Rumors Confirmed: Amazon.com's New Policy Regarding Print-On-Demand Books
April 17, 2008 by
As March 2008 drew to a close and April began, the Internet whirled with rumors about a new policy at Amazon.com regarding print-on-demand books. The news broke first on blogs of writers and publishing execs, but anything verified or confirmed was hard to come by. The 
Wall Street Journal picked up the story but qualified itself due to such sources. Still, the rumors persisted.
Being the author of a print-on-demand book myself ("Following Hope", Xlibris 2007), I was concerned about these rumors. What were they? It was claimed that Amazon.com was shutting off the "buy" buttons on all print-on-demand books not printed through Amazon's POD service BookSurge so that these would no longer be available through Amazon except through third party or used books sellers registered with Amazon.com. The rumors followed swift on the heels of the scandal involving PublishAmerica and some thought the mega-webstore was using that scandal as an excuse to put a monopoly on the print-on-demand industry by thus restricting one of the foremost markets for such books.
There is some merit to this concern. Amazon.com is the premier online retailer of books. POD services and the books they publish rely heavily- sometimes exclusively- on online sales. As much as 80% of such online sales could be from Amazon.com and related companies in some cases. Since more books are
being printed via POD services today than by traditional publishers, the possible losses in that case could be massive to certain POD services and especially the authors employing them.
As the rumors gathered momentum, someone set up an online petition against Amazon's decision. The deadline given for the full-scale shut-off of the "buy" buttons was rumored to be April 1, 2008. Well, April 1st came and went, and I found that the "buy" button for my book still worked. Was this perhaps an April Fools scam? Because of the implications of such an action on the POD industry and the publishing industry as a whole as well as on my own interests as a writer, I determined to find out the truth.
Rumors Confirmed: Amazon.com's New Policy Regarding Print-On-Demand Books
Being the author of a print-on-demand book myself ("Following Hope", Xlibris 2007), I was concerned about these rumors. What were they? It was claimed that Amazon.com was shutting off the "buy" buttons on all print-on-demand books not printed through Amazon's POD service BookSurge so that these would no longer be available through Amazon except through third party or used books sellers registered with Amazon.com. The rumors followed swift on the heels of the scandal involving PublishAmerica and some thought the mega-webstore was using that scandal as an excuse to put a monopoly on the print-on-demand industry by thus restricting one of the foremost markets for such books.
There is some merit to this concern. Amazon.com is the premier online retailer of books. POD services and the books they publish rely heavily- sometimes exclusively- on online sales. As much as 80% of such online sales could be from Amazon.com and related companies in some cases. Since more books are
being printed via POD services today than by traditional publishers, the possible losses in that case could be massive to certain POD services and especially the authors employing them.
As the rumors gathered momentum, someone set up an online petition against Amazon's decision. The deadline given for the full-scale shut-off of the "buy" buttons was rumored to be April 1, 2008. Well, April 1st came and went, and I found that the "buy" button for my book still worked. Was this perhaps an April Fools scam? Because of the implications of such an action on the POD industry and the publishing industry as a whole as well as on my own interests as a writer, I determined to find out the truth.
If you are just starting out, or need a basic collection of books to add to your library, these books are where you should begin.
By Hyacinth Winters | Published 6/26/2007 | Read more »
As a mother, nanny, and student in early childhood education, I have come across plenty of reading materials for children. Just as it is important for a child to read fiction, it is equally important for a child to read literature based on science and other subjects.
By Lyn Lomasi | Published 8/27/2007 | Read more »
Using your local community is a great way to promote your books, and this article will tell you how to do just that.
By Misti Sandefur | Published 7/26/2007 | Read more »
Before I buy books, especially for my kids, I will check out bookcloseouts.com first. They are a terrific online source for inexpensive books.
By Lchaim | Published 9/10/2007 | Read more »
There are those who love to read books, and then there are those who love to read and love books. Here are three books that every book lover will want on their shelf.
By Bruno Somerset | Published 9/17/2007 | Read more »
Valuable books lurking in attics? Finding them is the job of book scouts, people who professionally search for rare, valuable or collectible books. With book collecting growing as a hobby, now is the time to take up book scouting.
By Jennifer Taylor | Published 9/24/2007 | Read more »
Most Comments Today
- Death at Disney World in Orlando, Florida Monorails collide one driver has died at the Disney World Theme Park in Orlan... 28 Comments
- Why Would a Web Writer Drop DayLife.Com? Before I share my story with you, dear readers, I want to point out that Dayl... 20 Comments
- A Little Good News Today Here is...a little good news today. 20 Comments
- Healthy Eating or "Nickeled and Dimed" into Disease - Whi... Just an educated guess at what causes some of our crazy modern-day health pro... 15 Comments
- Powerful Anesthetic Diprivan Found in Michael Jackson's H... Authorities have announced that a powerful anesthetic called Diprivan was fou... 15 Comments
- Forty is Fierce! I passed forty up a couple of years ago so I think I am now qualified to comm... 15 Comments
Sabne Raznik
Posted on 05/01/2008 at 10:05:02 AM
Posted on 04/30/2008 at 1:04:39 PM
Pam Gaulin
Posted on 04/17/2008 at 8:04:56 PM
Posted on 04/17/2008 at 7:04:51 PM