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Marti Lawrence
Joined: 04 Feb 2006
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Angela Hoy
Joined: 28 Mar 2008
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Ken Anderson
Lulu Power Poster
Joined: 31 Jan 2007
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 Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:25 am Post subject: |
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From Amazon
Is Amazon requiring that print-on-demand books be printed inside Amazon's own fulfillment centers, and if so why?
Yes. Modern POD printing machines can print and bind a book in less than two hours. If the POD printing machines reside inside our own fulfillment centers, we can more quickly ship the POD book to customers -- including in those cases where the POD book needs to be married together with another item. If a customer orders a POD item together with an item that we're holding in inventory -- a common case -- we can quickly print and bind the POD item, pick the inventoried item, and ship the two together in one box, and we can do so quickly. If the POD item were to be printed at a third party, we'd have to wait for it to be transhipped to our fulfillment center before it could be married together with the inventoried item. Speed of shipping is a key customer experience focus for us and it has been for many years. Amazon Prime is an example of a successful and growing program that is driving up our speed of shipment with customers. POD items printed inside our own fulfillment centers can make our Amazon Prime cutoff times. POD items printed outside cannot.
Another question: Do I need to switch completely to having my POD titles printed at Amazon?
No, there is no request for exclusivity. Any publisher can use Amazon's POD service just for those units that ship from Amazon and continue to use a different POD service provider for distribution through other channels.
Seems clear enough and fair enough to me. |
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UVSAR
Joined: 04 Mar 2007
Posts: 1495
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| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:31 am Post subject: |
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| Ken Anderson wrote: | | Seems clear enough and fair enough to me. |
Not to the people whose titles cannot use Booksurge it isn't! There's no US letter trim (or anything even close to it) and color books are limited to 100 pages. |
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Ken Anderson
Lulu Power Poster
Joined: 31 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:04 am Post subject: |
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I agree that is the case at the moment but I'm like to believe their machinery inventory is seeing some major investment.
I'm also that something similar is happening in the UK.
Keeps ear firmly stuck to the ground
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Julie Dawson
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 4442
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| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:27 am Post subject: |
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| UVSAR wrote: | | Ken Anderson wrote: | | Seems clear enough and fair enough to me. |
Not to the people whose titles cannot use Booksurge it isn't! There's no US letter trim (or anything even close to it) and color books are limited to 100 pages. |
Then use the Advantage program, cought up the $29 a year, and send them 5 copies for stock.
As Ken pointed out, it all seems pretty logical and fair to me. Amazon has no legal, moral, or ethical obligation to automatically make every single POD title available on its site. Just like no bookstore has a legal, moral, or ethical obligation to stock every single book.
Folks, publishing is a business, not a charity. As I pointed out earlier in this thread, Amazon figured out a way to increase their own revenue, better service their customers, potentially INCREASE your revenue per sale by dealing with them directly (if you need to see the breakdown again, it's on my blog).
You do not HAVE to buy a booksurge package. Set up a free Createspace account. OK, so every conceiveable option you want isn't yet available. REFORMAT AND GET OVER IT. That is what business people do. This is a business. It isn't about any particular self-publishing author's fragile ego. It isn't a personal vendetta against any particular self-publishing author specifically. It is a business decision designed to deal with an ongoing problem regarding how POD in normally handled by LSI and third party POD services. Amazon is not obligated to lose money just because Sally Self-Publisher wants to list her novel on the site in order to sell...what...five a year?
Yes, yes, I know people in this thread sell more than five a year. But we aren't talking about the exceptions to the rule. How many POD titles are listed on Amazon right now with zero sales rank? Or a rank of like 7,000,000 or something to indicate the author is probably the only person who bought a copy? We all know the norm. The average POD title sells 100 copies, mostly directly by the author to friends, family, or direct sales. As Theresa pointed out earlier, as it is you can't find anything on Amazon just by browsing because the site is so overwhelmed with listings (many out of date or duplicates, BTW).
I have to quote the owner of Adamant Entertainment, who made a great statement regarding a similar dust up occurring on another vendor service.
| Quote: | | I have zero interest in hearing any more about how every publisher is a Unique and Special Snowflake who deserves everything handed out equally in a Rainbow Land of Unicorn Self-Esteem. |
I think this applies here. If this new program from Amazon clears out a million dead listings by authors who are either too emotionally distressed over the notion of change or too lazy to reformat a book or set up a free acount at Createspace to keep a book in stock, bravo.
