publishing tips – Elizabeth Barone

Pulling my books from Kindle

Amazon won’t listen to authors’ concerns about their AI summaries tool for Kindle books, so we gotta make them listen.

My dear readers,

Recently, Amazon rolled out automatic AI summaries for Kindle books. They gave authors no way to opt-out of this or edit what the AI generates. They also have yet to update their terms of service, explaining how books will be processed by their AI and for what purposes. This is all problematic for several reasons.

AI doesn’t understand nuance or sarcasm or storytelling. Many authors have reported glaring errors in the AI’s summaries and trope lists, asking Amazon to let us opt-out or fix the mistakes, as well as asking how our books are being used with their AI—all these messages we’ve collectively sent have fallen on disorganized, deaf ears.

At the time, I decided to wait and see what Amazon did. The new feature was beta, after all, so it’s always best to focus on other things while they work out the kinks. Except… they didn’t. They haven’t given authors any sort of meaningful response. Their customer service reps seem to know next to nothing about this feature, and the company itself still hasn’t updated its TOS months later. This is concerning, since tech companies are stealing content to train their AI. It wouldn’t surprise me if Amazon is waiting to see how all the lawsuits shake out.

I’m not okay with my books being used to train AI, especially without my knowledge. I’m not okay with my books being incorrectly summarized by AI, with no way to revise errors or opt-out entirely. I’m also not okay with third-party book review sites scraping these erroneous summaries and using them as marketing materials. We’ve collectively dived headfirst into AI without much thought and certainly without baking in protections for artists—which artists have asked for from the jump. We certainly didn’t ask for these features, which are more like bugs.

Every book I wrote took months if not years of my life to write, and I put time, research, energy, and heart into every single one. I also spend hours crafting descriptions, summaries, trope lists, and other marketing materials that are readily available for Amazon’s use—right in their dashboard. It’s redundant and silly of Amazon to use AI for these materials. It makes me wonder whether they’re quietly working on AI-generated books, which would be a slap in the face of all authors who’ve dedicated years of our lives writing for Kindle.

It’s not enough for me to say I’m not okay with this. I have to walk my talk; I have to tell Amazon in no uncertain terms that this won’t fly. I believe that if enough authors pull our books, Amazon will finally listen to us.

Or maybe they won’t. Maybe they’ll keep pushing their AI onto authors and readers who don’t want it. That’s not my circus or my monkey.

Retailers need creators, not the other way around. There are other platforms we can sell our books on—places that support rather than push around authors.

That said, a lot of my readers are Kindle users. Amazon’s making it more and more difficult to sideload and backup ebooks, which is yet another way they monopolize the market. Reading should be easy and fun, especially now that we have so much technology available. That’s why I publish my books as widely as possible.

I’m in the process of re-launching my shop, which will carry ebook editions of my books in all formats (including Kindle). I’m also always expanding into new-to-me platforms.

In the meantime, I’ll start pulling my books from the Kindle store next week, updating here as I go. If there’s a book you’ve been eyeing, I’d grab it now if you don’t want to wait for me to roll out my new shop. (At the time of this writing, AI summaries don’t affect paperbacks, so those editions will remain available in the Amazon store for now.)

I really appreciate your understanding and patience during this process. It’s just another bump in my little author journey, and we will get through it. After all, I was writing and publishing before Amazon, and I’ll be writing and publishing after Amazon, too.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out! You can email me privately, or reply to this to add your public comments.

As always, I wish you happy reading!

Photo by Perfecto Capucine on Unsplash

How age verification laws censor authors (and how to fight back)

Age verification laws have been spreading like wildfire, and now that Bluesky is requiring all U.K. users to verify their identity and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Texas law blocking minors from viewing porn, authors need to prepare.

Here in the States where I live, we are under a christofascist administration. Evil people have been passing laws targeting immigrants and transgender people, and if you’ve read Project 2025, you know what’s coming next. I believe this administration and other fascist lawmakers are using age verification and children’s safety to push their agenda. Don’t get me wrong—as an auntie of nine, of course I want kids to be safe online! But let’s leave that up to their parents to monitor, rather than instilling sweeping legislation that strips adults of privacy and access to information, and violates authors’ freedom of speech.

Age verification violates internet users’ privacy. If you use anonymous social media accounts to protect yourself from an abuser or simply because you want to talk about romance without your co-workers discovering your guilty pleasure, age verification will make it impossible to remain so. It can also be used to target authors, especially those writing romance, erotica, or LGBTQ+ characters. Fascists love labeling anything they don’t like as porn.

