Some people have suggested that my bid for the presidency in
2020 may have been a little overambitious. In light of the results, there may
be some truth to those suggestions. With that in mind, I am somewhat scaling back
my goals for the coming year. Forsaking my political aspirations, I hereby
resolve to use the year 2021 to take down Jeff Bezos and Amazon.
Oh, I know it will not be easy, especially in light of
Covid-19 and people’s growing reliance on convenient, prompt, and reliable
online shopping. Nevertheless, the attempt must be made.
You see, eight years ago as I was finishing up my first
novel (The Amazing Morse), I contemplated shipping it around to publishers and
agents in hope of getting the support of powerful forces behind me. But then I
learned about self-publishing and the idea appealed to me. I wanted creative
control over my own work. I did not want to compromise what I was writing or
change it at the behest of those who would fail to see what I was attempting to
create. Self-publishing seemed not only the best way for me to maintain control
of my writing, it seemed at the time to be the most financially rewarding: I
know many writers who have and continue to earn more money publishing independently
than do most of those who have a contract with any of the big publishing
houses.
And when it came to self-publishing, Amazon was the major
player. In the ensuing years, they have only grown more dominant. But as is the
case with any corporation, the more powerful it became, the less it had to
worry about the interests of those who used their services to market their
content. While many authors are still making an impressive living selling on
Amazon, I cannot help but see the handwriting on the wall for independent writers—and
indeed, independent businesses of all stripes—who rely on corporations for their
livelihood. When a corporation becomes powerful enough, it will squeeze
whomever it can of whatever wealth it can extract.
Besides, Jeff Bezos is evil. We all know he is. You may
admire him for what he has been able to accomplish, but Pablo Escobar had his
admirers, too. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Bezos would drown a cat for
a nickel, but I’d bet he’d pay someone to do it for a nickel if he could a quarter
out of the deal.
I’m not naïve. Unlike the whole Vote For Me, I Suck Less
campaign I ran in 2020, I know this is not going to be easy. That’s why I’m
giving myself an entire year to accomplish it. There will be a learning curve,
and I will not immediately withdraw my books from Amazon until I have firmly
established alternatives. But once I have established a beachhead, I will not
hesitate to cease allowing Jeff Bezos to profit off my work.
Presently I am looking for alternative spaces to share my
writing with those who are willing to read it. This is my new
blog on which I will share my writing. If you enjoy something I write, you have
the option to share a little cheddar (money) with the one who worked hard to
create it. If you don’t like it, not only should you not feel compelled to support
me, feel free to leave a nasty comment at the bottom. But maybe, after the
fifth or sixth or hundredth thing you read from me, you might have the urge to
contribute to a writer that tries so hard to amuse and enlighten you. And if
you were ever to reach that point, who am I to dissuade you?
My attack on Amazon has only just begun. Expect this whole
thing to blow up in the ensuing months as Jeff Bezos begins to feel the pressure
and struggles to preserve his empire. Just don’t expect to read about it in the
Washington Post.
P.S. You’re next Zuckerberg. Tremble in fear, you puke.
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