central page but those paperbacks are from my Lulu shop. The guy NEVER purchased them (I know my Lulu sales), how did he put them on Lulu? I don’t care if he wants to sell for over a hundred buck those books, nobody will buy them, but how could he do it without purchasing them in the first place?
First thing I did is writing to Lulu, asking them how could this happen. Then I thought telling Amazon about lower prices on the official, real page, and that those books were there without my permission. Noticing the addition to the Amazon profile, I contacted the Author Central help for those two “unautorized” paperbacks added… Amazon was the first to answer, saying sellers are free to set their price – of course, but considering how much cheaper they are on Lulu… I asked them NOT to associate my paperbacks to my Author Central profile, I don’t want to have anything to do with that guy. I’ll be a Kindle Author for them, and that’s all.
They say that they want to keep my bibliography full, though, and if I have an issue with the seller, to report him. Should I? Am I over-reacting? Probably, but I’ve been sick with the heat for two days and my stomach refuses to settle. I sure hope it will go away soon. But in the meantime I’m over sensitive and only want to curl up into a ball, shut off the PC and sleep until it passes or the weather cools down. What would you do? Lulu hasn’t replied so far. And I’m so sick and tired, that I’ll probably just leave it as is. That guy can’t make much money from me at those prices anyway… and I have titles on Amazon without paying Lulu the distribution fee…
On a happier note, read the first chapter of Fire on IndieBookList! Yes, it’s FREE! 🙂
Barbara G.Tarn - writer 
Stephen A. Watkins
/ 30/06/2011I’d report the seller… he’s clearly up to something fishy. I suspect he’s ripped off the e-book and printed it up as a paperback himself, without buying first on Lulu.
Also, a little English idiosyncracy: when we are sick and our body temperatures are too high, it’s more common to say “we have a fever” than “the heat”. Although… maybe it’s different in British English.
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Barb
/ 30/06/2011I don’t have a temperature, Stephen… it’s the summer heat that’s killing me! 😦 It lowers my blood pressure (normally low on its own), blocks my stomach so that I find it hard to eat… hopefully it will pass… but that’s why I hate the summer! 😦
I’ll probably report the seller like you say. Except apparently I need the ISBN numbers and all my books on Lulu don’t have any…
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Stephen A. Watkins
/ 30/06/2011Bah! My bad. Now I feel bad, correcting English that wasn’t broken… I think the combination of “sick” and “stomach refuses to settle” made me assume you had some sort of flu. Looks like I have a case of the stupids, instead.
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Barb
/ 01/07/2011no, Stephen, that was very kind of you to be concerned, but being sick I probably expressed myself not clearly enough! 😉 Headed for the doc today, hoping to find a cure… or I will starve this summer! 🙂
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Joleene Naylor
/ 30/06/2011it is boiling hot here, too. bleh.
Hope you can get the Amazon mess cleared up!
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jannatwrites
/ 01/07/2011I’d report the seller. It’s not the amount of money he would or wouldn’t make – it’s more of a principle thing. Good luck getting it straightened out.
P.S. I dislike the heat also. Every year about this time, I announce that I’m going to move….but I never do.
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Barb
/ 01/07/2011When I feel better I’ll read the Amazon e-mail again on how to report the seller and make up my mind… thanks for your support, you all! 🙂
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brownpaperbaggirl
/ 01/07/2011Yikes, things like that just stress me out! Hope you’ve taken some deep breaths Barb and that it is all working out!
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Barb
/ 01/07/2011slowly but steadily I shall walk back to health! 🙂 And get my sword and go after the scumbag! 😀
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Viv
/ 01/07/2011Report him. I have no idea how he’s done it but I had for a short while someone selling an alleged used copy of my book in the very early days when I knew exactly who had bought them. I don’t think they actually have it, they have some sort of scam. It’s not there now. I think people do it in case a new author somehow hits it big and then first editions are valuable. In any case, it’s the principle of the thing.
I dislike the heat too, so now it is cooler in the uk, I am happier as I can sleep at night. That is if I sleep. I’ve been sleepwalking a lot more lately too. My appointment with the neurologist can’t come too soon; there’s something amiss in my brain.
Anyway, sharpen that sword and go get him.
xx
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Barb
/ 01/07/2011my books don’t have an ISBN, which apparently is what Amazon wants – but I still have to re-read the e-mail on how to do it. I also think he’s a scam, he has listed books he doesn’t have, so at the moment I added two words about it on the “Find my stuff page”, I’m thinking of adding the same to Author Central, but I don’t want to upset Mighty Amazon, so next week I’ll make up my mind.
Went to the doc and stomach is slowly setting… hopefully I’ll be able to eat normally again soon… watch out, scumbag! 😀
Thanks, Viv! 🙂
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Viv
/ 01/07/2011It was something I made sure of having an ISBN when I got my book up and now it means that the Kindle edition and the paperback are tied together. It just makes things easier for the readers to find what format they wish to buy. I am preparing another for release soon, in the early autumn, lulu first so I have the ISBN and then Kindle.
I find iced mint tea is very settling when my tum gets upset in the summer.
xx
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