Amazon Pulls 5000 IPG Titles from Kindle

[John McFetridge]

From Publisher's Weekly:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselli...

 

"Amazon’s months-long effort to wring better terms and higher co-op from publishers, first reported by PW in December, has resulted in its first break with one of its vendors. In a special alert sent Tuesday, IPG president Mark Suchomel told his distribution clients that Amazon has failed to renew its agreement with IPG to sell Kindle titles. As of February 21, Suchomel wrote, “the Amazon.com website no longer offers for sale any electronic titles from any of IPG's client publishers. All print editions are still available, as always.”

 

IPG is the distributor of about 200 publishers. Including mine. Sigh.

One of the stories mentioned the book "Boardwalk Empire" as one of the IPG bestsellers being pulled.

 

[Benjamin Sobieck]

If you're a distributor, how does it get to this point? If you're a publisher, what do you do next?

[John McFetridge]

I have no idea, Ben. For me this is the third time something like this has happened. Harcourt bought US rights to my novel Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, and before it was published they merged with Houghton Miflin, laid off my editor and pretty much dropped the book (they didn't even bring out the paperback version). My next book, Let It Ride, was bought by St. Martins and before it came out my editor took a job with a different publisher and they pretty much dropped it (also didn't bring out a paperback) and the week it was due McMillan pulled their books from Amazon. Now I have a new book, Tumblin' Dice, coming out next week from an IPG publisher (ECW Press) and it won't be available for Kindle.

I suppose this will all work itself out someday I just wish it would settle down now ;)

 

[Benjamin Sobieck]

That just sucks, John. I hope this is straightened out soon.

[Jon Loomis]

Ugh.  Sorry, John.  Reminds of last year when Amazon pulled all of the MacMillan titles.  Not sure why you nedd a distributor for ebooks--seems like an obvious anachronism--but no doubt the answer lies in the distribution contracts for paper books.  Once again, Amazon flexes its considerable muscle.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

There are good reasons a publisher would use a distributor for e-books. You hand them the catalog, they make sure it's clear with the retailer. Sort of like Smashwords, but on a larger scale. It's more of an outsourcing thing, I imagine.

[John McFetridge]

IPG have been around since the 70s. They distribute over 200 publishers - mostly university presses and small publishers. The e-books are fairly new to them but it seems the crux of the issue is that Amazon is insisting on very different terms than everyone else.

But it's just for Kindle, Amazon will continue to sell print books from IPG publishers. And, of course, IPG books will still be available for every other e-reader. I don't have a Kindle, is it possible to read other kinds of files on it? Could you buy an ePub book from an indie bookstore and read it on your Kindle?

 

[Benjamin Sobieck]

So long as there isn't DRM on the file, people should be able to convert into .mobi for Kindle. PDF files work on Kindle, too, and those are pretty universal. I suspect there are apps for Kindle Fire that would allow you to buy and read from other retailers, such as B&N. Can't be positive, because I've not gotten my paws on a Fire.

[I. J. Parker]

Very sorry, John.  It does sound a little as though the publisher may be at fault.  Instead of accepting the electronic world, a lot of publishers have used all sorts of stratagems designed to undermine Amazon. And why isn't the publisher already set up to format and upload its titles directly?  Why another middle man?  Knowing contract language, my guess is that your royalties are based on the net amount after everybody else has been paid.

[Stacy]

Oh John I'm so sorry. What the hell is Amazon doing? Oh yeah, trying to take over the world I suppose. This is getting ridiculous and to think some folks think it's good for Amazon to have all this power. Wait till they start screwing over the Kindle authors and let's see how great people will think Amazon is then.

[I. J. Parker]

Kindle authors have usually been screwed over by their publishers.  That's why they are Kindle authors.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

Amazon must keep its Kindle authors happy, though. E-books are not a necessity, so it's very easy to go somewhere else. In the future, the big names might not need Amazon at all. They could sell directly to consumers through their websites, cutting out the middle man entirely.

[I. J. Parker]

Well, there is the convenience of having all your books in one place.