Archive for the ‘Angela Hoy’ Category
News for POD Publishers and Those Wanting to Self-Publish: Amazon/BookSurge Issues Still in Court
Has anyone been wondering what ever happened with the Amazon/Booksurge issue? Remember, Amazon wanted all Print-on-Demand (POD) publishers to use its subsidiary, BookSurge, to print their books or else…or else it would turn off the “buy” buttons for those books on Amazon.com? And remember, BookLocker filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon? Well, the saga continues…and that’s actually good news for those of us wanting to self-publish books using POD technology–and sell our books on Amazon.com.
Here’s the latest news via a story published today in Publishers Weekly:
Court Denies Amazon’s Motion to Dismiss BookLocker Antitrust Lawsuit
Independent POD publisher can proceed with its case
By Lynn Andriani — Publishers Weekly, 8/27/2009 7:52:00 AM
Independent print-on-demand publisher and bookseller BookLocker said yesterday that a court has denied Amazon’s motion to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit that BookLocker filed against Amazon, meaning that BookLocker can proceed with its case. The case stems from Amazon’s decision to make POD publishers use its BookSurge subsidiary to manufacture POD titles if they want to sell their titles on Amazon directly (publishers that don’t use BookSurge will have their buy button removed).
Chief U.S. District Judge John Woodcock Jr.’s 26-page order denied Amazon’s motion to dismiss, so the case may proceed. In a post on his Web site, Richard Hoy of BookLocker wrote, “Among other steps, we anticipate beginning discovery (where we are able to request documents from Amazon) shortly. Although there is still a long way to go, surviving the motion to dismiss is an important first step.”
The entire order is available here.
To Blog for Free or Not to Blog for Free, That’s the Question
First, I asked Linda Lee, the owner of Smart Writers, Stupid Computers,a writer, speaker, educator, and expert in website design and on-line promotion and marketing. She also is the expert presenter on websites and online marketing and promotion for writers for the San Francisco Writers Conference and the Writing For Change Conference.She wanted to see the bog post Angela Hoy wrote. Here’s what she had to say after reading it:
“You are going to get website traffic from this article she wrote for years!” (I liked that!)
After quite a few bits of advice on how to capitalize on the “publicity,” she added:
“One more thing, I would say, ‘You Want ME to Write for FREE?! Ha Ha Ha!!! Yes, I will! That’s how you can promote yourself and your career online. I am in the Internet marketing community and they give out teasers, blogs and free articles ALL THE TIME to lead to better sales of other products. So she is wrong. So there!”
(You’ll be reading more from Linda here in November, by the way, when she writes a blog or two for me — for free.)
And then I asked Kevin Smokler, the editor of Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times, the San Francisco Chronicle’s notable book of 2005, and the co-founder and chief evangelist of BookTour.com. (In a previous life, Kevin was the founder of the Virtual Book Tour, and he has been a presenter at the San Francisco Writers Conference several times. While at the conference, he also offers consulting services on platform building and publishing to attendees and donates all the money he earns to the conference’s scholarship program.) I asked him if it was common practice for guest bloggers to get paid for their contributions. He replied, “It is my experience that most blogs, unless run by major media, don’t have the budget for paying guest bloggers. The person asked to provide a blog has the right to say ‘no,’ but they don’t have the right to be offended by the request to blog for free. If the request comes from the NY Times, they might expect to get paid, but not if the request comes from an ordinary person. If it is that outlet’s standard policy to pay for guest blogs and it is making an exception by asking a guest to blog for free, then that is offensive.”
Kevin concluded by reiterating his main point: “It is my experience that, when speaking about someone who writes blogs not as a full-time profession, asking to be paid for that service is unreasonable.”
Do I write blogs as a full-time profession? No. Point made. Point taken?
Enough said. I think we’ve exhausted the topic. No need come November for someone to write on blogging for free or for pay. We’ll have more interesting things to discuss. See you then.
Don’t forget: Look for this blog at http://www.writenonfictioninnovember.wordpress.com/ in November. This year’s challenge takes place there!
