October 25, 2026A Halloween Reading Night for Two
A reading night for two sounds like a good Halloween plan to me because it leaves room for both company and quiet.…
I do not really understand why this is sometimes treated like an either-or decision. Amazon gives authors access to a huge marketplace, while selling directly gives much more control. Those are different advantages, so I think both can make sense.
Why Amazon Still Matters
Amazon is convenient because millions of people already have accounts there, trust the checkout and know how delivery works. Especially with printed books, I think wide availability matters. If somebody wants to buy from Amazon or another retailer, I see no reason to make that harder.
There is also less technical responsibility. You do not need to manage the whole payment and delivery process yourself, which can save a lot of time.
Why I Like Direct Sales
Direct sales interest me for a different reason. Your own website can become part of the experience instead of simply being a page that sends people somewhere else.
You can control the design, the customer account, how the book is presented and what readers discover next. That is much more interesting to me because you are building something that belongs to you instead of depending completely on another platform.
The Trade-Off
The problem is that control comes with responsibility. Payments need to work, accounts need to work, emails need to arrive and the website needs to stay online. If somebody has a problem, they contact you.
Amazon handles a huge amount of that automatically. So direct selling is not automatically better. You are simply exchanging convenience for control.
What I Prefer
Personally, I like a mixed approach. For physical books, I want broad distribution and I want people to buy wherever they normally shop. For digital content, I like having more control through my own website.
I also think an author website can eventually become much more than a digital business card. It can contain articles, books, newsletters, news and eventually an entire world around the work.
Amazon can sell the book. Your own website can build everything around it.
