AFTER RUMOURS had spun up in late March, last week Amazon announced its attempt to corner the market for Print-On-Demand (POD) book publishing. However, a backlash is forming among POD servicers, publishers and writers.

Amazon told publishers of print-on-demand books that they could either sign up with Amazon's own BookSurge POD service or else... lose the "Buy" button on all of their titles at Amazon's high volume books and music retailing operation.

The Author's Guild appears to be leading the opposition. Its email to members describes Amazon's rationale:

"Amazon pitched this as a customer service matter, a means for more speedily delivering print-on-demand books and allowing for the bundling of shipments with other items purchased at the same time from Amazon. It also put a bit of environmental spin on the move, claiming less transportation fuel is used... when all items are shipped directly from Amazon."

It continues, "We, and many others, think something else is afoot."

What's afoot, obviously, is that Amazon is trying to muscle in on the currently dominant servicer for print-on-demand books, which is Lightning Source. It ships on-demand titles ordered through Amazon fast, direct to the customer.

As the Author's Guild points out, if Amazon can force out other POD services then it will have acquired a monopoly, effectively, and be able to increase its profits either by squeezing deeper discounts out of publishers or by raising its retail prices, or both. The Author's Guild therefore concludes:

"We suspect this maneuver by Amazon is far more about profit margin than it is about customer service or fossil fuels. The potential big losers (other than [Lightning Source]) if Amazon does impose greater discounts on the industry, are authors - since many are paid for on-demand sales based on the publisher's gross revenues - and publishers."

And they're thinking about doing something to counter Amazon, writing "We're reviewing the antitrust and other legal implications of Amazon's bold move."

The Small Publishers Association of North America has put Amazon on notice with a letter to its CEO, Jeff Bezos, and the Amazon.com Board of Directors. The Publishers Marketing Association also released a statement to the media.

Amazon, the company that decried business method patents even as it filed its own "one-click" patent, might soon have a fight on its hands. µ

L'Inq
Poddymouth