Heavy EU Heart...

Well, all my plans went down the drain with the PPWR & EPR regulations brilliantly murdering small businesses...

I hoped, with all my micro-business indie author heart, that the PPWR and EPR regulations that took effect on the 12th of August (yesterday) would have a micro-business exemption added. But, alas, we're brilliantly murdered to make way for the big boys who don't care about the fees at all because it's literally dust in the wind for them, while it kills us who are small, doing all we can to be eco-friendly, and minimise any and all waste already as it is.

I can no longer ship anything within the EU - and I'm in the EU... The fees are astronomical, the administrative work is massively time-consuming (not to mention confusing), and it's not feasible for me (or most small businesses who are all closing down shipping, if not their shop entirely...), so there's as of now no shop launch, no snail mail club launch, nor any signed paperbacks or book merch, etc. being sold from me. I've spent the past week just reading about this whole fiasco, and it's beyond infuriating.

I can't believe there's not been more noise about this from the bookish community - I'm wondering if people are simply not understanding that if you send even a gram of packaging to an EU country you must deal with the PPWR and EPR regulations and fees for that country - doesn't matter where you're sending from or what you're sending, when you're introducing packaging to an EU country you need to deal with this. Indie authors and artists are not exempt in any way.

You cannot ship a signed paperback, can't ship an envelope with stickers or bookmarks, or a polymailer with art prints, or a snail mail club envelope...

You can't ship anything without paying the hefty fees, appointing a local representative in that country, which is actually the expensive and gruelling part, and dealing with the administrative work for that country, using that country's platforms and regulations. Yeah, there's no centralised space for this, like OSS - One Stop Shop for VAT payments - or the like... Its each country individually, with their laws, fees, regulations, rules, and portals, etc. Here's the offical EU feedback link, currently standing at 3700+ feedback entries: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/15352-Packaging-and-packaging-waste-rules-on-national-registers-of-producers_en

...and here's a link to a petition on change.org to help spread the word and bring attention to this issue, as public outrage is our best bet at the moment: https://c.org/yL9QLLjK2T

It's an absolute nightmare, and it hurts those who already work hard for the environment while running a business. Small businesses already use minimal packaging, eco-friendly options, and easily recyclable materials.

Have I cried? Yes.

Am I losing hope? No.

Am I struggling to see how to survive this? Yeah.

Will I keep going? Absolutely.

I'll keep working on the webshop and snail mail club in the background with the hope of the EU taking actions to keep the free market within EU and not kill of the niche, handmade, small business part of our trade (honestly, they're getting rid of competition for the massive corporations and that S-U-C-K-S as I've been wanting out of the Amazon eco system for three years now but as it stands I'll need them to sell paperbacks). I'll keep my shop and snail mail club available to launch, but I'll keep them low-maintenance and off to the side until I hear any news about an amendment to the PPWR and EPR regulations.

In the meantime, I'll focus more on my writing. It's been lacking the past two years due to me struggling with burnout in several layers and other personal matters. I've been writing, but I've not been pushing myself to finish WIPs and get them sorted for publishing - mental and physical health is important to take care of to manage in the long run!

Hopefully, I can publish The Devious Puppeteer and BGS in 2027. I know many have been waiting for TDP for a long time now; we really left off at such a cliffy, too... I swear, it's coming, but I need it to be done right.

I will NOT rush my books.

I will not publish just to publish. My books are important. My writing isn't done for just consumption; it's done for connection and liberty, for love and passion, for freedom and emotions, for thoughts and souls to breathe. I won't rush. I'll give them the time they need.

I hope you're in a good place, have read a fantastic book recently, and that life is bright for you! ❤