These laws are already effecting authors. If you live in the U.K. and use a pen name, you’ll have to provide photo ID, scan your face, or upload a pic of your bank card to continue using Bluesky starting July 25th. That’s only two weeks away.

There are a few things you can do.

I know I’ve been beating on this drum forever, but seriously, if you’re an author, you need your own website and email list. When you own your platform, it can’t be damaged by social media algorithms changing or new laws passing. Too many of us got dicknotized by Facebook/Instagram/Meta and the like; it’s time to take back control. Make sure you have a way of contacting your readers no matter what.

It’s only a matter of time before platforms like WordPress.com and SubStack require age verification, so if you post chapters or excerpts of your spicy romance on these platforms, you could be fined millions of dollars. From the Verge article I linked above:

The UK passed the Online Safety Act in 2023, which privacy advocates have warned will “lead to a much more censored, locked-down internet for British users.” Another part of the law is coming into force on July 25th, requiring sites and apps containing porn and harmful content to provide “highly effective age assurance.” Platforms that don’t comply with the new rules will face fines of up to £18 million ($24 million) or 10 percent of their worldwide revenue, whichever is higher.

These laws, as written, are insane. Who decides which content is “harmful”? And why are lawmakers hiding behind the very same children they won’t pass gun control laws to protect? I digress, but what the actual fuck?

I’ve been posting excerpts, chapters, and whole texts from my romance books for years. Right now I have this content on my website freely available to everyone, some locked to my email subscribers, and some locked to paid members. Under these laws, authors won’t be able to post such content on our own websites or social media without some sort of “highly effective age assurance” if someone deems it “harmful.”

I’ve long been against self-censorship on social media to bypass bots flagging and people pettily reporting posts. I believe that in this political climate, with a convicted rapist in the White House, it’s obscene to soften the word rape to “grape.” Rape is real. It happens to 1 in 3 real people, probably more. It happens to children. It happened to me. It should be shocking to hear. And from an artist’s perspective, it’s fucking silly to use symbols or emoji to write words like sex or cock. Yet everyone just rolled over and complied, adopting ridiculous terms like unalived instead of killed (another word that’s supposed to be shocking).

An age verification bill just passed in Ohio, despite criticism from the ACLU that the way it’s written is vague and could be weaponized. The “blue” state I live in, Connecticut, is considering passing a similar law. We all need to be pushing back on these laws. Call and write your senators and representatives, submit comments on bills being written, attend town halls. We cannot rollover.

You can choose to not verify your identity, but unfortunately this results in a restricted account. Bluesky won’t allow unverified users to send or receive DMs, or view content that is “adult appropriate.” Considering Bluesky flags stock photos as porn because a woman is showing her *gasp* stomach, and doesn’t answer DMs or appeal requests, I don’t have much faith.

It’s only a matter of time before the other social media apps follow suit. Instagram has long been working on tools for age verification. I believe our best bet is sticking together and fighting these laws, while amending our own business plans and practices in preparation for a more restricted internet. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and fight like hell to protect privacy and information.

Do you think you will be affected by age verification laws? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, or send me an email! I’d love to hear what you make of all this.

Photo by Jansen Yang on Unsplash

Book tariffs, pirating my own books, and ways Canadians can still support American authors

In the April edition of author Elizabeth Barone’s reader newsletter, Romance with a Body Count, I share what I’m working on, how we can all support each other during boycotts and tariff wars, and why I’m pirating my own books.

I’m trying to find my footing after all the things life’s been throwing at me, in an industry that’s more tumultuous than ever. With everything going on, I’ve had to make some big changes.

Romance with a Body Count

Author Elizabeth Barone’s Reader Newsletter

April 2025

Archive: January 2025 | February 2025

My dear readers, I pulled a classic “me.” I meant to send a March newsletter weeks ago, said weeks flew by, and now it’s April! On the plus side, it’s spring. And I’ve got even more updates for you, so let’s dive in.

what I’m working on 💻

I’ve been floundering these last few months, trying to find my footing after all the life-y things life’s been throwing at me, in an industry that’s more tumultuous than ever. With everything going on, I’ve really had to fortify my mental fortress. It no longer serves me to be frozen in anxiety from or reactive to every crisis that arises. Instead I’m focusing on being proactive where I can, and writing rather than worrying I’m not active enough on social media or booking enough appearances.

This means I’m less active on Instagram (Meta sucks anyway, more on that in a sec), my new podcast is on hiatus (at least until Mike and I find a peaceful home), and I’m no longer actively booking events.