(By the way…the comments have pretty much stopped. I only discarded those three I’ve mentioned already. You’ve seen all the rest. Those three were nasty and not worth publishing. Suffice it to say, they sided with Angela.)
Comments to Angela Hoy’s Posting
If you are coming here rather than to the old Write Nonfiction in November blog, which is/was hosted on Blogger, you might be missing out on all the action…I was going to say “fun,” but I really don’t think that would be the correct choice of words. Anyway, the comments are all being posted there…So, go to www.writenonficinnov.blogspot.com. Or, if you are too lazy to do that…or too busy writing (the better of the two choices), here’s what’s been going on:
i don’t think it’s a personal thing–angela believes writers need to get paid and you don’t. personally, i’m tired of working for my portfolio instead of groceries, while your intent may be sincere, i know that many artists are simply tired of producing writing/art/music without the same financial security as other professions. hopefully the two of you can patch things up…
Nina Amir said…
I never said I didn’t believe writers need to get paid. You are also making an assumption about me — or simply believing what Angela said about me. I make a living as a writer and an editor. By all means, I want to get paid, and I want other writers to get paid, too. I just believe that there are some circumstances in which we, as writers, can — and do — choose to write for free.
Comment deleted
Anonymous said…
Just read the two posts (and I got to Angela’s blog through your blog) and what she did was extremely unprofessional in publishing your exchange with a link to your blog – whatever her personal opinions might be.
Anyway, I’m on your side on this one, Nina. A guest post is rarely a paid position but a publicity opportunity. I understand her opinion that writers too often get asked to do things for free. But do journalists pay us to do interviews with us even though the interview will involve work on our part? In most cases, no – we recognise it’s a good source of publicity.
In any case, it didn’t warrant posting your exchange on her website with a link to your blog. Let’s hope it just results in more readers for you!
Catherine
Nina Amir said…
Thank you!
Actually, she published our exchange despite the fact that I specifically asked her not to do so. She got around my request by not actually publishing the emails themselves.
I hope you are right about the readers. You know what they say: Even bad publicity is good publicity.
Come back in November when there will be something more interesting to read!
Cherrye at My Bella Vita said…
I’m sorry it seems like an innocent request turned brutal. I don’t know much about Angela, but I enjoy Writers Weekly and respect the website.
I understand what you were requesting with the guest bloggers, as I’ve been one and requested some myself.
Good luck with your November writing project.
Kate said…
I agree with Caroline, it was unprofessional of Angela to publish an interpretation of your emails without your consent.
On the other hand, trying to be fair, I don’t think she realises the difference between writing for traditional print and writing for blogs. In a sense she is right, but not about this. Guest posts are a long established and accepted form of promotion. The blogger gets good content and the writer gets long term publicity which can often be far more lucrative than the £20 they would have made if they had been paid. It’s a gig that keeps on giving. Contrary to what Angela says, many highly successful blogs are run this way.
Anonymous said…
I don’t think you should waste any time on Angela Hoy. She appears to be a very angry woman, never happier than when she can provoke someone into an argument. She is also extremely rude. My advice is to ignore her.
Nina Amir said…
Thanks for the support, those of you who have commented! I appreciate your views.
Again, I do support writers getting paid. Of course. Why wouldn’t I? But in this case, I dont’ believe I was wrong to ask for a free blog. I do believe guest bloggers commonly offer their posts for free adn bloggers as for those blogs for free. And it is good publicity.
It’s true this blog doesn’t have a huge readership. How do you build a blog? With good information. That’s why this year I want to supplement the information I have with the information others can offer — others who might know more or have more experience or have another area of expertise. And I’m not excluding other editors…which means I’m not doing this to make money.
Now, if I get a client or two out of a month of blogging, that woould be nice. Did I last year? No. Is that the most important part of Write Nonfiction in November? No. If it was, I wouldn’t be asking other people who compete with my business to blog for me.
For those wondering about how many comments I’ve received that support Angela and chosen not to post, so far only two…and a really mean email from someone who felt the need to take time out of their day to do that. I also got one from a life coach…which I posted and then deleted, because it didn’t pertain to the issue at hand. I’m not posting the mean and nasty comments. I don’t really want to give them more energy than they deserve. I’m happy to acknowledge that they did show up here, though, and I’ll keep a running tally of them for anyone who really cares. Ask, I’ll give you the current numbers, if you care.
