If you don't work for free why should we?

It's happened and I've been pissed and I wrote a blog about it but of course it changes nothing. Then something came through my Facebook feed and I just lost my shit. Because I know, I fucking know this shit for brains bitch isn't alone-there are readers out there who want the same damn thing and they might say no but their actions in returning books they've read tell another story. 

I don't know Elizabeth York yes we are Facebook friends but I have never posted on her page or the other way around. I can't even say if I've liked anything she's posted or shared anything until today. But when I saw what she posted today I feel for her and I couldn't imagine being on the receiving end of this email then insane fucking instant message. 

This is apparently what started it all:

Elizabeth York

23 hrs · 

Wow! I am completely speechless. I had seen one of the books purchased were returned and then I noticed more... Didn't think anything of it until I got a email. I don't even know how to reply.

"Ms. York, I wanted to tell you that your books are above par and you should be proud. I was able to read them all, but sadly I returned them all because they range from $0.99 to $2.99 and that is just too much for me to spend on a ebook. Can you please make all your books in the future free so that I do not have to return it?"

Then when Elizabeth shared it and blocked the psycho she friended Ms. York again and let loose a deluge of steaming pile of off her fucking meds. Yes damn it, yes you should pay for the stories in a writer's head because yeah it was in a writer's head then they sat the fuck down spent their time writing, revising, and created a product which you consumed. 

I've been vocal in the past about not pricing myself low and how I don't want a reader who is only willing to pay .99 cents for my books. Quite frankly the writers that price their stuff so low make it worse for everyone else I fucking wish they would stop. If your work is longer than a short story, and you have paid for it to be edited and a person can get about two hours out of it, pricing it at 99 cents places little value on your hard work. It might take less than two hours or more maybe even more but it sure as fuck didn't take that long to write. It was days, weeks, for some maybe even months of starting, stopping, finding the right words and self-sacrifice to get those words out the first damn time, revise, money spent on covers, editing, more time on edits more time on getting the word out, bothering bloggers, beta writers, drumming up people willing to read and review. This is fucking work and to say hey yeah a dollar will do is complete and utter bullshit because we don't walk away with a dollar- thirty fucking cents is all we get, not even enough to make a damn phone call. So when I see these writers pricing for 99 cents it makes me fucking nuts but what can I do but shrug and move on? 

It happens every damn month, returns from assholes who I know read the books, probably read more than one and then returned them. I gave you two hours of enjoyment and you pay me back my returning it. A movie these days can cost $10.00 or $11.00 depending on your city, when the movie is over whether you loved it or hated it do you go up to the box office and ask for a refund? A meal at a fast food place runs on average between $7.00 to $12.00 and it usually only takes fifteen minutes to eat and keeps you full about three hours. When you're done do you go up to the cashier and ask for your money back? That cup of coffee that gives you your fix in the morning runs about $5.00 to $7.00 it takes you maybe ten minutes to drink about two hours of zip, when the caffeine buzz is over do you go back for a refund? No, just fucking no. Would you ask any of those people to give you anything for free???? When you go to work does your boss say you won't be paid for the first half of the day and you think that's okay? Of course not! 

So why the fuck is it okay for you to bitch, moan, complain, about pricing and return a book you read??? Why? Please explain to me why that is acceptable. Months, I spent months on that and you read the blurb and you read the sample and you decided to press buy and when it was over you hit return and took back the paltry two fucking dollars I made back. I just paid $335 for a current book to be edited, most of my books because of their length run about $250 to $300 for editing. Three hundred dollars and you can't pay less than $5.00 for it? 

So please sign this petition. Do I really think anything will change? Not really but maybe in a few years this will stop. If even one asshole who reads and returns stops because of it then it's worth it. 

Amazon Petition