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Do Writers or Publishers of Print on Demand Books Have to Use BookSurge or Face Amazon's Refusal to Sell Their POD Books There?

New Rules Increase Amazon's Monopoly for This Type of Book on Their Site

By jcorn, published Mar 30, 2008
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Have you heard the latest news about print on demand books and Amazon? If you publish print on demand books and intend to sell them on Amazon, well....you probably can't, if all the latest news about print on demand books and Amazon is correct (see links below).

If you don't use Amazon's Book Surge program, your print on demand books may be turned away by Amazon. Finished there. Unsellable. Many recent media reports as well as posts on blog sites indicate that a change is in the wind. This leaves publishers of POD books facing the fact that their "buy" buttons for these books on Amazon will literally be turned off, leaving them with no sales unless they go through Amazon's BookSurge program.

Here is one link you might want to check out at ComputerWorld.com: www.computerworld.com/action/article.do The news has also been covered in The Wall Street Journal and other places. In a possible breaking development, one publisher, PublishAmerica has a page that notes that all its "buy" buttons have been turned off at Amazon! You can see this information here:

www.writersweekly.com/the_latest_from_angelahoycom/004597_03272008.html

as well as links to a huge number of articles and blogs which cover the breaking news.

Disclaimer: while I am listing the site above for informational purposes, I want to be clear that statements and allegations written by Angela Hoy there represent her beliefs and statements about the threat to print on demand publishers who want to sell on Amazon. I think the information is worth spreading and thinking about.

How are booksellers reacting to this?

When it comes to viewpoints on this, they are all over the place. Some people are screaming "Monopoly!" and feeling financially squeezed, wondering if this is the first salvo in Amazon's attempt to control book buying and selling more tightly.

 
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Takeaways
  • Print on demand publishers learn that only BookSurge POD books can be sold on Amazon directly
  • Reports come out that some print on demand books are no longer available through Amazon
  • Monopoly may be more than a game sold on Amazon
Did You Know?
Breaking reports indicate that POD companies such as Whiskey Creek Press and PublishAmerica books may no longer be able to sell their books directly on Amazon
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Comments
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My mystery and poetry book are both put out by POD's and I think this whole things stinks. Did you know in order for POD publisher to sell through Amazon they were adding a $10 more price to the books that are POD. This stinks too. My little books were $20 and are now $30, and people wont pay that for a short book. Amazon is for the birds. I will never agin order anythign from them.

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Posted on 05/20/2008 at 11:05:41 AM

 
Thanks for the heads up,will trod carefully as I am looking to publish.Anyone heard of lulu.com and their reputation? Please help if you know anything or would like to recommend a POD service that works fine for you.Thank you all

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Posted on 04/14/2008 at 4:04:03 PM

 
This is something to think about. Thanks for the heads up.

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Posted on 04/08/2008 at 8:04:16 AM

 
Very interesting.

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Posted on 04/02/2008 at 6:04:52 PM

 
Judi - Comments get arbitrarily cut off here for length but I hope people look up and read the entire info, as well as Amazon's newest letter today. I believe that one affirms the decision to require publishers to use Amazon's POD services only - at this point - if they want to sell through Amazon.

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Posted on 04/02/2008 at 1:04:43 AM

 
To your credit, Jane, I stand corrected and was not aware of this situation in which I am appalled. As I e-mailed you, I received an e-mail from my main source pod, Lightening Source, who is owned by Ingram and handles distribution for clients. Lightening Source states: "Lightning Source has been following the recent press coverage and discussions about Amazon.com 
and BookSurge. We are aware of the concern this is causing the publishing community. The issue centers around Amazon.com tying the availability of your books and terms of sale at Amazon.com to the production of books at the Amazon.com subsidiary BookSurge, specifically requiring you to use BookSurge in order to sell on Amazon.
 Like you, we are very concerned about any conduct that would serve to limit a publishers choice in supply chain partners and to negatively impact the cost of your products to consumers. We believe that choice and selection of best of class services are critical to the long term s

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Posted on 04/01/2008 at 8:04:10 PM

 
Wow. Crazy. Very sad news for all those POD publishers and the people who use them.

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Posted on 04/01/2008 at 7:04:49 PM

 
Judi - Same here, always good to have open communication and information. I hope you keep me informed on whatever you find out about the situation as it develops, since you are the voice of experience and I learned much from speaking with you :)

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Posted on 04/01/2008 at 4:04:31 PM

 
Hi Jane! I apologize at my strong comment -- it was intended towards Amazon and Book Surge - not you. I am not a fan of Book Surge, Infinity and many other one-stop "publishing" houses. As we spoke today, I do not believe this will happen but will do my own research and get back to you. It was great talking to you and a pleasure to meet you!

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Posted on 04/01/2008 at 4:04:49 PM

 
could not (for now) try to sell at sites other than Amazon but see how things change in those stores in the next year for POD books. As they become competitive, bookstores seem to react.

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Posted on 04/01/2008 at 1:04:35 PM

 
Judi- What you wrote WAS correct until recently. Your past experience may not indicate Amazon's current policy. Did you check out the links and the articles that have been written from March 28 and 29th onwards. How would you respond to the fact that Patty Smith from Amazon spoke to ComputerWord (see link above and breaking news) about the fact that POD publishers and print on demand companies MUST publish their books through BookSurge if they want the books sold DIRECTLY through Amazon....this is not about self-published authors but about POD publishers and the financial and other constraints put on them to confirm to one source of POD form for their books - and one publisher -in order to sell DIRECTLY on Amazon. As far as Third-party sellers go, they can pay $29.95 per year to sell through Amazon's Advantage program or other THIRD party marketplace seller programs. These are IMPORTANT distinctions, ones i wish you'd note before calling my article "ridiculous" And I NEVER said people

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Posted on 04/01/2008 at 1:04:47 PM

 
With all due respect to Judi, I think the over 68 links that have been published by POD publishers and others who've kept up with recent developments might beg to differ. Publisher's Weekly and others do not cover these events without some research, based on what I've read there. This was also covered in other leading publications. Yes, they make mistakes but other POD publishers besides BookSurge (and BookSurge IS put out by Amazon or affiliated with it) have noted their buttons to buyers will be turned off - or are.

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Posted on 04/01/2008 at 1:04:26 PM

 
Oh, her website is http://judilake.com Check her out! (I sent this article to her for her 2 cents.)

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Posted on 03/31/2008 at 10:03:51 PM

 
Another comment. Hi, Judi! Listen to Judi Lake. She's been a great marketer for self-published authors for many years. AND she knows what she's talking about. I'm proud to call her "friend", too.

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Posted on 03/31/2008 at 10:03:03 PM

 
This is nonsense! I work with many self published authors WHO DO NOT USE BOOK SURGE and each book is on Amazon, b&n, books a million ets.... be careful what you listen to... as I always say, "ignorance is not bliss."

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Posted on 03/31/2008 at 10:03:45 PM

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