[13268] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Library links to chains and Amazon.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Parkway Publishers)
Tue Apr 18 20:15:02 2000
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 08:52:15 -0400
From: Parkway Publishers <parkwaypub@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
Message-Id: <20000418125215.21309.qmail@hotmail.com>
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I have been following the discussion on Amazon.com with some interest. I am
a book publisher. My experience with Amazon.com is very positive. Most
bookstores would not touch the books I publish. Although I publish a number
of books on topics related to western North Carolina, I have tough time
convincing many bookstores to carry my books. Bookstore chains are out of
question. We have Waldenbooks in town and those folks never heard of the
local book publisher and don't give a bleep about it either.
Having my books, book covers, tables of contents, and readers' comments on
Amazon.com levels playing field for me. My normal operating procedure is to
beg book distributors--please, please, will you carry my books? Most often
than not, I don't even get a response. Library Journal, Publishers Weekly,
and other library-oriented journals just toss my books in garbage. In
contrast, I feel I get royal treatment from Amazon.com. It treats me like I
am a big shot. I get to check how my books are going. I get my check in the
first week of every month. I don't have to send invoices, plead with
Accounts Payables and so on.
From my perspective, with all due respect to local brick and mortar
bookstores, I wish all the luck to Amazon.com because my success is tied in
with their success. Don't get me wrong--I am not against local bookstores
but, beyond a narrow perimeter, they are not that much friendlier than
chanin bookstores.
Rao Aluri
>From: Dan Lester <dan@RIVEROFDATA.COM>
>Reply-To: Dan Lester <dan@riverofdata.com>
>To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
>Subject: Re: Library links to chains and Amazon.
>Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 14:11:05 -0600
>
>Thursday, April 13, 2000, 7:13:17 AM, you wrote:
>
>TR> On the pages I was maintaining, we weren't being reimbursed by Amazon
>--
>TR> but
>TR> then, we didn't ask 'em if we could link to them, either.
>
>Amazon will never complain about linking to them. And there is NO
>reason to EVER ask anyone permission to link to them.
>
>Amazon does have an "affiliate plan" whereby if someone comes from
>your link and buys you get a small percentage of the sale. Emphasis
>on it being a small percentage. You have to set this up in advance though.
>
>Many other web retailers do the same thing.
>
>dan
>
>
>--
>Dan Lester dan@RiverOfData.com
>3577 East Pecan, Boise, ID 83716-7115 USA
>www.riverofdata.com www.postcard.org www.gailndan.com
Rao Aluri, Ph.D.
Parkway Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 3678
Boone, NC 28607
Ph&Fax (828) 265-3993
parkwaypub@hotmail.com
http://www.parkwaypublishers.com
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