My neurotic moment for the morning

[ShaunaG]

Okay. So under my pen name I have a trilogy (the set of three books in my sig). It is a real trilogy; each book can stand on it's own, however there is a continuous plot line that doesn't make sense without reading all three in order. The first one is free right now and I have a few returns (based on the number of downloads its not unusual) however! book 2 and 3 each have 3 returns. The returns happened pretty regularly. Book 2 got one return and then the next day book 3 had a return. Then book 2 had 2 returns and in another day book 3 had it's second return. And then yesterday book 2 got it's third return and this morning I wake up to see book 3 has caught up with it's third return. I cannot help but think people are buying the books and returning them when they're done. I know we've talked about the possibility of this, but this is just seems so obvious this time and it is so, so, so frustrating because there is nothing I can do about this.

I just wanted to share and vent with you all. 

[Sarah Woodbury]

Seriously ... don't worry about the returns.  People buy books all the time by mistake when they meant to sample.  I had 5 returns on my free book last week.  Who knows what they're thinking.  If, in fact, you're correct about people reading it and returning it, over the lifetime of a book's sales, this is going to happen very, very few times--and if it happens a lot, Amazon will crack down on it.  Just be glad they didn't read it, return it, and leave you a bad review

[ML Hamilton]

I've been worried about this very same thing. However, then I calculated the percentage of returns versus sales and it remains a small percentage, although I hate it when I see the returns.

[ShaunaG]

Yeah it's not that there are returns because I'm not that crazy; I know returns are going to happen. I'm frustrated when it looks deliberate that people are reading the whole series for free. This is a trilogy, if you don't enjoy book 1 and 2 you dont buy book 3. I dont really understand why you buy book 2 if you didn't like book 1 but I guess if you're "making sure you didn't like it" but no, you don't buy the third book. That's what was bothering me.  

[David Adams]

I used to stress about returns, and I admit they still bug me a bit, but these days I just discount them completely and check only the last column. I mean, yeah it sucks to get something only to lose it, but the reality is I've sold many more books than have been returned (as I'm sure you have too) and between price matching, KDP Select and abuse of returns we as authors give away plenty of books that wouldn't have otherwise been sold anyway.

Just imagine that someone wanted their own personal free day and shrug it off. If I was successful as you appear to be based on the number of books you have and your sales data, I'd cry all the way to the bank.

[HeidiHall]

That sucks. And it's hard to deny a pattern like that. I've told this story somewhere on these boards before, but when Kindle was first distributed to Target, I was browsing the book racks and overheard one woman telling another how wonderful the Kindle was because she could now read for free. Upon further eavesdropping , I heard her go on to tell her friend that since she was such a quick reader, she returned all the books within the seven day window and, ta-da!, free reads. I kick myself now for being such a wallflower and not saying something - but confrontation is just not in my nature. In your case, while you can't be positive that's what actually happened just tell yourself that you have one fan who wanted to read your series so badly, but couldn't afford to, so they devoured them with rapid relish and got their money back. At least the sunny side to it in that case would be they loved them enough to read all of them. I know, it's little consolation... but maybe they'll at least repay you for the freebies with glowing reviews! Hope springs eternal for me tonight

[MrPLD]

Yes, there does seem to be a bit of a pattern there.  No doubt somewhere else on the internet there is someone writing a post to a forum, feeling very proud of themselves on how they managed to "game" the system and beat the "man".

[D a l y a]

I've gotten a lot more returns since signing up with Select.  Some folks think is the "$0.00 for Prime members" that makes the book look free when it isn't, and that causes accidental buys.  Others theorize people are confused about how borrowing works and end up buying, then returning, then borrowing.  (That's what I thought, since for a while, returns and borrows would happen in matching pairs.)

It's also probable many people are buying, reading, and returning, as you suspect.  Let's all repeat together: those people are not our target market.  Not.  Our.  Target market.

The only thing you have control over is that next book ... and even that is somewhat up to the muses. 

[ShaunaG]

That sucks. And it's hard to deny a pattern like that. I've told this story somewhere on these boards before, but when Kindle was first distributed to Target, I was browsing the book racks and overheard one woman telling another how wonderful the Kindle was because she could now read for free. Upon further eavesdropping , I heard her go on to tell her friend that since she was such a quick reader, she returned all the books within the seven day window and, ta-da!, free reads. I kick myself now for being such a wallflower and not saying something - but confrontation is just not in my nature. In your case, while you can't be positive that's what actually happened just tell yourself that you have one fan who wanted to read your series so badly, but couldn't afford to, so they devoured them with rapid relish and got their money back. At least the sunny side to it in that case would be they loved them enough to read all of them. I know, it's little consolation... but maybe they'll at least repay you for the freebies with glowing reviews! Hope springs eternal for me tonight

Thank goodness, I was starting to think I hadn't explained myself well.

I don't blame you for not confronting that awesome lady *cough* but now that I know when amazon shuts down your account they kill your kindle too, I would say something. I would love to see the looks on people's faces when they realize they're risking turning their kindle into a very expensive paperweight. It would probably be the only way to deter them since our livelihood isn't doing it.

[ShaunaG]

Yes, there does seem to be a bit of a pattern there.  No doubt somewhere else on the internet there is someone writing a post to a forum, feeling very proud of themselves on how they managed to "game" the system and beat the "man".

Oh, yes, I'm quite sure of that *angry fist shake*