PA divorces AMAZON

overfiend

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
Messages
77
Reaction score
7
REad this email i got:


Dear Author,
PublishAmerica is intensifying its ties with BarnesandNoble.com as its primary online vendor. At the same time, we are devaluating our relationship with Amazon.com. Unfortunately, we are doing this under pressure.
Amazon has informed us a few days ago that they are insisting on printing every PublishAmerica book they sell, in their own recently bought in-house digital printing facility. We have been given just over two weeks to comply. Their ultimatum implies that PublishAmerica must submit almost 60,000 separate book files (text and cover), and redo every single one of them so they conform to the complicated technical specs that Amazon's in-house press requires.

They also demand a huge increase of their own profit-per-book, which would lead to dramatically lower royalty payments for our authors on all books sold through Amazon.com. Amazon's threat: if you do not play ball, we will disable the "Buy" button for your books.
Not surprisingly, PublishAmerica refuses to be swayed by anyone's strong-arming tactics, big name or otherwise, especially given the fact that budging would mean an additional expense on the publisher's side of tens of thousands of dollars, on top of the unacceptable royalty losses for our authors.

When they tried to force our hand in the past, Amazon representatives have suggested that PublishAmerica should simply pass on its Amazon-caused expenses to its authors. Of course we have refused this. PublishAmerica never charges its authors as much as a single penny, ever. We are not going to change this winning policy under the threat of anyone's intimidation, nor are we willing to involuntarily accept any royalty cuts on behalf of our authors.
PublishAmerica's almost 30,000 titles remain available to Amazon, and we will continue to also make all future titles available to them. Amazon continues to be able to access our books the same way they, as well as all other retailers, have always accessed them, through at least four separate venues. One of those venues is LightningSource, a daughter company of the world's largest book wholesaler Ingram, which prints our books for retailers. (Amazon was attempting to take away a portion of this printing volume from Lightning Source until we prevented it.) If they want to obtain any PublishAmerica title, they can at all times, as they always have.

PublishAmerica's books will furthermore continue to be available to just about every other book retail venue as well, including all Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Books-a-Million and many other chain and independent bookstores, and to online outlets such as BarnesandNoble.com.

Barnes and Noble remains PublishAmerica's number one customer: more of our books have always been sold through Barnes and Noble and that company's online store than through any other vendor. Given the new circumstances, we now fully anticipate significant sales increases through BarnesandNoble.com and other places.
Thank you for your support. If you feel inclined to let Amazon.com know what you think of their actions, we encourage you to contact them at [email protected] or call them at 206-266-1000 or 1-866-216-1072.
Thank you,
PublishAmerica Author Support Team





Was wondering what is the angle here? May be Amazon doesn't want to seel crappy books from just anybody anymore or they found a way to get rid from dealing with PA.PA does business with barnes and Noble.I read that those guys don't do business with them meaning B&N don't want to also.What is the Deal???
Hey was wondering could this be considered some type of breach of contrat by PA that an author could use to ask for release.They do claim they will put your book once published on Amazon and others.If amazon disables buy option(surely happening) then my book (hahaha i know it didn't have a chance anyway) is not going to sell so brainstorming this all brings us to the book can't be sold on a world renouned site.
 

Elaine Margarett

High and Dry
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 24, 2007
Messages
1,718
Reaction score
282
Location
chasing windmills
Interesting...

What I got from this is that PA doesn't want to lose the profit they make from printing books, to Amazon.
 

Siddow

I'm super! Thanks for asking
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
2,719
Reaction score
2,056
Location
GA
It's not just PA books. Amazon will no longer list POD books for sale that aren't printed by Amazon's printer.

It's crazy.
 

Siddow

I'm super! Thanks for asking
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
2,719
Reaction score
2,056
Location
GA
This is a stupid question--but where it the "buy" button actually located on the amazon page? I mean, what color is it and what does it appear next to?

Tri

It's the orange "Add to shopping cart" button to the right of the book cover.
 

williemeikle

The force is strong in this one.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 17, 2005
Messages
3,737
Reaction score
670
Location
Canada
Website
www.williammeikle.com

Claudia Gray

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
2,918
Reaction score
604
On the one hand, anything that screws with PA has an upside. On the other hand, Amazon is being really hard-ass about this.
 

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
5,198
Reaction score
915
Location
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its not just amazon's site that the buy buttons have gone from. Barnes and Noble and Waldenbooks internet sites have suffered the same fate.

Really? The first one I looked at on B&N was still there.
 

Marie Pacha

Still a work in progress
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 20, 2005
Messages
828
Reaction score
135
Location
Midwest
From PA's web site: http://www.publishamerica.com/amazon.htm

"Not surprisingly, PublishAmerica refuses to be swayed by anyone's strong-arming tactics, big name or otherwise, especially given the fact that budging would mean an additional expense on the publisher's side of tens of thousands of dollars, on top of the unacceptable royalty losses for our authors. PublishAmerica never charges its authors as much as a single penny, ever. We are not going to change this winning policy under the threat of anyone's intimidation, nor are we willing to involuntarily accept any royalty cuts on behalf of our authors."

There's the real issue in bold.
 

VickyH

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 27, 2007
Messages
60
Reaction score
3
Age
69
Location
Barnsley, Uk
Website
www.victoriahoward.co.uk
PA books are not available on Barnes and Noble except from third party sellers. B&N have followed amazon's lead, thus making a mockery of PA's email to its authors.
 

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
5,198
Reaction score
915
Location
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PA books are not available on Barnes and Noble except from third party sellers. B&N have followed amazon's lead, thus making a mockery of PA's email to its authors.

Here's one that's even in a few B&N stores.
 

JulieB

I grow my own catnip
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Messages
2,403
Reaction score
213
Location
Deep in the heart o' Texas
Several PA books are available for purchase new through B&N and do qualify for free shipping. OTOH, I've noticed that books published by BookSurge are only available through third-party vendors at B&N.com.
 

VickyH

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 27, 2007
Messages
60
Reaction score
3
Age
69
Location
Barnsley, Uk
Website
www.victoriahoward.co.uk
From the B&N page for my book "

A new copy is not available from Barnes & Noble.com at this time."

Three Weeks Last Spring was available as a new book yesterday.
 

Christine N.

haz a shiny new book cover
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
7,705
Reaction score
1,336
Location
Where the Wild Things Are
Website
www.christine-norris.com
It affects Borders.com as well.

I blogged about this today and sent a bulletin to my entire friends list on MySpace. So far the response has been positive, and people will be reposting the bulletin. Maybe we can spread a boycott of Amazon across the net.