Those bloggers who have or were thinking of doing a POD book (myself included).
Looks like life just got a little more complicated.
It used to be that you could use any (rather, many) of the various POD publishing housaes and still end up in the Amazon catalogue.
Amazon seems to be flexing some market power: use Booksurge and be on Amazon, use anyone else and don\’t be on Amazon.
Their right to do this of course, but it does make the decision making process a little more complicated, no?
“Their right to do this of course”
Not if they abuse a monopoly power.
Amazon would need to be a monopoly to abuse monopoly power;) and it’s in the wrong business if it wants to become a monopoly.
“Amazon would need to be a monopoly to abuse monopoly power”
Indeed. Right now, I don’t think they have quite achieved monopoly status in online book sales, but it’s getting close. What are the other major book sellers online?
‘What are the other major booksellers online?’
‘Alibris’ is pretty big, and I use them often.
Mr Worstall!
Surely you are not suggesting that this is not the best of all possible worlds, that there can be an undesirable outcome without the wicked dabbling of eurocrats, regulators, politicians,…?
Tim adds: I know, amazing, isn’t it, that classical liberals can be concerned about business wielding power just as much as anyone else. Adam Smith noted it….businessmen seldom gather together, even for merriement, than it results in a conspiracy against the public….somthing like that, wasn’t it?
“‘Alibris’ is pretty big, and I use them often.”
Bookmarked. Ah, the power of information shared amongst consumers..
Just keep in mind that they might start small (POD publishers), but if they get away with these heavy handed tactics now, what’s to stop them from doing worse down the road?