When your genetic code can be patented, then sold back to you in the form of a cure, do you think books and authors will be treated any differently? Books and Writers are commodities. Think about it.

What we do not know is how “adult” is defined; in the situation of Amazonfail, it was clear that one employee (again, absolutely no indication at this point of intentional malice) defined certain terms as adult. As Kat points out, when this happens, and products are effectively removed from search rankings, Amazon’s position as a major player in book search and contributor to Bookscan come into play (this is why I pointed out the authors who had books released and impacted by this — they truly do not get do-overs, and this failure on the part of Amazon could have lasting repercussions. This was a side effect of the 9/11 attacks as well, things happen outside the control of the author/publisher; a horrific, horrible tragedy for all of us, but so very personal for some).

In response to the final point, the fact that they can essentially disable a person’s Kindle account (and take away their purchases — though Kirk noted in his article today some broader issues as well) hasn’t engendered trust. I know that I don’t really own the books I purchase for my Kindle, not at least in the same sense I own a paper book, but as long as I’m abiding by the terms of my license, disabling access is extremely problematic. Especially in a week when Amazon is getting so much bad press.

http://bit.ly/LLIvc

But there are two problems — one is that, intended or not, Amazon is contributing to discrimination and prejudice against the gay community by the fact that things that mention homosexuality, such as gay memoirs, have to be labeled by them with something — if not adult, then sexuality, whereas heterosexual memoirs do not necessarily. Heather Has Two Mommies is not about sex, it’s a kid’s book about families. The only label it should ever have in an equal world is children’s. So we can indeed protest and complain about Amazon’s policies there, even if we have no control over those policies.

The second problem is the fact that Amazon is the Google search of books (and for that matter, that Google is the Google of search engines.) It’s dominance of the on-line market for books, while justly earned, is becoming more and more of a problem because people also use it as a reference source as there’s not much else out there that is as comprehensive. So what Amazon does matters not just as a company selling book, but as a major database on the Internet. They essentially have an effect, if not control, on information about books. This status may change, however. Try out ISBNdb.com.

As a linked issue, there is also BookScan, where the book world is trying to be fit into a Nielsen ratings system. Amazon, as a major vendor, is part of the BookScan numbers which can effect book orders, authors getting book deals, and many other things. So Amazon’s mess up can cost authors and publishers not just short term sales loss, but potentially long term damage. So authors and publishers have a right to complain about Amazon compiles their data and does their sales rankings, even if they have no control over those things.

On a Kindle related note, here is why I’m not buying a Kindle: http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/04/16/report-amazon-kill-s.html

Should Amazon feels the need to apply an adult filter, I actually have objection, just give me a way to register to turn OFF the filer. That’s very reasonable. I can enter some pretty ‘adult’ sites just by clicking a button saying I’m over 18. Certainly there are better places for kids to find ‘adult content’ than tame old Amazon.

I’m getting very tired of people saying “it’s a private company, it can do what it wants; you can buy your books elsewhere.” Really? that’s the point? Uh, yes, I will buy my books elsewhere, thank you very much, until such time as Amazon issues a proper apology/explanation. However. Amazon is essentially the Google of book searches. So imagine if people’s websites suddenly started disappearing from Google’s search results with prior warning. Think the response would be “it’s a private company, doesn’t matter, it can do what it wants”? No way. Well, maybe Cronin would. But let’s be realistic about the majority response. The issue is one of visibility, and it’s a serious one given Amazon’s monopoly on this realm (B&N, competitor? I think not! Dreadful website).