I’m still working on Sleeve of Hearts revisions, even though my progress has slowed quite a bit with this latest flare a la peripheral neuropathy. PN really, really sucks! I’ve had it as a “side” symptom for a while, so I’m not exactly new to it, but this is the first time it’s gone full throttle on me, and that I’m not used to. Luckily it usually responds well to my Tylenol, ibuprofen, and cannabis cocktail, except when the New England weather is weather-ing, which is frequently. It responded beautifully to both courses of prednisone I did in March, but I think at this point I need a stronger, longer course. It’s tricky.

With all that said, 2025 is officially a writing year for me, and with everything on, it’s exactly what I need.

book tariffs are coming to publishing
what readers need to know 📖

Unfortunately, U.S. tariffs on books go into effect this week. This means readers could see a drastic increase in cover prices. Right now, indie books shouldn’t be effected at all, since most self-published authors use IngramSpark or Kindle Direct Publishing, and the tariffs are on books printed in China. We could see indie prices increase, though, depending on how well publishers and printers adjust to a forecast increase in demand.

It’s really just my forecast, though, so we might not see much impact on indies at all. Only time will tell.

If you’re interested in the deets, or if you’re an author who might be effected, I wrote a quick blog post about it with some recommendations.

pirating my own books 🏴‍☠️

Since Meta apparently used 15 of my titles to train its AI without my knowledge or consent, I’m pirating my own books.

Just kidding—I was actually already serializing the River Reapers MC series with plans to serialize my other indie romances. Just when I was thinking Should I continue?, The Atlantic published their database of the books that Meta copied, cementing my plans. The RRMC books were sort of a test balloon for me, and now I’ll almost definitely be “pirating” the rest of my books.

Why am I posting my books online for free?

I’ve always offered alternatives for readers on no, low-, or fixed incomes, because I believe reading should be accessible. That’s why I’ve always enrolled my books in library catalogs and why I chose Kobo Originals to publish my first trad series (they’re sisters to Overdrive/Libby, the most widely used ebook distributor for libraries). I enjoyed posting on sites like Wattpad and Radish, where my stories did pretty well if I do say so myself. I was fortunate to be able to set up something similar using WordPress, which also gave me the ability to offer paid subscriptions. Some of my serialized books will be free for all, some will be free for those subscribed to my (free) email list, and some will be exclusively for (paid) Sponsors.

Right now, you can read the first two books in the River Reapers series, and I post new episodes of Her Mercy every Tuesday and Thursday!

I’m also considering reopening my review program. It was wildly successful when I launched it a few years ago. Basically, readers could request a review copy of a book of mine they weren’t able to purchase, no questions asked, as long as they posted an honest review. If you think I should do this again, hit the like button below!

How Canadian readers can still support american authors 🇨🇦

Or, low-key, how American authors can support #BuyCanadian and #BoycottUS 🙌🏼

With all the shots our strangely orange president’s been taking at Canada, it’s no surprise that Canadians are boycotting U.S.-made products and services. In some bookish spaces, it’s getting pretty ugly on all sides. I don’t think any of my readers are like that, but I believe we all succeed when we work together, so I put together some recommendations.

I’m still working on my mega list of ways people can boycott Amazon while supporting authors. It started off as like 10 things and now it’s grown monstrous—a wonderful problem to have, so I’m breaking it into several parts. The first will go out this week, probably Wednesday or Friday.

Leave me an emoji comment if you’re a proud reader! 🇨🇦🇺🇸📚🙌🏼

It’s been a bumpy year, and it’s only April. We will get through this, though, I really believe that. We just have to stick together and get creative. That goes for anything in life, not just dictators and religious crazies. Nothing can get ya when you’re stubborn. 😉

Happy resisting, and happy reading! 🖤

Thank you to March and April’s Sponsors: Katy Nicole, Dee, B., and Lauren!

Become a sponsor for $5/month.
Subscribing to my free newsletter is another great way to support me.

Photo by Elin Melaas on Unsplash

Tariffs are coming to publishing

With tariffs coming to the publishing industry, authors, publishers, and book stores are (understandably) freaking out. Could tariffs actually be a blessing in disguise?

🙃 Well that was fast. 🙃

Ever since Trump announced all the tariffs he’s been threatening us with are going into effect this week, I’ve low-key been waiting for them to come for my industry. It’s bad enough I won’t be able to get a decent cucumber (Mexico and Canada export the best). Now I can’t afford to stay in business in an industry with already razor-thin profit margins.

