Where Am I Going To Publish My Books?

I am this close *squeezes fingers together* to publishing two of my books. And while I'm happily immersed in writing my next book, The Wall of Bones, I'm doing a lot of reading and decision-making about when and where I will be publishing. But even though I'm doing all of this reading and research, I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and since I can't hold onto these books forever, this is what I plan to do and I'll just see how things go and if there's any changes I have to make in the future, I'll make them. 

I'm going to publish my book in three different places. On Amazon. On Kobo. And on my website. Print versions will be available through Amazon and my website. Electronic versions will be available on Amazon and Kobo. And previews of my books will be available on my website and Wattpad. In a few short weeks, my print books and previews will also be available on my company's website, along with prints of original artwork by my sister Alyssa. (I'm super excited about that. Her artwork is amazing). 

Now why have I chosen to release my books on these few platforms only? It's simple. While I'm definitely interested in having my books available through the iTunes Store and Barnes & Noble, I'm having some difficulty figuring out the best way to go about making that happen. As you all know, living on Turtle Island (whether in Canada or the United States) means there are taxation rules/regimes we all have to work in order to conduct our business. That being said, no one wants their royalties or earnings to be taxed twice by either state which is why there are agreements in place that allow for people from either country to apply to be exempted from the withholding tax (which companies are required to withhold if you do not provide proper tax identification). I'm oversimplifying here obviously, and since I'm not a tax lawyer, please take my comments with a grain of salt. 

Now, Amazon has made this process very simple by allowing you to enter your SIN number in the tax interview and reference the tax treaty between Canada and the U.S. But Apple has yet to do the same and requests that you submit an ITIN. There's a whole process involved in this and I have read in a few places that it's relatively simple to go about doing. (To be fair, I've also read that it's difficult). You just have to be patient and different tax lawyers/advisors will have different advice about how to handle this.

Because my work is intensely busy and I have to focus on my doctorate for the next few months and I’m expecting a baby in June (YAY!), the route I'm going to try is this:

•      I am going to fill out the W8-BEN form 

•      I am going to submit the completed form to Draft2Digital; and 

•      I am going to select iTunes and Barnes & Noble for the distribution channel

I'll post an update and let you know how I make out with this. In the meantime, I'm going to upload direct to Amazon and Kobo. Kobo because I love Chapters and I have a Kobo e-reader and I LOVE it. It actually took me awhile to come around to ebooks but now that I have, I couldn't imagine life without them. I always hear people say that it's a great time to be a writer (and it is) but it's also a great time to be a reader. 

So there you have it. My very tentative plan about where I am going to upload my books. I have no idea how it will all turn out but what I like about my plan is that I feel really comfortable and excited about it and for right now, that seems like a good place to be. 

What about you? Where did you upload your books and how? Please feel free to share your wisdom in the comments & as always, happy writing!