The Pick-Up Game

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 1:46 pm

alj wrote:: Now I'm really confused.

Ann, I edited for clarity. I meant, what's to stop Amazon from insisting that they POD the pubs' custom-made texts or refuse to sell the pubs' OTHER books?

Amazon UK removed buy buttons for a short time from some major pubs' books (select titles) awhile back. Mine was one of them. I think this was a prelude to exactly that.

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:05 pm

I think you really are confusing the issue, LC. You were talking about subsidy books not being vetted. This is just as true for CreateSpace as it is for Lulu or iUniverse. What Amazon allows on their site is profit driven and has nothing to do with vetting books.

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:09 pm

I was speculating that as un-vetted subsidy press books become more popular, something may happen that makes Amazon (or any other online merchant) decide it is too risky to sell them. Which would be a profit-driven decision. Ann then asked what Amazon would do with its own press. I imagine they would figure out something. Like strong-arming commercial houses (who vet their books) into PODing only with them. Maybe even requiring them to print all their books only with them in exchange for a buy button. Who knows?

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:12 pm

LC wrote:: I was speculating that as un-vetted subsidy press books become more popular, something may happen that makes Amazon (or any other online merchant) decide it is too risky to sell them. Which would be a profit-driven decision. Ann then asked what Amazon would do with its own press. I imagine they would figure out something. Like strong-arming commercial houses (who vet their books) into PODing only with them. Maybe even printing all their books only with them. Who knows?

But they have their own press printing them, so will they refuse to sell their own books?

Ann

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:12 pm

LC wrote:: I was speculating that as un-vetted subsidy press books become more popular, something may happen that makes Amazon (or any other online merchant) decide it is too risky to sell them. Which would be a profit-driven decision. Ann then asked what Amazon would do with its own press. I imagine they would figure out something. Like strong-arming commercial houses (who vet their books) into PODing only with them. Maybe even requiring them to print all their books only with them in exchange for a buy button. Who knows?

I think your speculating is slightly off. To be honest, I think it is completely off.

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:14 pm

alj wrote:: But they have their own press printing them, so will they refuse to sell their own books?

Not if they're commercially vetted books.

Shelagh -I may very well be totally off, wouldn't be the first time. Smile

I'd like to know why the buy button disappeared for several months on my, and other texts on UK Amazon awhile back.

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:18 pm

I think there is a long thread on the forum all about it. I'll find it and post the link.

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:19 pm

Here's the link:

http://www.publishedauthors.org/information-f21/amazon-putting-the-squeeze-on-pod-publishers-t343.htm

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:26 pm

Shelagh, I'm skimming the thread ...nothing I see in it so far contradicts what I just said.

My published text is not with a subsidy press or printed on demand. It's with a major NY publisher, has been adopted by about 30 universities and colleges, and even has some commercial appeal, because it's on some B/N shelves (with its $95 price tag, lol). About ten or so months ago its buy button disappeared for two months on Amazon's UK site. Buy buttons from same-genre texts from this pub and other major pubs also disappeared. Then they re-appeared. Does the thread address why that might have happened?

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:31 pm

I think Abe mentioned that his buy button was back on Amazon.com but no explanation about why his book and not all PA books -- which is weird!

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:38 pm

I finished the thread. Nothing in there contradicts what I said; in fact, some comments supported it.

Hand me my tinfoil hat, because I suspect that the removal of my buy button was part of an experiment to see if Amazon could actually pull something like that off. All the buy buttons I noticed gone were from pubs that participate in a program that allows teachers to customize books from the pubs'(vetted) print books, and students to download and print them up (for a fee, of course).

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:49 pm

There are other choices.

Carol

Subject: Re: The Pick-Up Game Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:31 pm

Quote :: They've already dropped their Buy Button from every POD except their own, haven't they?

My POD book on Amazon.com has a buy button.

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