Amazon.com: To Boycott or Not by Collin Kelley

There's a movement afoot on Facebook to boycott Amazon.com after the book-selling behemoth (and nearly every other product imaginable)  announced that it was changing the way it sells POD (that's print-on-demand) books on the website. Amazon owns BookSurge and they want to be YOUR -- and everyone else's -- POD of choice. This has caused many small and micro-presses to reexamine how to get their books onto the market. Some have already said "Amazon is dead to me" (Reb Livingston, owner of No Tell Books, on her blog last week) and others have already said they would rather sell their books through other online sources (B&N, Powell's, their own website storefronts), than cave to Amazon.

Lulu.com -- one of the biggest POD companies in the world -- has said they are working out a deal with Amazon so that their titles will still be carried on the site. PublishAmerica, on the other hand, refused to play ball and Amazon turned off all the "Buy" links to the listed titles. Other POD companies are trying to figure out how to respond to Amazon's strong-arm tactic. Amazon officials posted a note on their website last week that said using BookSurge saves money and gets the title into the hands of readers more quickly. Sure, writers can use Lulu or iUniverse, but if they want their POD title on Amazon, those companies will have to send an electronic file to Amazon where it will be stored in the BookSurge database. Anytime someone buys the title, it will be printed by BookSurge, rather than the company the writer contracted with. That means more profit for Amazon, less profit for the POD company and, ultimately, to the writer.

Amazon does take a big chunk of change from POD titles, but there is the "prestige" factor of having a book available at Amazon. How many writers are willing to give that up? My first collection of poetry, Better To Travel, was self-pubbed with iUniverse back in 2003. Yes, I had sales on Amazon, but the majority   came from bookstore orders and hand-to-hand transactions at readings. When Slow To Burn was published in 2006 as a limited edition, it was only sold online at MetroMania Press's store and at my readings. All 300 copies sold out in just a little more than a year. Even better was that the profit split between me and the press made each of us a tidy sum. Who can say that in poetry these days?

My chapbook, After the Poison, from Finishing Line Press is coming out later this year and it will be available on Amazon, but rather than letting Amazon sell it, the link on the page will direct buyers to purchase from the press. I'm not sure how much of a cut Amazon takes on those kinds of situations, but I guess I'll find out. I have to admit, I love Amazon. I love being able to order hard to find books and music and DVDs from other parts of the world (Amazon.co.uk gets more of business than the American site). But I also love exploring small press websites, buying my books at local independent stores and supporting the new DIY culture of poetry. If we really want to support poets, buying directly from them or their small press publisher is going to make them the most money. And since poetry doesn't pay -- except in love -- every dollar helps.

I'm not ready to boycott Amazon yet. I'm still waiting to see how this shakes out with Lulu, iUniverse and xlibris and I'm closely following what Reb Livingston and Shanna Compton at Bloof Books will be doing. I haven't talked to Dan or Michael at VRZHU, but I'd also like to know their thoughts and what they plan to do to help their authors. Let's get some discussion going...what are your thoughts, gentle, bullet-ridden VRZHU blog readers?

Addendum from Michael @ Vrzhu:  I was out of town when this broke, so I'm just catching up on what's going on this morning.  Vrzhu author Kim Roberts sent me this link here about the about it, which I'll be reading along with Reb's post and whatever Shanna has up about it.

Comments

[Reb]

Since No Tell Books uses Lulu, we're tied to whatever Lulu decides. Lulu has been really tight-lipped about what's going on -- other than saying our books will continue to be on Amazon. Personally I wish they would have told Amazon to stuff it -- and believe any decision to concede will only help in the short-term.

What I've done is take all links to Amazon off my blog -- and re-ordered/re-emphasized links on the No Tell Books site to send traffic to all other places first. Depending on how that plays out -- I may entirely remove the Amazon links in the future. I'm trying to balance what's best for the NTB authors and discouraging (as best as I can) sending any sales Amazon's way. Most of my authors have been really supportive and are disgusted by Amazon's move, if folks are panicking, they haven't expressed that to me.

[Reb]

And of course, I'm never shopping on Amazon again -- I was a frequent customer.

[deborah]

I did not know about the movement on Facebook. Bless FB for providing a way for the riotous to organize. It sure beats blasting windows and taking to the streets. It's a lot warmer inside for one.

I'll be boycotting until I see evidence that writers won't get shafted. Collin, I like your points about selling most of your books in other ways.

I'll share a quote from your post on my blog, because I think it's important for people to think about a variety of ways to make their books available.

For now, I'll be getting books straight from publishers and Powell's. It's not as convenient. Oh, well.

[Matt]

Does it count as a boycott if you never shopped there in the first place? If it does, I guess I'm a boycotter. Hooray for passive activism. I just need to be able to hold a book in my hands before I buy it. If the cover is glossy, I often give in to the temptation to rub it gently across my face and feel the smoothness. You just can't do that with Amazon.

[Mary]

My concern in all of this is: What next? If Amazon succeeds in taking control of POD publishing to this degree, what will they seek to control next? I don't want an Amazon or anyone else telling me what I can and can't write. Or whether I can publish what I have worked so hard to create.

I, too, will no longer shop with Amazon. And I am encouraging others to find other places to shop online as well.

[Michael Gushue]

Deborah: as far as not as convenient, I found out that when Amazon gets your order they hold it for a week, and they encourage you to buy into their "premium" program ($) where they ship thinks out immediately. . . like every other online store.

So if you order the new book by poet X, they hold your order there in the Gaithersburg warehouse, and then send it out 5-7 days later.

Reb: good advice, we'll look into doing the same as we need to do. I may even talk about putting up a little blurb/editorial about what you "get" when you order from amazon.

Mary: Amazon has always been a sorched earth cuthroat organization. Look who they give their political donation to. What will they seek to control next? Anything that turns a profit.

It's funny that 10 or so years ago the internet was supposed to be this democratic, open frontier, a Temporary Autnomous Zone for the world.