(I admit I have posted one saying mean things about Angela…Sorry.)
By the way, I wrote a blog post about mean people in my very-alive-and-well blog, which does run all year long, at www.purespiritcreations.com, if you are interested!
See you hear in November…unless there are more comments to moderate!
Thanks again!
Nina Amir said…
Forced to Blog Before November
For anyone showing up at this blog because of a posting by Angela Hoy at www.WritersWeekly.com, let me inform you that this blog lies dormant, with a few exceptions, except during the month of November. Thus, its name….Write Nonfiction in November. Occasionally, I am prompted to write something newsworthy, as I did when the Amazon/Booksurge issue was all the talk in the publishing world and when I felt the desire to promote a writing conference, which I did in June (my last posting…not in April, as Angela claimed). I feel the need to at least explain that, should you think this blog is “dead,” as she incorrectly reported. It is not dead; it lying in wait until November when the challenge begins again.
As for Angela’s need to make me so wrong, fine. I have no need to do that. If she wants to make assumptions about me, fine. If you want to know who I am and what I’m about, read my blog. Then you’ll know the truth. Go to my website, http://www.copywrightcommunications.com/ and read my work or my bio or my resume. Ask my clients and my students what they think of me and my advice and my work. They know the truth. Go to my other website, http://www.purespiritcreations.com/, and learn about me as an author and a person, if you feel so inclined.
Angela doesn’t know me at all. She is basing her judgments on a series of emails and even on my attempt to clarify a statement about writing for free. She says I misread her rudeness. Is it possible she misread anything in our communication or about me?
For more about writing for free, check back in November…when I will have something to say on the subject and some guest bloggers will offer their expertise and knowledge — and their writing — to this blog (for free), because sometimes being of service by supporting other writers is just the right thing to do.
By the way, this blog was formerly hosted by Blogger, and I converted it to WordPress not long ago. In the process, the dates got moved around on the postings from November and the last blog actually got dropped off. These problems will be fixed prior to Write Nonfiction in November 2008’s challenge. If you want to read that post in the meantime, you can find it at http://writenonficinnov.blogspot.com/.
I hope to see you hear again in November!
Will Amazon/BookSurge Send Authors Running from PODs to Traditional Publishing Houses?
Well, things are still smoldering away at the Amazon/BookSurge bonfire. The flames have died down, but the fire’s definitely not out. I’m posting below all the news from Angela Hoy and WritersWeekly.com. She does it much better than I do.
Before I let you read the news, however, let me just say that after reading Angela’s most recent posting, which came in her newsletter, I began to wonder if some authors who might prefer to self-publsh using POD technology aren’t going to reconsider finding and agent and going the traditional publishing route. If they are going to have to wait around for a long time — and it could be a long time — for the Amazon/BookSurge fire to be put out (if it is put out and doesn’t instead get fanned into a blazing bonfire that consumes all the POD publishers), they might just as well sign a traditional publishing contract and wait that 18 months or so for their book to be published. They’ll still have to do the same amount of publicity, but they’ll save some money, get the clout that comes with a traditional publishing contract and be sure to have that coveted “buy” button on Amazon. Of course, they’ll lose some control over the publishing process and some royalty money as well.
I don’t know. I’m still standing with a foot on both sides of the fence. My agent is peddling one of my books to traditional publishers, and I’m about to market another to a small, traditional niche publisher. I’ve got another book project, however, that will likely go to my little POD (I’m not naming names at this point…) whose “buy” buttons are all still on. And they are still producing my booklets for me as well. I just came up with another short book idea, and I plan to self-publish that one as well.
What’s the consensus? Continue self-publishing anyway, hold out or change gears and go traditional?
