News
Amazon denies POD is threat to UK printers
Amazon has moved to calm fears that the launch of a print-on-demand (POD) service in the UK could hit sales at on-demand book printers such as CPI Antony Rowe, Lightning Source and Printondemand-worldwide.com.
Amazon’s US-based parent had previously sparked controversy when it demanded that all on-demand books sold through its US website be printed through its own in-house printer Booksurge.
Following its announcement last week that it had launched its own POD service in the UK, using proprietary technology, Amazon stressed that the service was unrelated to Booksurge.
However, Ralph Bell, divisional general manager at CPI Antony Rowe, said the move could "potentially be damaging for the UK print industry".
He said: "It is possible that this could affect our sales and to some, it could be seen as a small nail in the coffin for UK books-on-demand."
Amazon argued that the service would significantly boost the number of books available to customers, while benefiting publishers that don’t want to run the risk of producing large print runs.
Christopher North, vice president of media at Amazon.co.uk said: "We hope to bring hundreds of thousands of books to Amazon.co.uk’s customers that might never have otherwise been available."
Amazon is working with publishers such as Faber & Faber, HarperCollins UK, and Cambridge University Press as part of the programme, which will also allow for the production of large print and foreign language titles.
Amazon: working with POD
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Comments
Clive Keeble - 16 October 2008
Well might Ralph Bell be concerned by Amazon's latest venture. Amazon have consistently shown themselves to be a avaricious predator ; a typical greedy corporation aiming at market dominance and control.
Robin Nicholas - 16 October 2008
Lets just hope that the recession will see Amazon going to the wall.
The general public will be saving their pennies for more important things right now, food, fuel, mortgage, etc. The idea of buying obscure titles produced by Amazon will not be high on their list of priorities and so with luck we can celebrate the demise of the American pirates in the not too distant future.
I for one think that the financial shake up is long overdue and needed to happen to take away the overblown sense of importance that most Americans have about their country and themselves.
Elizabeth Burton - 16 October 2008
Amazon's utilization of its own equipment to print on-demand titles will affect other printers only insofar as the number of short runs a publisher is accustomed to doing may be slightly reduced, depending on how much of their volume is sold through Amazon.
It's ironic that printers invariably get bent out of shape about this, when what Amazon is choosing to do is precisely how "print on demand" is intended to work. To be brief: Amazon wants to be able to print POD titles in the warehouse from which the books are shipped rather than keep stock on hand. Not only does this save space for them, it also cuts down on the amount of shipping and other ancillary steps required to keep a book available in the short time-frame Amazon is justifiably famous for shipping within.
Printing a book where it's sold is PRECISELY what POD is and always has been about.
In the US, for legal reasons, this procedure requires that Amazon enter into a contract with a publisher that allows them to do said printing. As the printing arm of the corporation is Booksurge, those contracts are with Booksurge.
The outcry that arose, in part because Amazon invariably tries to play things too close to their vest even when not doing so would be to their benefit, was much more complicated than simply "Amazon forcing publishers to use Booksurge."
Clive Keeble - 16 October 2008
Traditionally in this country there have been two distinct and seperate businesses - the manufacturer and the retailer.
Amazon has slowly but surely tightened the screws so that now when they control at least 15% of the total book supply in this country, now they also want to assert their power to manufacture as well as to retail.
Unless the retail supply chain is a level and transparent playing field the likelihood is that such moves as this by Amazon will endanger the prospects of established POD printers who have served the booktrade so efficiently in recent years.
Truth and Justice - 17 October 2008
[quote user="Robin Nicholas"]Lets just hope that the recession will see Amazon going to the wall.[/quote]
Well I, for one, hope not. As a consumer I find that Amazon recognises what their customers want and how to serve them in an efficient and cost concious way. They are successful. What's with your sour grapes? Can't get your own business as well run? Pathetic.
Robin Nicholas - 17 October 2008
Truth and Justice? Tard more like. Get a life, this is a free comment column and we don't have to toe any line. So try and be more civil you ignoramous.
Truth and Justice - 17 October 2008
[quote user="Robin Nicholas"]
Truth and Justice? Tard more like. Get a life, this is a free comment column and we don't have to toe any line. So try and be more civil you ignoramous.
[/quote]
My my. 'Tard' eh? We are down with the kids aren't we. Slang for retard. Charming.
"...free comment column...". Exactly. I made my mine.
"So try and be more civil you ignoramous." Pompous Moi? Stop being such an affected prig. (Look it up...)
Daniel Levi - 21 October 2008
[removed on request of author]
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