It’s always a thrill to see your book listed on Amazon.
That familiar cover, your name in bold, available at the click of a button to readers across the globe. It feels like validation—like you’ve made it. And in many ways, Amazon is an incredible platform.
If a reader in Glasgow or California wants your book at 11:34pm on a Tuesday night, they can have it delivered within days. That’s the reach and power Amazon offers.
But if you’re a published author—meaning your book has been brought out by a traditional or hybrid publisher, not self-published through Amazon—there are benefits and drawbacks to having your work sold through the retail giant.
Let’s start with the good news.
Amazon is where most people go to buy books.
It’s the default. If your book isn’t on there, you may well lose sales—simply because readers expect to find it there. It offers convenience, fast shipping, and the comfort of a familiar checkout process. That convenience boosts visibility and potential sales. It also makes your book feel ‘real’ to friends, family, and followers when they can type your name into a search bar and see your work pop up instantly.
For authors, it can also serve as a central hub. Reviews, star ratings, rankings—all there for the world to see. That public visibility can help build credibility, especially for new readers who may not yet know your work.
But—and it’s a sizeable but—there are challenges too.
First and most glaring: you make very little money from Amazon sales. If you’ve been traditionally published, the publisher sells your book to Amazon at a wholesale rate—often 40–55% off the recommended retail price. You then receive royalties on that discounted figure, not the full price. In real terms, you might earn pennies per sale. And you have no say in discounting or pricing—Amazon can (and often does) drop the price to increase its own competitiveness, and that doesn’t affect your cut one bit.
Worse still, Amazon doesn’t support high-street bookshops or independent retailers. Its dominance in the marketplace has made life significantly harder for small sellers who once thrived on hand-selling titles, championing debut authors, and curating local reading communities.
When readers default to Amazon, we lose something human in the exchange.
And from the author’s point of view, Amazon tells you nothing about your buyers.
No names, no data, no direct connection. You can’t thank them, offer events, or invite them to join a mailing list. Your book becomes a product—detached from the hands that wrote it.
So should your book be on Amazon? If it’s published traditionally, it probably will be. And yes, it gives you reach. It gives readers easy access. But it shouldn’t be the only way people can find or buy your work.
If you're published, encourage people to shop elsewhere when they can—support your local bookshop, link to your publisher, offer signed copies yourself.
Amazon’s a tool, not a home. Treat it as such—and keep the heart of your book where it belongs: with people, not platforms.
Need some guidance?
At Couzens-Lake Media, we help authors make sense of the modern publishing world—how to build reader relationships, explore other sales channels, and stay visible without losing the personal touch. Whether you’re traditionally published or just getting started, we’re here to help you stay in control of your writing journey.
Let’s talk. Visit www.couzenslake.co.uk or drop us a message to find out more.