Here’s Angela’s latest:
April 23, 2008
Special Report
Amazon/Booksurge Ultimatum Update By Angela Hoy
Here’s what’s happened in the last week or so:
* Arriving a bit late to the party, but welcomed nonetheless, the National Writers Union finally issued a statement last week. As expected, like SPAN, the Author’s Guild, ASJA, and others, the NWU is publicly condemning Amazon’s actions. “The National Writers Union/UAW Local 1981 strongly opposes Amazon’s new restriction on the print-on demand market and calls upon Amazon to immediately withdraw this monopolistic intrusion, or face our call for investigations by the Justice Department and Congress.”
* Publisher’s Weekly reported this week that it appears AuthorHouse/iUniverse is going to tithe to the Amazon/Booksurge God (my analogy, not theirs). WritersWeekly reported the same thing three weeks ago.
* Authors are nervous. One POD author notified us that he decided to stop the publishing process of his new book with his publisher because of the Amazon situation. We, too, have been fielding numerous emails of doubt from authors. Many don’t want to use Booksurge but feel they will be forced to do so, in addition to using a printer that has Ingram distribution (considered imperative for bookstore sales). We’ve also read discussions online that show some authors are holding onto their manuscripts until they know which way this boat is going to turn. Unfortunately, if the government is involved (it is), they might have to wait a long, long, long time. Authors are understandably nervous about using Booksurge because of their reputation. Authors are also upset about paying double setup fees.
* Some authors have threatened to abandon POD publishers who are signing with Amazon/Booksurge because they value their reputations too much to risk having a poorly printed book with their name on it.
* Some authors are saying they will refuse to work with Amazon/Booksurge based strictly on principal. They would rather sell fewer books than be forced to pay more
money for something they think is unfair… and that may even be illegal.
* Xlibris finally responded to WritersWeekly’s request for information… by saying really nothing at all. Their lack of information is included in this statement, “We apologize that we are unable to comment on the subject below as we are still standing by for the official communication from the higher management and our partners. As of this writing, it is still business as usual with Amazon.com.” Why do you think the statements issued by these on-the-fence publishers look so similar? Gosh (snicker), it almost looks like they were written by the same person. Hmmm…
* One POD publisher who was given the ultimatum reported they thought the program might be on hold while another publisher later reported being heavily pressured to immediately sign the contract.
* WritersWeekly has been contacted by numerous small publishers who have already been contacted by Amazon/Booksurge, or who fear they’re next on the list, most of whom want to remain under Amazon’s radar for as long as they can.
* Numerous authors, publishers and even book buyers have contacted Amazon/Booksurge to voice their anger directly, but are either ignored or receive a canned statement. OReilly.com reports, “With Amazon’s growing power in book sales, it’s understandable that publishers may be a bit anxious on learning that in Amazon’s 10-k filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company lists among its many competitors not just bookstores but also publishers.”Wish I had good news for you but I don’t. So, don’t let your guard down. It’s not over and it likely won’t be over for a long time.
We’re posting updates regarding this situation HERE.
Self-Publishing World in an Uproar! POD Publishers Held Hostage by Amazon/BookSurge!
I know this blog was supposed to lie dormant until almost November, at which time it would gear up for another flurry of writing activity during the 2008 Write Nonfiction in November challenge. However, I had to show my face (well…words) here today to let you all know about some pretty darn important developments in the world of self-publishing. Actually, I should have written something last week, but there was still lots of speculation then and now a lot more facts are available.
If you haven’t already heard the news, in brief, BookSurge/Amazon.com basically is trying to force all POD (print-on-demand) publishers to use their printing facilities to print their POD books sold on Amazon.com or else those books will have their “buy” buttons turned off on Amazon. com. In other words, if your book has been or will be (or you were considering having it) published by a POD publisher that isn’t using BookSurge’s printing facilities, Amazon.com customers will no longer be able to purchase it. At least that’s what Amazon is trying to accomplish.
I, for one, was outraged when I heard this news. I had just found a small POD publisher right here in Los Gatos (http://www.robertsonpublishing.com/) where I live that could get my book into all the Internet bookstores as well as into Ingram for a very reasonable price. Plus, I could walk right in to their shop and deal with them face to face! How many authors get to do that these days? Plus, they were willing to send editing work my way as well. I was very excited, and I was seriously considering doing some self-publishing beyond my little booklets. Now…well…Suffice it to say, I’m hesitating. My projects are on hold.