Authors, publishers, and book stores are, understandably, freaking the fuck out. A 25% tariff on books printed outside the U.S. will make already-high cover prices astronomical. The White House has since amended the tariff to be lower on children’s books, and made religious exemptions for, say, bible publishers. (One wonders what constitutes as a “religious” book… Does Sierra Simone’s Priest count?)

Right now, if you’re an indie author using IngramSpark or KDP to print your books, the tariffs won’t effect you because both IS and KDP have facilities right here in the United States. With publishers large and small scrambling to save costs with this sudden announcement, though, we could see an influx in IS/KDP users, which could raise prices for everyone.

Or it could be a good thing, lowering printing costs for everyone. We don’t know yet.

In the meantime, authors may want to review your cover prices more frequently to make sure you’re still making a profit as costs fluctuate. You’ll also want to consider alternatives (like local book printers who can better handle your orders if IS/KDP get flooded), or ways to lower your costs (like creating truncated editions,publishing longer novels in parts, serializing chapters, or utilizing zines).

The publishing industry is constantly changing. We have to adapt or die, especially in times when external entities have tumultuous effect on publishing. Nothing could stop me from writing, not even my own body, so there’s no way in hell someone like Trump could ever.

This is the part where we get more creative.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

I’ve Been Publishing for 10 Years! Here’s What I’ve Learned

On October 11th, 2011, I published my award-winning short story, “Moon Prayer,” to the Kindle and Smashwords stores. Only a handful of people bought the ebook edition, but I was hooked. Over the next 10 years, I chased my next high over and over.

My first ever signing, sometime in spring 2012.

Writing is my addiction. It’s also the way I figure out the world, and myself. Hemingway once said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.” He was right. Writing is my release; after the gush and then stanch comes the rush of endorphins.

In the 10 years since I started this journey, if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that this career is not romantic or glamorous—it fucking hurts. To survive, you have to be strong and resilient. It helps if you’re really stubborn. It really helps if you’re a little crazy. Most days, I don’t even know why I’m still going at it. So many writer friends have disappeared, never to publish again, because the mental toll is too expensive.

It scares me, that something I love could destroy me.

But then I remember why I write: for me. I write the kinds of books I want to read. I’ve been entertaining myself with stories for as long as I can remember. Some of my favorite memories are the elaborate soap operas my sister and I played out with our action figures. (We had a whole tiny town built out of shoe boxes, doll houses, and chairs, full of all these characters with individual backgrounds and lives.) Eventually I taught myself to type on my mom’s word processor, and I started writing fiction. (I still don’t type properly today.)

I started writing for me, but other people really like my stories. It’s hard for me to find readers, because I’m not writing for the standard person. I’m writing for the people like me: the outcasts, the black sheep, the ones who paved their own road.

So, on my 10-year anniversary, I give myself the gift of a new manifesto. This list is for me, but maybe it’ll resonate with you. Take what you need and leave the rest.

Don’t give away everything.
Learn the rules of your genre, and then break them in ways that make sense.
Protect yourself, your IP, your privacy, and your mental health.
Figure out what you do best, then keep doing it.
Ads don’t work for all books, or even all authors.
Build and manage your own ARC team.
Don’t forget about local readers.
Make your newsletter your #1 marketing priority.
Set yourself up for success.
Let go of the things you can’t control.

My most recent signing, at RomantiConn 2019.

A Note on Making Money: Every author wants to know to make a living from writing. There’s no timeline or instruction manual that fits everyone. I’m still trying to figure out how to do it; I came close in 2019 when I released A Risky Prospect. There are so many factors involved, and even two authors writing the same sub-genre and tropes are going to have completely different career experiences. It can be maddening, so try not to compare yourself to others. That’s easier said than done, and I know it also sounds like a cop out. But there truly is no secret, one-size-fits-all answer. It’s something you have to figure out as a business, through time, experimenting, and commitment.

A Note on Burnout: This gig is stressful. I’ve seen a lot of authors come in hot, publishing and rising fast, and then crashing just as quickly. Make sure you’re pacing yourself. Make sure you’re refueling your soul. Make sure you’re on top of your mental health. Set your expectations and goals at a reasonable place, with actions you can actually control (like “I will write and publish this book by this date,” instead of “I will make this book a bestseller that pays my bills”).

Writing isn’t just a career; it’s who we are. The world needs us because we put into words the things that many people can’t say. We tell it like it is, and we build a better tomorrow, all with the power of our words.

I don’t know what the next 10 years hold for me, but I hope they give me 10 more things I’ve learned and dozens more books on the shelf under my name.