Reflections

No doubt, we are living in a technocracy. Technology has revolutionised every aspect of our lives. This is something I’ve found hard to embrace, because although we may enjoy some aspects of the use of technology, I also feel it has had a profoundly damaging effect on societies around the world.

As an author, I love for my books to be enjoyed in physical as well as digital form. It’s something of a cliché these days, but it is truly a wonderful experience to hold a paperback or a hardcover book in your hands and enjoy the experience of owning and reading a beautiful physical book.

I also think that eReaders are wonderful inventions and are truly special in their own way. Having an entire library of books on a handheld device is almost miraculous, and for a person like me who loves to travel around, carrying a library of books via a thin and light device is a wonderful thing.

I have wanted to have the best of both worlds, making my books available both physically and digitally, and until recently this was a viable option for my author business. It’s good for people to have the choice of whether to purchase physical or digital copies of my books. However, I have encountered such problems with ‘print on demand’ companies that I have now made the decision to go digital only with all my creative work, and to sell exclusively through my website.

For some years, I made my books available through Amazon but was always concerned about the print quality of the books they manufacture. A better alternative that sprang up is BookVault, who manufacture truly beautiful, high-quality physical copies of paperbacks and hardbacks on a print on demand basis. But what recently led me to stop using both Amazon and BookVault is the very poor customer service I received.

I was left with the challenging predicament of whether to continue to work with Amazon despite the fact that they essentially stole my ISBN numbers are told me that they are my publisher, even though in reality I am my publisher. I asked them to take my books off sale from their store and they refused. My problems with BookVault occurred due to lies and abusive behaviour from their staff. I don’t know of any other print on demand companies that would be able to meet my needs as an author, and this is why I have now decided to go ‘digital only’ with all of my products.

Payhip, which I use for my online shop is a truly fantastic platform that I would describe as pretty much perfect for my needs. Once again, I have encountered serious issues with their customer support, and this appears to be a pattern that has emerged among technology companies — they sacrifice helpful human interaction in the interests of making their work easier and as human-free as possible.

I really believe in the potential of my books to aid people on their spiritual journeys and it is a blessing that my books remain available for anyone who is interested in reading them. I have not used artificial intelligence in my writing at all, because I believe AI is a damaging influence on the Internet and on society, especially for creatives.

What are your views on the issues highlighted in this article? Please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. I invite you to visit StevenColborne.com to browse my products. Thank you for reading.