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A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Don’t Like Your Royalties? What Traditionally Published Authors Can Do

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  Every traditionally published author eventually opens a royalty statement, sees the numbers, and feels that familiar jolt of disappointment. This is all I earned? After everything I did? Traditional publishing can make authors feel powerless, especially because the reporting is opaque. But you’re not without options. You can’t change the contract, but you can influence the ecosystem around it. Here’s what you can do when your royalties don’t match your expectations. 1. First: Understand What Your Publisher Can and Cannot See This is the part most authors never hear clearly: Publishers who distribute through Ingram cannot see: Sales by retailer Sales by channel Sales by region Amazon‑specific data Library‑specific data Indie bookstore breakdowns Ingram provides only total units sold per ISBN per period. That’s it. No granularity. So when authors ask, “How many copies sold on Amazon?” the publisher literally does not know. What publishers can see: Total units sold (all r...
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TOp 10 Blog Posts in June: #9. How Opposites Offend Each Other and How to Avoid Doing That - Intuiters vs Sensers

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   Intuitives and Sensors rarely clash over values — they clash over how reality should be described . Sensors trust what’s tangible; Intuitives trust what’s possible. Each believes they’re being clear; each feels the other is being dismissive. Offense arises not from disagreement, but from translation failure . How They Offend Each Other 1. The Intuitive’s Abstraction Intuitives speak in patterns, metaphors, and possibilities. To Sensors, this can sound vague, impractical, or even condescending — as if the Intuitive is floating above real life. When an Intuitive says, “Let’s look at the bigger picture,” the Sensor may hear, “Your details don’t matter.” How it offends: The Sensor feels dismissed, unseen, or undervalued for their realism. The Intuitive feels misunderstood, accused of being unrealistic. 2. The Sensor’s Literalism Sensors speak in facts, examples, and specifics. To Intuitives, this can sound rigid or unimaginative — as if the Sensor is missing the forest for the ...
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🌍 How Cultural Relativism Affects Inter-Governmental Interactions

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  Cultural relativism — the idea that values, norms, and ethics are understood within their cultural context rather than judged by external standards — profoundly shapes how governments interact. In diplomacy and international cooperation, it can both bridge divides and create friction, depending on how it’s applied. 🧭 Understanding Cultural Relativism in Governance At its core, cultural relativism challenges the assumption of universal norms. What one nation views as democratic transparency, another may interpret as intrusive oversight. Similarly, concepts like human rights, gender equality, or freedom of expression are filtered through cultural lenses that influence policy decisions and diplomatic tone. Governments that embrace cultural relativism tend to: Prioritize respect for sovereignty and local traditions. Avoid imposing external moral frameworks in negotiations. Seek compromise through contextual understanding rather than ideological alignment. However, this approach can ...
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