My Reaction to a Refunded Copy of A Second Chance

Up until the other day I didn’t realize readers could ask for a refund on eBooks they’ve purchased. I was quite surprised when I saw others mentioning it on the Kindle Boards. I then felt a sick sense of dread.

“Your day is coming,” my internal editor maliciously whispered in my ear.

I then told her to shut up. I wanted to believe when it happened to me, I would handle it well. HA! Yeah, that didn’t happen.

Today started out wonderfully. I managed to accomplish a lot, as well as spend some time with my brother, which is rare. When I got home I checked my stats on Amazon and found that another copy of A Second Chance had been purchased. YAY!A Second Chance cover

Then my eyes moved to the right and I saw Units Refunded – 1. And my head imploded. Well, not really. But it felt like it was going to. I felt like my entire body was about to collapse in on its self. My self-confidence was crushed.

And of course my bitchy ass internal editor couldn’t contain herself. She gleefully jumped up and started in on me because, you know, kicking someone while they’re down is just too much fun to pass up.

Her choice of words:

“You suck!”

“Give up while you’re ahead.”

“Keep your day job.”

“Did you honestly think you were any good?”

“What were you thinking? You shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Who are you trying to fool?”

“What made you think you’re talented enough to do something like this?”

“You’re a stupid bitch.”

And on.

And on.

And on.

Needless to say, she made me cry, which made me want to punch her in the face.

Let’s just hope next time I don’t get so worked up. I know there’s a strong possibility that someone bought it by mistake when they meant to sample it, but I can’t say for sure. And that’s what really bothers me…the not knowing. Did I do something wrong? Is it really bad and no one’s told me the truth? Is there issues with formatting? If at least knew the problem, I could try and fix it.

There’s nothing I can do now, though, other than find a way to deal with the next one that will inevitably pop up at some point.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 1st, 2011 at 19:10 and is filed under A Second Chance, Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

13 Comments

  1. Heather says:

    Your internal editor is a bitch and should be smacked around a lot! You and your story are fantastic. Don’t let it get you down, it could be a case of truly accidentally purchasing the wrong thing.
    Heather recently posted..Red Lily by Nora Roberts

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  2. Edward G. Talbot says:

    I got my first one recently too. I just think of it as one less person whose likely to leave a bad review 🙂

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  3. Nikki says:

    That’s a good way to look at it. I’ll have to remember that for the next time.

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  4. Nikki says:

    Yes, she is. I could think of another name for her. It’s that nasty c word that I hate so much and only use when it’s truly accurate.

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  5. James Melzer says:

    I haven’t had many returns, but they do happen. I just tell myself it’s from folks that meant to hit the Sample button and instead they bought it with that One-Click button by accident. It happens. Chin up, girl. You wrote a great story!
    James Melzer recently posted..Hull’s Landing – 50 OFF for May Day!

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  6. Marissa says:

    Girl, we are in the same boat. I got some not so nice comments on my writing and even some “somewhat constructive” criticism that made me cringe yesterday. I’ve decided that I’m not gonna let anyone tell me how to write, and if people don’t like it they don’t need to read it. Along with a lot of curse words in between all of that of course 🙂 but really, just concentrate on the fact that someone else bought it! For every one hater, there’s 2 supporters 🙂

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  7. Patrick says:

    I am astonished that anyone would do that. Really, I am. I have bought books, read them and said.. well, that was kinda crappy. I think everyone does. But to return it? Really? That seems.. kinda low you know? I mean, really?

    But I wouldnt let it get you down. I am a voracious reader and I think I can safely say I know good from bad. Your story is good. Period. If it wasnt, I would have told you so. Put the armor on, suit up and go from there.
    Patrick recently posted..In The Wink of a Young Girls Eye

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  8. Nikki says:

    Thanks, James. It does my heart good to see everyone trying to cheer me up. I have the best friends.

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  9. Nikki says:

    Thanks, Marissa. I do have to remember that.

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  10. Nikki says:

    I agree. If I don’t like a book, I don’t return it, whether it’s eBook or not. I think that’s wrong. But some people do and that’s their prerogative.

    I think what really bothers me is knowing there are many people I know that have bought it and who have not told me what they thought, and it bothers me to think they couldn’t be honest with me and tell me the truth.

    ... on July May 1st, 2011
  11. Suzy Turner
    Twitter: suzy_turner
    says:

    I didn’t know that people could get refunds. I reckon it’s some cheapskate out there, buying the book, reading it as fast as possible and then getting their money back!! A bit like those people that buy a fancy dress, wear it to a posh do and then return it claiming it didn’t fit.
    Don’t get upset Nikki… some people are just bad eggs without an ounce of decency in them. Your book IS going to do well, regardless!
    x
    Suzy Turner recently posted..Call mePrincess!!

    ... on July May 2nd, 2011
  12. Nikki says:

    Thanks, Suzy. That really means a lot to me. I really do appreciate all the support I’ve received from friends.

    ... on July May 2nd, 2011
  13. It’s Update Time! | The Evolution of Nikki says:

    […] Aside from the fact that I’m stretched pretty thin lately and have a lot going on in my personal life, I’ve been busy adding some additional scenes to Sacrifice which are taking me a little bit of time because I want them to be perfect. If I don’t, my internal editor, aka The Bitch, will rear her ugly head, and well, we all know how THAT goes. (See here.) […]

    ... on July May 29th, 2011

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