Amazon Changes Small Press Rules

There has been a lot of controversy over Amazon’s new rule that books must either be listed through their own POD service, or books must be on the warehouse floor.

Authors are upset because many publishers are refusing to pay to list their books through Amazon’s system.

The confusion is based on a few things. Amazon is a bookstore. And, like any other bookstore, they have a right to choose which books they sell from their outlet.

Being online does not force them to list all books that are in distribution. There are other online bookstores which use the same system of housing books in a warehouse, and few publishers or authors complain if their books are not listed.

The only people who face a serious problem are small POD publishers. They are being forced to pay more money to get their books into channels that sell. While the fee is negligible, in publishing terms, it can severely limit the publishing capabilities of companies that try to release as many books a year as possible.

It has caused a lot of concern for authors. Will their books be removed from Amazon? The answer is probably ‘yes.’ They will need to contact their publishers and find out what their policy will be.

Will it have an effect on books that are listed on the ‘satellite’ Amazon sites such as Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.ca? No, there is no indication that the policy will change how the other Amazon divisions list books.

Third party bookstores list authors books on Amazon. They will continue to list their books on Amazon. So, mid list publishers will continue to have listings on Amazon.