When Marti sent me the link to the Washington Post’s article, Amazon Tightens Noose on Print-On-Demand Publishers, I just about fell over in my chair when I followed the link to read what Writer’s Weekly had to say about it. Basically, Amazon is forcing authors to sign up with BookSurge if they want their books to be sold directly through Amazon’s website. I drove home from work, pissed and worried about my listings for Prosperity and the 2006 Writer’s Blog Anthology. I’m happy to report that as of right now, you can still buy these books (and any others published by Lulu) from Amazon.
Authors who chose Publish America as their route for publishing are not so fortunate, unless they had their books formatted for Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader. Although their books are still listed, they have to either rely on third party vendors to sell their books or enlist in Amazon’s Advantage program.
Will the same thing happen to Lulu publishers in the future? No one knows right now because management has yet to respond, but it’s a strong possibility if Lulu doesn’t adhere to Amazon’s terms. One author on the Lulu forum commented that Amazon isn’t the only avenue to sell your books, and he’s right. But Amazon has become a household names to millions of people who otherwise wouldn’t know of your book’s existence. That’s what really hurts, the lost book sales and for a POD service that is inferior.
I can’t help but feel that Amazon has joined the ranks of Google and Microsoft.
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I haven’t had time to read the Lulu forums, so I’m glad you were able to let us know that the company is now aware and looking into this. I find it disgusting that Amazon is pursuing this monopolistic attitude. I truly hope that your book and other great titles by authors who’ve used Lulu, will continue to be available through Amazon. Best wishes to you!
I hope so, too, Marti. After researching BookSurge and its free counter-part, CreateSpace, I won’t be using either service to publish future books. I’ll keep you guys posted on any new developments.
[...] Will Amazon Become the Google of the POD Industry? by Deborah Woehr [...]
[...] Will Amazon Become the Google of the POD Industry? by Deborah Woehr [...]
[...] Will Amazon Become the Google of the POD Industry? by Deborah Woehr [...]
I haven’t been surfing the net for some time now. Today is my first “outing”. I was shocked to read your recent posts, but not surprised to find you on top of things. Thank you for keeping us informed, Deborah. You’re a gem. As for the Amazon issue, I have bad vibes about this.
Hi, Karen! Glad to have you back.
I was both shocked and upset when I learned about Amazon’s decision last week. Right now, I have the wait-and-see attitude. This may or may not be a good thing.