Over the last several weeks I’ve followed the continuing war
between Hachette and Amazon, watching more and more of the publishing industry weigh
in as the pundits make this national news. In the process, I realized I had a
bit more to say about one of Amazon’s biggest falsehoods. I also want to talk a
bit more about self-publishing/independent publishing/micro publishing/[insert
your own nomenclature] and Amazon.
I am and have been an independent publisher since 1995. I’m
involved in zine and book publishing. I’m wholly supportive of other publishers
and authors. As a consumer, I do not support Amazon. I feel I need to make these
points clear.
As a book distributor (my day job for the last 10+ years),
I’ve learned that the idea of availability often trumps logic. I remember when
publishers and authors felt like their books were only successful if they were
on a store shelf – even if that store never sold a copy because the audience
was wrong, and the copies would just come back as damaged returns. Now, authors
fixate on Amazon showing their book as readily available, whether or not Amazon
actually has copies in stock.
The idea of “in stock” and “ships in 24 hours” is a huge falsehood.
The appearance of availability is a marketing
tool, and it is one of Amazon’s best weapons. What people don’t realize is that
most online vendors hold very few books
in stock. What they do have is a lot of data and sophisticated supply
chains. In its war with Hachette, Amazon has destroyed the myth of
availability. Amazon took away one-click ordering, super-fast delivery, and
pre-orders.
However, these books are just as available now as they were
before – they just aren’t showing as available on Amazon. When you order from Amazon, very often that order is
actually being fulfilled by a wholesaler. If you walk into your local bookstore
and they don’t have what you want in stock, chances are they will order it for
you, just like Amazon would have – just
like Amazon does.
***
As a zine publisher, my print runs range from 100-500
copies. That is more than a lot of books published by major academic presses. Books
published by academic presses are fully available to wholesalers, bookstores,
and online retailers. The data is out there to make the books widely available within
a variety of sales channels. The majority of zines, on the other hand, are not.
But they often sell about the same numbers. Zine publishers tend to know their
audience and have direct connection with readers. That is at the crux of so
much of the strife – readers vs. consumers. How are you viewed by the literary
businesses you support – as a reader or a consumer? Think about that for a
minute.
***
I’m not looking to make a living off of any of my personal
publishing endeavors. And that is where it gets tough for small publishers who
are indeed trying to live off their writing. Amazon has built a system where
that is possible. I don’t want to see that progress disappear. However, I
remain steadfast that Amazon is detrimental to publishing and far too powerful.
I hope that additional options are developed and utilized that help weaken
Amazon’s death-grip on the publishing industry. I think that publishers of all
sizes would benefit from that. I believe that can happen if people think about
the options and look at the myths they are being sold. I also hope
that publishers and authors look at the division Amazon has caused and repair
those bridges.
Hopefully, once people stop thinking of Amazon as a primary
source for books, publishers and readers will find each other again – ideally in
local bookstores. Publishers, once you know who your readers are, the less likely
you will need a monolithic company standing between you and them. Readers,
local bookstores need you far more than Amazon needs you. Let’s fix this mess.