Gang, get use to this. This sort of customization of programs is the norm in retail. I work in contract packaging. Each retailer has its own set of specifications of how displays can look and what they can have on them. Many have specific requirements as to the type of material that can be included in displays. And I'm not just talking Walmart. Small regional chains can be just as demanding. And business have to decide to either follow those rules or not sell in those chains. |
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Adam
Lulu Staff
Joined: 02 Feb 2006
Posts: 2520
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| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:34 am Post subject: |
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We would like to assure our users that Lulu continues to have a strong relationship with Amazon..com. As a result, the recent changes Amazon.com has announced should not adversely affect Lulu content listed within Amazon.com in any way.
Regards,
Adam
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Carol Hightshoe
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:40 am Post subject: |
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Adam,
Can you give us any specifics?
Will Lulu now be working through BookSurge for books to listed on Amazon and LSI for other distribution avenues. WIll we be losing the association with LSI and thereby the Ingram distribution avenue.
While I very grateful that it does not appear Lulu will be adversely affected by this, I would greatly appreciate some clarification.
Being a micro-press that is using Lulu because of the convience it offers me, I still want to be able to assure my authors that they will not have too worry about their books on Amazon and to do that properly some specifics are needed.
Thanks for looking out for us. |
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Ken Anderson
Lulu Power Poster
Joined: 31 Jan 2007
Posts: 2799
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| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:45 am Post subject: |
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Adam says,
| Quote: | | We would like to assure our users that Lulu |
it would be far nicer if he used the word 'customers' and not 'users' for after all that's what we are.
But perhaps that's going a step too far for Lul as we might then expect some "customer service"! |
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Gardner_C
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 79
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| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:01 am Post subject: |
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I agree with you Julie -- totally -- before I stick my two cents in, how do you feel about Createspace quality? I really have no weigh in on that. I have heard the quality is the same as with Lsi and some have said better than lulu's printer, and some older comments about booksurge say it's worse.
But as far as author considerations go:
Lulu is free, if you just want your books on lulu. Not a bad deal. $99.95 for distribution is actually a good deal considering what they provide: a one-off isbn, wizards, and a host of free tools that get your books formatted, and they do all the administrative work as far as listing and uploading the files where they need to go and the distribution is wide ranging. For all that, yes, they do get a bigger cut and have to make some compromises.
You could go direct with LSI, start your own imprint and buy your own isbns from bowkers at $245.00 for a block of ten, then, LSI is not free: $75.00 setup-up fee per book, $30.00 overnight proof copy, and $12.00 per year cataloging fee which never goes away. Yes, they offer more choice of trim sizes, but, they offer no assistance, you still have to buy your own isbns, not to mention that you have to know what you are doing to format the files to their specs -- including owning the software to do it.
Or...
Amazon Createspace is free. No set up, no charge for one of their isbns (although they do not register them I hear) but there is no assistance either, again, you have to know what you are doing, have the software, and be able to format to their specs. Trim and products are limited (for now maybe) and it only gets you distribution with Amazon US (that may be enough for most of us). You get more royalties though and they do direct deposit (no checks).
6x9 seems to be the standard size across all options ... which I hate because industry standard for paperbacks is roughly 5.25x8. I like 6x9 for harcovers which is standard, and lulu is the only one offering the pocket size but not for distribution. Color books LSI offers the most flexibility.
When you take all those options and some of the fees other self-pod places charge into consideration, Lulu is actually more value for the money spent, even with less royalties. If they can iron out a deal with amazon that does not effect their authors too adversely, then they will really be king of the poo pile, and this really benefits authors who need administrative services.
Every author has to decide what their needs really are and what is important to them and what fits into their business model. If they need assistance and everything tidy and packaged then they need lulu. And who knows, lulu may work a deal that might make them more appealing, cost and time wise, and none of this will really have an impact. Variables, there are always variables to consider.
Doesn't mean I appreciate Amazon's strong arm tactics, it steams my nuggets, but that is capitalism, and this country was founded on the strong arm -- I don't see that changing, and a couple thousand pod authors aren't going to change it either. Amazon was doing quite well before we came on the scene and will continue with or without us. Sad facts, but facts nonetheless.
It's Darwinism at its finest -- we have to adapt to the climate change or perish. So does Lulu, Amazon, and everyone else.
I like the "Unique and special snowflake" reference ... they used that in Fight Club. I guess we could all pull a fight club and boycott Amazon, but would it really do anything?
Reformatting is a minor nuisance, at best. |
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