I guess I have to accept this situation for what it is.
Fulton Books is basically asking me to trust them when they say Amazon purchased a bulk order of Smorgasbord A Collection of Thoughts Experiences and Stories (my first book) in 2021, and because of that, 4 out of 5 paperback sales through Amazon in 2022 were actually old sales that I was already paid for.
I guess I have to accept what Fulton Books tells me even though they have no proof, no receipt, and no record that this so called bulk order took place.
I guess I also have to accept that Ingram Content has the power to withhold information and report whatever number of sales they wish to produce.
In the future, I’m assuming anytime my sales are not reported accurately, and lets say I sell 1,000 books and Ingram Content decides to report 100, Fulton Books can just say it was a bulk order.
I’m trying so hard to move on from this, but the truth here is that I was robbed. And this isn’t about the money, we’re talking about the sale of 6 books and I’m getting paid for 2.
This is about honesty and integrity in the field self-publishing. At no point in this process has Ingram Content or Fulton Books produced money of their own. The financial risk here is only on my end-the author who wants to self-publish.
I know Ingram Content is probably not going to contact me, and Fulton Books is probably going to stick to their story even though they have no proof of what they’re telling me, but I would like to say this:
Ingram Content, you should be ashamed of yourself. As big of a company as you are, and with as much money as you make, you should’ve picked up the phone and reached out to either me or Fulton Books. You stole from me, and until you produce a detailed sales report showing Amazon’s purchase from 2021, you’ll never convince me of anything different.
Amazon: I contacted you through the information provided on my author account at least three times, and you never responded.
Fulton Books: You put the integrity of your business and the integrity of the self-publishing field in general on the line here. You have the power to get the necessary information from Ingram Content because you have the account with them, and you decided to put your head down and play innocent.
I spent thousands of dollars to have two books published with you, and I know for a fact that if you didn’t receive payment at any point during the publication process, you would’ve stopped the publication of my book. Well, the shoe is on the other foot now.
Until you have a way to prove the excuse for why you’re paying me for 2 sales instead of 6, you’re stealing from me. I will leave it at that.
Nooz Buffet 