Amazon, the greedy giant with small publishers in its grip

To sell online, indie publishers must use Amazon. But its methods leave them out of pocket – or out of sight, paying hidden charges, says the founder of Linen Press Indie publishers need transparency and support from online companies that sell their books. Amazon fails such publishers on both counts. Ostensibly, it offers two ways of selling, but only one – the costly Amazon Advantage – does the job. So, in effect, Amazon offers no choice at all, since the successful sales method is financially prohibitive. The cheaper, more confusing marketing option disadvantages small publishers by making them less visible on Amazon and landing them with hidden problems and costs. Related: Amazon's profits are small publishers' losses Related: Amazon is not the small publisher's enemy We’re down to a profit of 60p. But after the author's royalty, we're in minus figures Related: My week as an Amazon insider Our authors expect us to sell on Amazon, but they don't always know the full and hidden story Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #small publishers #indie publishers #online companies #small publisher

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