For any writers considering self-publishing or who have had their books self-published already by a POD house, you better start reading and get up to speed on the Amazon/BookSurge issue. It’s HUGE! It could mean big changes in cost, pricing and quality when it comes to YOUR self-published book — and mine.
Rather than give you the whole scoop on this news myself, since I’m not the expert on this subject, I’m going to let someone much more knowledgeable do it for me. That person is Angela Hoy of WritersWeekly.com, one of the most popular and widely read, free, writing e-zines published today. (If you don’t already subscribe, you should.) Angela and her husband run Booklocker, a POD publishing house. She’s had her finger on the pulse of what’s been happening for a week now. So, I’m going to put a copy of the article she posted today here for you to read. After that, I suggest you go to http://www.writersweekly.com/ for all the latest info. Angela’s set up a page meant to be a clearinghouse of information at http://www.writersweekly.com/amazon.php. Or you can go to http://www.writersweekly.com/the_latest_from_angelahoycom/004610_04022008.html for the latest news on what’s going on.
I suggest that you take Angela’s advice and begin e-mailing and writing letters and calling the people she suggests. We writers have to take a stand on this development. I, for one, would like to have a choice about who publishes and/or prints my book and what I pay for that service (not to mention the quality of the product I get in return for that fee). I don’t want to have to go back to my local POD publisher and say, “Sorry. I’m not going to use you now, because Amazon and BookSurge have me by the…well, I don’t have any of those, but they’ve got my hands tied anyway!” That said, I surely would like my self-published POD book sold in all the Internet bookstores, including Amazon.com. I hate to say it, but Amazon.com is where most people go to buy their books. While other sites offer free shipping on orders over $25, most can’t beat Amazon.com’s prices.
If you want to read my initial thoughts on the subject, I have left Angela two comments on her blog. My comments, along with everyone else’s, and many people’s blogs can be found at http://www.writersweekly.com/amazon.php.
Without further ado, here’s the original article that appeared in Publishers Weekly, which has a link to Angela’s first article on the subject, followed by today’s update:
Amazon to Force POD Publishers to Use BookSurge
by Jim Milliot — Publishers Weekly, 3/28/2008 8:34:00 AM
BookSurge, Amazon’s print-on-demand subsidiary, is making an offer that most publishers would like to refuse, but don’t feel they can. According to talks with several pod houses, BookSurge has told them that unless their titles are printed by BookSurge, the buy buttons on Amazon for their titles will be disabled. A detailed explanation of her how the new program was explained to her is provided by BookLocker.com co-owner Angela Hoy on her writersweekly.com blog.
Over the last year, BookSurge has been trying to cut into the market share of pod leader Lightning Source and is using the selling clout of Amazon to generate more business. “I feel like the flea between two giant elephants,” said the head of one pod publisher about the upcoming battle between Lightning Source and BookSurge/Amazon. He said although the deal with BookSurge will be more expensive, he has no choice but to make the move since most of his authors expect their titles to be for sale on Amazon. He added that his company will also continue to use Lightning Source for printing as well. Amazon’s BookSurge mandate extends to traditional publishers as well as to online pod houses.
An Amazon spokesperson explained that the new policy will allow the company to “marry” books with other products that a customer might buy at Amazon, which would be combined in the same package. She said for publishers that don’t use BookSurge for pod, they can still use Amazon’s Advantage Program (which works on a consignment model) or third party vendors to sell their pod books.
April 02, 2008
IT’S NOT OVER! Amazon Tells Publishers, Pay Us To Print Your Books…Or Else
By Angela Hoy, WritersWeekly.com
Tuesday, April 1st, was the rumored deadline Amazon.com gave to some POD publishers to sign an agreement allowing their printing division, BookSurge, to print each publisher’s book to be sold through Amazon, or risk having their “buy” buttons turned off on the Amazon.com website. Publishers, authors, and even book buyers were outraged by this apparent power-grab by Amazon. Attorneys and government officials are still studying the legality of their actions. How could they demand such a thing and what publisher in their right mind would agree to their ridiculous terms? While a band of POD publishers stayed together, refusing to sway to Amazon’s demands, some did not.
