How do you buy your books?

Serious question, how do you buy books?

As of the past couple years I've gone almost exclusively to audiobooks. My writing time as an author eats up any time I might have used for paperbacks and ebooks. This year I've currently released 4 books with another, a Gothic horror, to be released in November and hopefully the final book in the Zombie Girl trilogy. All that doesn't equal much time to read, so I listen to audios while I'm driving and at night, instead of TV.

Taking all that into consideration and the fact that audible has increased audio upgrade (whispersync) prices I've gone to downloading free books and upgrading to audio.

First, I don't agree with the sudden increase in audio upgrades. They were $1.99 and $2.99 now they are $7.49. This effects me as a reader and an author. As a reader I download the free kindle. If the audio upgrade is still priced at $1.99 I upgrade. If it's at $7.49 I wait. It's discouraging. In the past, I'd pay for a kindle now I go with only free. As an author I hate it even more.

So I should love it, more money per book but that's not the case and I've voiced my opinion to audible. I'd much prefer at the very least that a customer could download the audio upgrade for the first book in the series for $1.99 or $2.99. My request wasn't ignored but I was told we have no control and will pass this along. For future audiobooks I'm considering other options and probably won't use ACX again. It's not just their unreasonable pricing terms but the lack of revenue when my audiobooks sell. Believe it or not I get roughly 20% from the entire sale.

Readers don't necessarily know that but what you pay for doesn't all go to the author and narrator. Everyone else gets paid first then the author and narrator so they bank very little. I've had statements selling hundreds of dollars in audio and received so little of it that I couldn't even buy a tank of gasoline.

I'm looking at my options as an author. As a reader I refuse to subscribe and pay monthly fees anywhere. It goes against my grain for someone to take money from my account. I prefer having full control over my bank accounts. That has a lot to do with my sordid past. I pay, no credit. That's me.

What I do now is grab free kindle books that have the audio upgrade. Audible can price what they want when they want. I get the freebie and upgrade when I'm ready to read it. I'm subscribed to several ebook newsletters. I truly hate this because I want my money to pay the author and narrator not all the middle men (there's quite a few). 

What to do? As an author I'm done with ACX and looking at my options. As a reader I wish more books were available on MP3. This all needs to change. If you're an audio reader don't hesitate to contact Audible/ACX if that's who you use and voice your opinion. It will take thousands if not millions for them to make any changes. In the mean time authors are hurt, their minute sales after all the middlemen drop even more  and you're paying more money.

So how do you buy your books?

My Amazon page