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Amazon Demands BookSurge

By Garrett Edward Godwin

When BookLocker.com co-owner Angela Hoy heard rumors of several Print on Demand (POD) publishers that used BookSurge - a small publisher/printer - and that they'd have the "buy" button on their Amazon.com book pages turned off, she didn't want to believe it. So, she emailed Amazon/BookSurge representative John Clifford.

"He said, 'What? Who told you that? That's not true!" Hoy talks about their correspondence in her online blog. "I told him I'd heard some rumors from the 'POD underground' ... I explained to him that we had more than 1500 books in print and that it would take quote awhile to convert all of those over to BookSurge's system. He said as long as the relationship was 'moving forward' that the 'buy' button would remain active on our authors' books that had not yet been switched."

BookSurge has spent last year trying to pave their way into the market share of pod leader Lightning Source and is using the selling prestige of Amazon to increase more business.

"I feel like the flea between two giant elephants" one pod publisher explained about the upcoming war between Lighting Source and BookSurge/Amazon. He also said that though the BookSurge will cost more money, there is no other way because most of his authors expect their titles to be on sale with Amazon. Still, his company will also continue to use Lightning Source for printing as well. Amazon's BookSurge mandate extends to both traditional publishers and online pod houses.

One Amazon spokesperson said this new policy will allow the company to become one with several products that customers might buy at Amazon, which would be combined in the same package. However, she also said that publishers who don't have BookSurge for pod, they can still use Amazon's Advantage Program - which works on a consignment model - or third party vendors to sell their pod books.

Sources: Publishers Weekly, Writers Weekly