Amazon Trouble

Now that was a weird thing. I was on Amazon.co.uk doing a search under my own name (which is not as egotistical as it sounds - it's the usual way we find out future publication dates and what covers we're getting). But instead of the usual 9 results for "Janine Ashbless" I only came up with 7. Divine Torment (in both editions) had vanished. Not "out of print" or "not currently available" - all record of its existence had vanished, as if it had never existed.

Now, people should not do that to authors. We have weak constitutions. We are prone even at the best of times to paranoia, anxiety attacks and fits of crushing despair about our dismal careers/prospects/talents/bank-balances. To lose a whole book is suffer a deadly blow!

In the best traditions of British courage I sent a bleating letter off to Amazon and another one off to my editor, in the hope that he could get the Big Boys and Girls at the Virgin to do battle on my behalf. And a few hours later my book was back online. Handkerchiefs were wiped across fevered brows. Huzzah for us.

(To be fair, Amazon replied amazingly promptly to my query, which was good of them.)

So I'm okay again, for the moment. Sanity slightly reduced, perhaps*. I just wish I wasn't going to react exactly the same way next time technology makes me feel powerless and ignorant and useless. And again. And again. And again...

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* When it gets to zero I become a Shub-Niggurath cultist.