4.18 :: The fallout from Amazon
Written by KG MacGregor   
Saturday, 18 April 2009 19:25

In case you're just getting back from outer space, there was quite a dust-up at Amazon last weekend. It went something like this:

  1. Thousands of gay & lesbian titles (including all of mine) disappeared from the sales rankings and search returns.
  2. Queries by some authors to customer service were met with the response that such titles were considered "adult" content, and out of consideration for Amazon's customer base would not be ranked or listed in searches.
  3. Outrage ensued, going viral on Twitter & Facebook.
  4. Amazon initially responded to the uproar by saying it was merely a "glitch." Later, they released a statement calling it "an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error."
  5. By Wednesday, most sales ranking & search functions were restored.

Amazon is a company of people, and people make errors. We should forgive them and move along ... nothing to see. Except that I have a problem with the way their management and PR department handled the episode. I also have a problem with the way media outlets characterized their corporate statement -- which can be found here -- as an apology. Nowhere in that press release does the company express sorrow or regret, only embarrassment & hurt pride. 

It's an unfortunate fact that in today's market, niche writers like me need access to Amazon's customer base. As a consumer myself, I can certainly understand the appeal of buying from a distributor that gives you discounts and reasonable customer service. (I'll save my rant on the exhorbitant cut they demand from publishers and the used book sales that rob the authors of royalties for another day.) But I would feel better about shopping there if a genuine apology for the offense had been issued.

In other news, I've posted a couple more happenings on the Events page, and updated others. My dance card is filling up through June.

Finally, in case it somehow slipped your mind, I have a new book coming out in less than a month. I'll talk more about Small Packages next week. Come see Karin Kallmaker & me at GALLA in Ft Lauderdale next weekend.

 
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written by MC , April 19, 2009
hi kg & the fan group,

this is my personal experience with amazon. i live in canada and it's easier and cheaper to buy bulk from amazon.ca, for which i'd been doing for quite awhile when i started ordering lesfic. since about a year ago, i stopped doing that and order my books directly from the publishers. i'm willing to pay a little bit more to support the authors and the industry, not some companies which don't even respect us as normal readers. the way they categorize our books, our authors, and manage advertising space on the home page for us, are humiliating enough.

i understand sometimes it's difficult to order books from other parts of the world, and i'm lucky to live in canada. but for everyone who can get access, and afford to, please buy from the publishers.

as to your new title coming out, i can't wait to get a copy in my hand. please try and write faster if you can : )

mc
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