A-ha!

Amazon Bullying POD Writers and Publishers Unfairly

This news is circulating the net as I write, and no one seems to know how true it really is. The report came to me via Twitter, where someone mentioned Angela Hoy's article, "Amazon.com Telling POD Publishers - Let BookSurge Print Your Books, or Else..."

I hopped over to see what the hullabaloo was about and, frankly, I'm shocked! WHY would Amazon do such a thing? Is it possible they feel they're being left out of the POD profits the big guys like Lulu and Blurb make? I cannot believe that. Is it that...they're the 800lb Gorilla in the room so...they figure they can do what they want? (IMHO, we all know what eventually happens to bullies...)

From Angela's report, "Some Print on Demand (POD) publishers are privately screaming "Monopoly!" while others are seething with rage over startling phone conversations they're having with Amazon/Booksurge representatives. Why isn't anybody talking about it openly? Because they're afraid - very, very afraid." Um...afraid of what, Angela? Getting shut out of Amazon? They aren't the only game in town...

Over at TechCrunch, the comments section is flowing with a dozen different opinions on this issue. Self-published authors who have printers they trust, POD printers, are furious. Other commenters are curious - about the truth of it all. And still others are calling for an Amazon boycott.

Workboxers at B5Media quotes Angela, but also has links to others who quote the Wall Street Journal article.

I like PaidContent's title, "Amazon Tightens Noose on Print-On-Demand Publishers; Insists They Use Company's Own Service." To quote from that article, "Here's how an Amazon spokesperson sees it: 'What we're looking to do is have a print-on-demand business that better serves our customers and authors. When we work with some other publishers, it's not truly a print-on-demand business."

What!?! Creating hardship for authors is good customer service? What if I don't want to use YOUR POD service, Amazon? What if my brother or uncle or sister runs a great POD shop and I want to use him or her? What gives YOU the right to call them "not truly a print-on-demand business?" (please don't pull the 'self-published books aren't professional' whine out of your hat - that's as patently untrue as assuming books published by the big boys are all literary masterpieces!)

What IF... POD publishers and authors just move all their content to Barnes and Noble?

That's what's being whispered (sometimes quite loudly) across the net. I have to agree.. If you're a self-published writer and you are happy with the POD printer you're working with, why not move your business to Barnes and Noble? Amazon can have the BookSurge authors. All the rest of us will use our God-given American right to CHOOSE the print-on-demand publisher we want, and we'll get our books distributed at B&N, and independent book stores and a good number of online venues.

In the end, if we don't stand up for ourselves, who else will?

Start the love of books early

As part of my "other life" I am involved with Writers and Books, a literary center in Rochester, NY and this month everyone is celebrating the "If All of Rochester Read the Same Book" events. No matter the topic, readers from across the area come together and share their love of reading when they attend events, readings and eventually the big wrap up with the "Meet The Author" dinner event -- the dinners are topical events based on the location of the book -- in this case -- it is a Moroccan feast.

The "If All..." event always gets me thinking of the pleasant hours I spent reading to my children when they were little. It was one of the most cozy times of the day, snuggling down under the covers, flipping pages in a dimly lit bedroom -- this video brought back those memories.

When you are thinking of your own reading material, pick up a book for your kids. Hey, mine are 15 and 22, they may not want to snuggle down under the covers but I can always "force" them to sit on the couch and listen to a line or two from a book or magazine I am reading... at this stage, I will take what I can get! lol

Here's a fun little video from Kevin at BloggerRelations to check out.