Amazon Twists POD Arms

According to various stories (Writers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly, to mention a few), Amazon.com has admitted that any print-on-demand publisher that it use Amazon's Booksurge publishing services or have their Buy buttons on the book retailer's site disabled. In other words, Amazon is trying to force all POD work to go through its own facilities or else it won't sell the book. That's a form of intimidation and economic coercion that I find appalling.

This is of vital interest to all writers. What if you want to own your books and self-publish? POD doesn't provide the most ecnoomic way of doing so (and Amazon's service for individuals is no bargain). What if your publisher decides to use POD? It's an option that even the largest companies are considering. Will Amazon treat them the same way? I suspect that by going after the POD contractors, Amazon is trying to set the stage for this next natural extension - and, in fact, it appears that some smaller traditional publishers are already being pushed down that path. That means lots of books will become far less economically feasible. Guess who will be asked to drop their financial expectations? The writers. That is, if they can get a contract.

Now is the time to complain, and loudly, to Amazon.