The answer appears to be NOT, for the moment. Swinella is out in paperback, of course, and you can pick up your copy from me at either London Alternative Market, SWAMP or the BBB. And other places as well, from time to time (follow DSW on your favourite social media)… and you can always just grab yourself a copy from the Zon or, if you would rather give me more money than Bezos needs, get it here. Yes, I charge a little bit of postage so it depends what your Amazon package includes.
Part of the reason is a feeling that being slightly oldschool about things and sticking to physical media that you can pass on to friends and read it ostentatiously on the bus is, well, cooler. Remember getting a copy of your favourite band’s new album on vinyl, refusing a bag and carrying it proudly home so everyone could see the cover? Also, from our end, approaching various indie and queer bookshops and getting them to stock it is fun and exciting – there will be a list of stockist on the site fairly soon.
Another factor is what appears to be an increasing problem of piracy for indie authors and publishers: as soon as an ebook is
released it’s up and about and all over various pirate download sites. As well as ebook pirates being scummy chancers who don’t deserve a penny, there seem to be a few other negative consequences for authors whose work gets pirated.
Last of all, particularly in the current climate, if people ‘buy’ an ebook, they don’t actually own the thing. Amazon or whoever can decide to delete it or mess with your subscription or force you to upgrade your device or your account: if you buy a print book then it’s yours for as long as you want it.
Yes, we might reconsider at some point, on grounds of increased accessibility if nothing else. But for the moment, paperback-only is the way we roll.