Small Publishers Feel Power of Amazon’s ‘Buy’ Button

A friend forwarded this link to an article in today's New York Times. Mighty Amazon is once again wielding it's WSD (weapon of selective distruction), the "Buy" button. To access the article you might have to register but the process is fast, easy and free!!

I wrote an open letter some months ago that addressed one of Amazon's initiatives, BookSurge, and the monopolistic way Amazon was asserting this POD (print on demand) service--the use of the WSD. Below is the text of that letter.

What should writers struggle to publish their first book think about these developements in the industry? Is there cause for concern?

21st Century Robber Baron?

The alarm has been sounded. Large and small publishing houses, not to mention non-profit and self-publishers, as well as book distributors and wholesalers, are in danger of having further revenue sources appropriated by the giant Amazon.com. Are we witnessing a reemergence of the industrial robber baron of the 19th century in the book industry in the form of Amazon's BookSurge initiative that will radically change the book publishing and distribution networks into the second decade of the 21st century?

Will Amazon.com do to small and large publishing houses what Borders and Barnes and Noble did to independent book retailers in the second half of the 20th century?

Can anything be done about it?

Should anything be done about it?

Change is the only constant, we are told. Amazon.com itself is an innovation along with print on demand, and the electronic reader. The pace of change has accelerated and it demands that we change along with it or perish.

What innovations, to ensure the survival to hundreds of small independent and non-profit publishing houses and the writers they publish, will be needed to combat the affects of Amazon.com capturing more and more of the revue dollars by their monopolistic demands in the POD (print on demand) and, most probably, small runs book business?

Education is the first defense. Here are a couple of links to information on this latest development in the continuing saga of the ever changing book industry.

http://mayareynoldswriter.blogspot.com/2008/04/publishing-industry-expert-speaks.html

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/bookselling/does_amazons_shipping_news_hold_water_81358.asp?c=rss

http://amarketingexpert.com/ameblog/?p=245

http://www.writersweekly.com/the_latest_from_angelahoycom/004597_03272008.html