Monday, March 31, 2008: AuthorHouse/iUniverse (owned by Author Solutions) announced they had reached an agreement with Amazon to allow Booksurge to print their books.
Monday, March 31, 2008: A Lulu representative posted a cryptic announcement that suggests they, too, likely signed the Amazon contract.
We are in possession of the Amazon contract and, while I’m sure AuthorHouse/iUniverse and Lulu negotiated special terms for themselves, I can tell you that the confidentiality clause in that contract is the tightest I’ve ever seen. Don’t expect anybody at those firms to ever talk about what they had to give Amazon to keep their “buy” buttons turned on.
It’s been reported that some other publishers signed the contract as well and that others are still considering it, believing they have no choice.
HOW COULD THEY CAVE?
We think we figured out why AuthorHouse/iUniverse and Lulu felt they had to sign an agreement with Amazon/Booksurge. Of course, since nobody’s talking (Ken Weiss at AuthorHouse never returned my call on Monday and Bob Young’s people gave me a humorous run-around, before finally admitting they didn’t want to comment), we can only speculate. But, I think the keys to the cave-ins can be found on the publishers’ websites.
You see, I’ve always felt that having our BookLocker books listed in the online bookstores was a privilege. You can’t promise your authors something that involves another company if you don’t have a contract with that other company. Our BookLocker contract states, “Sales channels can be added or removed at the Company’s discretion and without prior notice. While the Company provides listings to Ingram for print books, online bookstores, such as Amazon.com, are not required to list these titles for sale. Listings offered by online bookstores are at the discretion of each particular store.” Furthermore, we don’t up-sell authors on marketing services. If an author wants us to add additional content to their Amazon.com page, we do it for free. If an author wants their book in the Search Inside the Book Program, we show them how to submit it (our authors get copies of their files for no extra charge) or we do it for them.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, some POD publishers decided to start charging for these services. And, perhaps their greed has now forced them to start using Amazon’s printer.
AuthorHouse charges authors an extra $75 to submit their book to the Amazon Search Inside the Book Program. If an author has paid for that service, they would, of course, expect and demand that Amazon have their book available for direct purchase by Amazon customers (have the “buy” button turned on). Since AuthorHouse charged authors for that service, they may have inadvertently put themselves in a bind with the threat of having the “buy” buttons turned off.
Lulu has third party service providers (that pay Lulu commissions) that offer Amazon listing enhancement services for a fee to Lulu authors. One Lulu author surmised on their forum, “Lulu will just have to supply Amazon with books…” So, perhaps they found themselves in the same bind as AuthorHouse.
The deadline given to some publishers was rumored to be April 1st and AuthorHouse/iUniverse and Lulu both announced agreements with Amazon on March 31st. That leads me to believe Amazon may have had them both by the…well, you know.
No word yet from Xlibris. I left a message on John Feldcamp’s voicemail on Monday but he hasn’t yet returned my call (tap, tap, tap). I’ve met John and found him witty and charming…yet he absolutely does not appear to be the type of person you can push around, even if your name is Jeff Bezos.
We were already in contact with POD publishers who had received the “buy button threat” before last week’s story ran. After we broke the story, several other small publishers contacted us as well. Some didn’t mind giving their names but many begged us to not reveal their identities, hoping to stay under Amazon’s radar.
WORLD DOMINATION OF THE PUBLISHING AND PRINTING INDUSTRIES?
Tongues have been wagging (okay, fingers have been typing) online for a week now, speculating about Amazon’s future plans. Many guffaw the idea that, after taking over POD titles, Amazon might dare to go after traditional publishers, too. What most don’t understand is that it’s already happening. Booksurge is already printing POD versions of back-list, out-of-print and large-print books for HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Springer, Gale, Oxford University Press, and others.
Last week, the University of Pennsylvania Press contacted us, reporting they’d received the Amazon ultimatum, too. She said, “I work at a medium-sized university press, where most of our titles are conventionally printed via offset. However, Amazon called our director about two weeks ago, telling him that soon we would be required to use Booksurge.”
