Publishers Struggling in the Amazon
June 2, 2014
I have been watching the smoke from the artillery fire between Amazon and Hachette. I learned more about monopsony as an up and coming MBA buzzword than I wanted to know. (See “How Book Publishers Can Beat Amazon,” New York Times, page A 19, May 31, 2014 and maybe online at http://nyti.ms/1twSPv2). I also learned that Amazon is a bully. (See Amazon’s Bullying Tactics, same newspaper, same page, and same date and maybe online at http://nyti.ms/T1rxlA one hopes.) Then the June 2, 2014 International New York tossed in some personal anguish in “Alone in the Ring with Amazon” on page 17 and not available online as I write this.
Let me summarize the approach of these write ups: Bad Amazon. Good publishers.
It seems that the buggy whip makers are annoyed at the motor powered vehicle. Amazon needs to make a profit, so it is doing what every good MBA-type does. Amazon is trying to increase its margins.
Bad Amazon. Shame on you for wanting to serve your stakeholders.
Let me summarize one of my experiences with one “real” publisher. The outfit is IDC, founded by the now deceased Pat McGovern. IDC published four reports as their own in 2012. No big deal, right? Well, the research for the reports was completed by me. IDC put my name and the names of a couple of my researchers on the reports. But there was one little anomaly in this deal. IDC did not issue a contract and continued to sell the fruits of my labor for two years until my attorney managed to get IDC to remove the reports from its online store. When I pressed for money, the IDC outfit had an human resources person call me to manage this particular human resource. My attorney was able to get a letter from IDC that said, in effect, sign this and agree never to tell anyone that we violated your notion of proper conduct. I did not sign. IDC continues to sell my work under their brand via Amazon too. Yep, square dealing from a real publisher. Do I care? Sure. Does anyone else? Nah, why should they? Aren’t publishers the good buys of the information world. These outfits are, I thought, incapable of nicking, scamming, and double dealing. I keep sending invoices. Perhaps IDC will pay one day? Hope springs eternal?
Was my experience with IDC an isolated incident of a big “real” publishing company trampling on the individual author?
Probably not.
So, when I read about the bully Amazon, my reaction is, “Invade and do the scorched earth thing, Amazon.”
My hunch is that others who have been unpaid and underpaid for their work by “real” publishers may feel the same way. If the author cheerleaders for Hachette and other big publishers are happy with their deals, good for them. When the economics of online shrink those advances and royalty checks, my thought is, “Maybe self publishing is better option?”
For many individuals, “real” publishing may not the Mr. Clean bathroom chemical for every content need.
Stephen E Arnold, June 2, 2014
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2 Responses to “Publishers Struggling in the Amazon”
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Yes, I also have written articles “For Sale” and the publishers have put them in ‘letters to the editor’ and not paid me, then one had the audacity to send it to an aggregator of articles to sell to paying clients.
Other research has been used by authors in their book with no attribution to me.
Then Judge Chin has the audacity to reverse himself after finding Google in infringement, and calling that infringement ‘fair use’….thus changing the copyright law without Congressional action.
And the copyright law allows anyone free access to anybody’s work if it is republished for the handicapped in an different process, i.e., large print, on special software for speech.
Authors and their research and capabilities are apparently fair game for anyone including the major publishers now owned by 5 megcorporations trying to make up for their acquisition debt.
[…] Amazon as a bully, the poor publishers as victims, and authors as collateral damage. Some of us hesitate to accept this interpretation. Indeed, if a letter cited in an article we found at TechDirt is accurate, Hachette is at least as […]