PMA, The Independent Book Publishers Association, representing more than 4,000 independent publishers, is speaking out against Amazon’s recent policy aimed at publishers who use print-on-demand technology to sell directly on amazon.com. The company has directed that publishers either must print their books on demand exclusively at Amazon’s subsidiary printer for fulfillment of orders placed with Amazon, or incur additional cost to print elsewhere and maintain inventory with the online retailer.
“This policy imposes a significant financial burden on tens of thousands of small and independent publishers who can least afford it,” points out Executive Director Terry Nathan. “Without the opportunity to benefit from competitive pricing, small publishers risk at best an expensive and needless overhaul of their manufacturing process, and at worst, the loss of their livelihood.
“On behalf of all the small and independent publishers whose businesses are in jeopardy, we urge Amazon to reconsider its position,” continues Nathan. “Over the years, Jeff Bezos and his company have given small and independent publishers a level playing field to compete with the largest of companies. Suddenly, this magnificent playing field has been converted into a ‘members only’ club, to the detriment of those very publishers who have contributed to Amazon’s success. We will continue to monitor developments in the weeks ahead.”
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The recent change in policy at Amazon has been creating a lot of buzz in several small press and publishing groups. According to statements from Bezos published elsewhere, the major shift from Amazon's view is that they will no longer take orders for stock not available in the Amazon warehouse. This means either printing-on-demand through the machines at Amazon or maintaining an inventory of approximately 5 books at Amazon (as an Advantage member). We're interested to hear how many of our members would be impacted by this change.
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