If Amazon does ramp up, and can process all those files and print books in every one of its facilities, those huge, expensive, maintenance-monster warehouses may become obsolete. They will, instead, be printing and shipping facilities.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Amazon’s ultimate goal is to print every single book they ship. I bet Walmart’s sorry they didn’t think of it first!
WHY THIS IS BAD… VERY, VERY BAD
QUALITY
Publishers who sign Amazon’s contract must let Booksurge print their books.
These are results that pop up if you Google the words booksurge complaint without any quotes.
“…the binding of the book isn’t that great as one of my pages fell out.”-Review by Robert Youngsource(This is an Amazon page and they might yank it after this article is published.)
“The majority of books produced were defective: pages falling out, discolored covers, white splotches on the covers, etc. Of the 135 books I purchased, over 100 were defective. It was a huge embarrassment and headache for our organization.”source
“Additionally, the book is poorly constructed. The book fell apart (literally, the pages falling out) before I made it to page 24.”source(This is another Amazon page that may get yanked after this article is published.)
“Please be patient, and if you do happen to get a book with pages falling out, kindly return it to BookSurge for a replacement.”source(This site is tied to the Amazon.com bookstores so it, too, might disappear!)
“April McDonald is suing Amazon for 10.5 million dollars and its vanity press, BookSurge, claiming that the book was full of typos and other errors.”source(The article above includes direct quotes from the book’s author.)
“Koziol alleges that the trade paperback copies he received were ‘riddled with misspellings, jumbled text, mismatched pages and other errors,’ according to TimesUnion.com.”source
“I POD’d my book in spring of 05 and my first 250 copies had the cover so violently off center as to make me return ALL of them. Booksurge replaced them, but with the back 4 pages missing! Ugh!”source
TESTING, 1-2
I purchased a Booksurge book last night and had it shipped overnight. It did indeed arrive this morning. It has a cover that isn’t centered (the back is off-center by at least half an inch – very noticeable and very unprofessional) and a glue smudge on the back as well. I won’t even get into the interior formatting. It looks like somebody designed this in their garage (my apologies to anyone who actually does write in their garage) and, on the first page of the forward, the drop cap ink is bleeding into one of the sentences. If the author paid Booksurge for editing, he needs to ask for his money back. I won’t mention the book’s name here because I don’t want to embarrass the author. It’s not his fault. I will keep it, however, in case Amazon tries to deny my claims. Frankly, there is no denying how crappy this book looks.
IF THE BOOK IS CRAPPY, WHOSE FAULT IS IT? YOURS!
If your customer gets a book with loose pages, or upside pages, or a crooked cover, or a cover that isn’t centered, or a glue smudge on it, or bleeding ink, who’s going to get the blame? The publisher and author, that’s who. The customer isn’t going to blame the bookstore (Amazon), even though Amazon printed the book. Readers will very likely have no idea the publisher had to let Amazon print their book.
IT’S ABOUT THE MONEY
Less $ for Publishers + Less $ for Authors + Less $ for Book Buyers = MORE MONEY FOR AMAZON!Amazon’s actions may force publishers to increase the price of all books for readers. Being forced to pay printing fees dictated by Amazon (that can increase at anytime), deep discounts dictated by Amazon (that can increase at anytime), and setup fees dictated by Amazon (that can increase at anytime) can mean higher prices for books (less money in the book buyers’ pockets), less money for publishers, less money for authors, and, of course, higher profits for Amazon. Trust me. Despite their rosy statement, Amazon didn’t do this just for “customer service.” They’re doing it to MAKE MORE MONEY.
GETTING IT FROM BOTH ENDS
It is our opinion that Amazon is creating an unfair competitive advantage for itself in two ways… possibly more.
1. Production and Printing – They force publishers to use their printer (who has a bad reputation for quality), which they profit from (cha-ching), and force publishers to give them a deeper discount (cha-ching), and force publishers to pay setup fees for new titles (cha-ching). All this is just for books being sold through Amazon directly. Amazon knows the publisher must also pay to have files formatted to different specs in order to get Ingram distribution (considered imperative for bookstore sales). In fact, all this expense and trouble could even make it more difficult and more expensive for Amazon’s other competitors (bookstores) to obtain these books for their customers.
