Less than 0,1% of all the authors alive today can make a living from their books. Much less than that, really know what is going on inside the publishing industry, simply because they lack the necessary amount of books, and research tools, to do studies and comparisons that allow reaching such deep, complex and hidden, but also still extremely obscure, level.

I published 230 books and created my own publishing company to fightback this system, once I realized what was happening, and how certain companies were controlling, and even manipulating the whole market in their favor and in favor of the authors and books they wished to promote. And it might seem like a lost battle, a fight of David against Golias, but it did allow me to position myself among those top 0,1%, while putting nearly all of my titles classified as bestsellers among many different distributors.

The irony in what I’m telling you, is that most authors have attacked me for saying the truth online, while thousands of many others kept silent, afraid that if they said something, their image and their sales would somehow be affected. And yet, “I have a very strong feeling that the opposite of love is not hate but apathy” (Dr. Leo Buscaglia).

This widespread cowardice, made me realize that most authors aren’t really authors, but just writers, people that think their self-esteem can be built from writing and publishing a book, whatever the quality of such book might be. They even seem to get surprised when they can’t see copies, as if readers were obliged to buy crap just because the author wants to make some sales. But “it is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities” (J.K. Rowling).

Very few people inside the publishing industry know how it works, and those are the few that can fight it at the top level, and survive, despite all the odds against them. Among many, Smashwords certainly deserves our praise, for the immense investment they have put in fighting against giants like Amazon, in any way they can, after diplomacy and cooperation seem to fail.

In this book, you won’t find words against anyone or any company, but the raw truth, of what is really going on with the publishing world. As what I wrote here is a reflection of my personal struggle for nearly 10 years, to make a living as the successful author I am today, it reveals everything that I found about the book market, when at war with it, when using everything I know and at my disposal, to research, analyze replies to my complains, and measure what is really happening. And even though many things written here can’t be precisely proven, because it’s obviously impossible to investigate them, as in any other research, you can make your own conclusions by analyzing the data provided, and the obvious logic presented, as some things are so obvious that only someone that doesn’t want to see the truth won’t, as a fact, see it.

Hopefully, these pages will shed some light on everyone that can contribute to make the world of publishing books much more realistic that what it really is, as we, the insiders, may know that almost all the bestselling lists out there are a total bullshit, but nearly none of the readers, the outsiders, knows it. This battle isn’t currently balancing the market towards those who deserve the biggest share, but towards the sharks that control it. And so, may this truth empower readers, either they are authors, publishers, or readers. Because, “in any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing” (Theodore Roosevelt).

Samuel River