VAT, EU Customers & Changes

So there’s all this stuff going on with VAT and I have only half-listened because it makes my head hurt. Essentially, laws are changing to better go after big companies like Amazon to ensure governments are getting their taxes when international shoppers buy elsewhere; now VAT has to be paid based on where the buyer is, not the supplier. Unfortunately, it’s kind of screwing over smaller shops as well as there’s no minimum threshold. This includes digital goods like ebooks, which I sell. (Also, feel free to explain this to me better if I’ve missed something.)

What this means for my books sold on the bigger sites (Amazon, Kobo, iBookstore, etc): I think some prices will be going up for customers as they have to be VAT-inclusive now. ie You pay a flat amount, taxes are taken out of that as is my percentage. I’m kind of fuzzy on this and don’t have the spoons to suss it out but I’m sure I’ll see when I release a book next year.

What this means for my books sold direct on my site: I am likely going to no longer sell to certain countries. I don’t want to go through the process of doing more paperwork so I can collect VAT, blah blah, for what will amount to pennies. I’m a small fish and unlikely to be dinged for not following the rules, especially all the way out in Canada, but just in case I’d rather not risk non-compliance.

So it’s not a big deal because most of my books can be bought elsewhere, but there are a couple of site-exclusive ones. I will likely release Soulless on other platforms for $4.99 (and probably print), because even with the PWYC option, it’s not pulling in anything as-is; I dislike accepting something for nothing, but the old donation button was more helpful for people who like that, so I’ll go back to that and people can still get the book at third parties if they want it. (I will just sit here and silently stew b/c that was a fundraiser book for the pets and I LOATHE any percentage going to Amazon. *stews*)

However…there’s 9 Crimes.

Because it’s completely dependent on having read Exhumed, I don’t like the idea of it being sold everywhere with the other books. So I’m going to keep it site-exclusive, which unfortunately means that after January 1, those in EU countries (like UK, France, Germany, etc) will no longer be able to purchase it. I am sorry for any inconvenience. If you want 9 Crimes and live in one of the affected countries, you have two and a half weeks left to get it.

I had the odd other thing I was thinking of doing as site-exclusive. This will definitely affect any plans for such a thing in the future. Also, this is not an excuse to pirate my work. Please do not steal from me because someone else is tying my hands; I’ve put a lot of work into ensuring all my books are available cheaply from as many sources as possible, and nearly everything can still be found somewhere.

These aren’t my rules and it is not my choice. If I were a larger business, it would be worth the time and expense to sort it out, but that is not currently the case. Please write to your government if you don’t like the rules.