This reminds me of the video rental industry. Blockbuster's exclusive deal with the Weinstein company shut out, or tried to, independent video store retailers from renting Weinstein DVD's. It didn't work but monopolies do exist in business.
Looks like Amazon's throwing their muscle and threatening POD (print on demand) publishers. Some observers feel Amazon is targeting subsidy publishers. It could be as that's a very lucrative business. (Personally, I feel subsidy press is a big rip-off for most publishers but I guess it has its place in the publishing world.)Anyway, I'm getting off topic.
It is true that BookSurge does not offer distribution through any channel other
than Amazon.com. That's pretty limiting. It looks like Amazon's new business model is simple: Print your POD books with Booksurge if you want them to be sold by Amazon on Amazon.com. If you have another POD source, Amazon will not sell your book.
It'll be interesting to see if this works for Amazon. I bet not but time will tell.
Take care.
5 comments:
And I bet it costs a bundle too. I can't afford to pay anything to publish my books, which is exactly why I'm using POD.
Rebecca, I remember when this happened last year. Like most things once the dust settled everyone got on with publishing their books.
It actually forced me to investigate CreateSpace as an alternative to Lightning Source since I really wanted Amazon distribution.
So far things have worked out well!
Cheers!
Bernie Malonson
www.desktop-self-publishing.com
For cheaper alternatives to self-publishing, check out this website. It has tons of great information on the how-to's for any new self-publisher.
This might be a development, because this post was written some time ago, but:
Earlier in Spring 2010 I self-published "Ug Goes Out," about a caveman who quits his job at the coffee shop to learn more about who he truly is. I put it on Lulu.com and, for a fee of $25, tied it to Amazon.com. Now you can find it on both!
I have read more than one person recommend Create Space--that's my next venture for Ug's sequel.
I guess a little late to comment, but yes, Amazon distribution does have its advantages.
Authorator is content creation through collaboration and we rely on distribution networks like itunes and Amazon
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