2. Amazon also competes directly with these publishers for authors. Authors can pay Amazon/BookSurge an average publishing package fee of over $1,000 to have Amazon publish their book. So, Amazon is competing directly with its publishing customers for authors’ books and will, of course, even have access to the publishers’ customers’ (authors!) contact information. I wonder if their new contract protects publishers from Amazon going over their heads and trying to land contracts with the authors directly?
Remember, Amazon has a contract with Lightning Source (LSI), but has gone over its head and contacted LSI’s customers (the POD publishers) directly. That’s how all this trouble began!
THEIR OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Amazon did issue an official statement. It didn’t say much. In fact, what made it interesting was what they left out. See this article on PaidContent.org.
CAN THEY EVEN DO IT?
There is much speculation that Amazon doesn’t even have the man-power or the resources to quickly acquire and process all of these new interior and cover files from POD publishers (tens of thousands from AuthorHouse and Lulu alone) and that they also may not have POD printing machines in all of their distribution facilities. We’re still waiting for Amazon to comment about that. One Amazon employee claimed (see link directly above) they had POD machines in three distribution centers. However, they have 10 centers in the U.S. alone. If they don’t have POD machines in all their distribution centers, their statement about “marrying” products to save shipping and fuel expenses doesn’t hold much weight. If they can’t currently handle the influx of new book titles, and if they can’t print POD books at all of their distribution facilities yet, why the rush to make POD publishers sign by April 1st?
*IMPORTANT!* POSSIBLE DIRE CONSEQUENCES FOR PUBLISHERS WHO SIGN AMAZON’S CONTRACT
Morris Rosenthal brought this up the other day and we’re wondering if the POD publishers who have already or plan to sign the Amazon contract have considered it. According to The Robinson-Patman Act of 1936 (or Anti-Price Discrimination Act), if Amazon forces publishers to offer them a 48% discount, this action may, by default, force publishers to offer all bookstores a 48% discount. Many small publishers simply can’t afford to do this. If they sign the Amazon contract and, thus, then have to offer all bookstores a 48% discount, they may go out of business.
Offering Amazon a 48% discount allows Amazon to discount their prices beyond what another bookstore could if they were not given the same discount. The competing store would, of course, be at a competitive disadvantage. Nobody knows for sure, but it sure seems to me (and this is MY OPINION, mind you) that this windfall of benefits to Amazon may have all been carefully orchestrated through Amazon’s contract with POD publishers. They just can’t lose no matter which way you look at it. What do you think?
THE GOOD NEWS
Despite all of this, the good news is Amazon has not removed anymore “buy” buttons from POD publishers’ books pages. Maybe, just maybe, after such a large public outcry, and perhaps after some consultations with their attorneys, they’re realizing that this wasn’t such a great idea after all. And, as I noted earlier, attorneys and government officials are still studying the legalities of this situation.
FREQUENT UPDATES
We are posting frequent updates to the top of THIS PAGE. Please send your comments regarding this situation to richard – at – booklocker.com, and let us know if you write about it so we can add a link to your site.
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UPDATE: YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!
The print on demand (POD) book I purchased from Amazon/BookSurge yesterday is now listed as OUT OF STOCK at Amazon.com! It says: Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we’ll deliver when available. We’ll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.
Gosh, now what does that mean about their “print and bind a book in less than two hours” statement? Shouldn’t their POD books never be out of stock? Hmmm….
We looked around some more and found several BookSurge books that are listed as “out of stock” and “usually ships in 2-4 weeks.”
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Personal P.S. from Angela: I want to personally thank every single one of you who has written to me, written to Amazon, contacted your state’s attorney general and other government entities concerning this situation. When something is terribly wrong, each and every person who is courageous enough to stand up and shout NO truly can make a difference. We and our small POD publishing colleagues are humbled, blessed, and strengthened by your heartfelt words and immediate actions. Thank you!
ninaamir