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In Defense of Amazon
Slate.com MoneyBox ^ | Sept. 2 2014 | Neal Pollack

Posted on 09/02/2014 11:52:09 AM PDT by Mad Dawgg

Last August, Amazon flew about 80 writers on its Thomas & Mercer mystery and thriller imprint—including me—to Seattle for a conference. They put us up at the Westin downtown, a nice hotel by any standard, and spent the weekend feeding us well and serving us top-shelf booze at an increasingly fabulous series of parties. There were tourist outings, the usual conference mix of panels and workshops, and a non-stressful visit to the Amazon Death Star. Also, they gave us a free Kindle Paperwhite, a nice touch.

With a few exceptions, none of the writers at the conference were particularly famous; some had only published one or two books, all with Amazon. The Seattle trip wasn’t normal treatment for them, or for anyone. I’ve published books with independents and with big corporate imprints, and I’ve published books on my own. Each of these experiences was positive in its own way. But never before had I been treated quite like this. It felt like I’d entered a glorious new age. Amazon had given me a free sneak preview of what book culture would be like from now on.

As usual, I was naive.

A year later, Amazon is embroiled in an ongoing dispute with the Hachette publishing company over e-book pricing, in which Amazon has delayed shipments and removed discounts and pre-order buttons from Hachette titles. This is a literary feud unparalleled in vitriol since Gore Vidal compared Norman Mailer to Charles Manson. One evening, I turned on The Colbert Report to find Hachette author Stephen Colbert sticking his arms up through an Amazon box, middle fingers extended. On Twitter, Colbert urged his viewers to #burndowntheamazon...

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Business/Economy
KEYWORDS:
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To: BuffaloJack
Yeah I buy my pants at Amazon. BDUs in grey. They are well made AND heavy and I can get two pair for about 60 bucks delivered. Sometimes a good bit cheaper using free gift cards I get doing Bing searches and such. Same for heavy shirts and boots etc.

I hate going to the store to try on clothes. I just hunt on Amazon then ask the seller a few questions and I have yet to get anything that does not fit. Never had a problem that wasn't immediately taken care of. As long as Amazon keeps delivery that kind of shopping experience I will probably never set foot in a clothing store again.

21 posted on 09/02/2014 12:36:40 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: Mad Dawgg

I just signed up for a free trial of Amazon plus the other day.

I love not paying sales taxes to Martin O Malley and the Dems here.


22 posted on 09/02/2014 12:44:21 PM PDT by sickoflibs (King Obama : 'The debate is over. The time for talk is over. Just follow my commands you serfs""')
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To: Mad Dawgg

I use Amazon, but I do all of my purchasing through the affiliate links on the Firearms Radio Network’s site. They get a little percentage from the purchases, without raising the price for me.


23 posted on 09/02/2014 12:46:34 PM PDT by RandallFlagg (Uninstall Fascist Firefox. Get Pale Moon.)
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http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_lc?node=3375251&tag=fireradi-20&camp=15401&creative=331585&linkCode=ur1&adid=0T94E1XEFS0ESX8ZXNFT&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Ffirearmsradio.tv%2F


24 posted on 09/02/2014 12:47:33 PM PDT by RandallFlagg (Uninstall Fascist Firefox. Get Pale Moon.)
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To: cuban leaf

Just curious, any specifics on how the employees were treated like dirt? I found some comments online and wondered if they were similar to what you heard.

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Amazon.com/reviews


25 posted on 09/02/2014 12:49:31 PM PDT by skr (May God confound the enemy)
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To: skr

The one right on the front page titled “Not Worth It” very much paralleled what happened to my one friend here that left after only a few days.


26 posted on 09/02/2014 12:56:16 PM PDT by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
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To: skr

HAHAHA! This one nails it:

Warehouse Associate - Avoid this job if you can help it

I had to go a few pages in to find it. It is a very detailed rundown of the kind of stuff my friend was telling me. And when you view it in the context of the “positive” reviews, you see what’s going on there.


27 posted on 09/02/2014 1:04:39 PM PDT by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
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To: Mad Dawgg

Thank you for the tip.


28 posted on 09/02/2014 1:07:25 PM PDT by fatnotlazy
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To: skr
I like the one complaint that said the employee was upset he only got 15 minutes in his 15 minute break...

the horror...

the horror...

[/Apocalypse Now]

29 posted on 09/02/2014 1:25:49 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: Mad Dawgg

If you have Giant Eagle, you can buy Amazon gift cards for your purchases and get $.20 off per gallon of gas for every $100. This week it’s double. Considering we do the 30 gallon limit (we fill up gas cans for lawn mower, etc.), it can bring down your gasoline costs with very little effort.


30 posted on 09/02/2014 1:31:24 PM PDT by mommyq
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To: mommyq

We don’t have them around here, but I will check and see if any of the others do, like Krogers etc. Thanks for the tip.


31 posted on 09/02/2014 1:37:28 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: Mad Dawgg
I'm not sure who's right in the Amazon-Hachette fight. I have never had a book published by Hachette.

I have a non-fiction book out through Amazon's CreateSpace. Apparently based on good sales, Amazon approached me to bring it out as a Kindle book. I had been trying to convert the graphics for Kindle and had been unsuccessful, so naturally I took them up on it. With regard to that book, they have treated me well.

I will shortly be bringing out a science fiction novel through CreateSpace. We'll see how that works. Novels are a lot tougher to sell than non-fiction aimed at a niche market.

32 posted on 09/02/2014 2:48:48 PM PDT by JoeFromSidney (Book: RESISTANCE TO TYRANNY. Available from Amazon.)
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To: Mad Dawgg

A few weeks ago I ordered a season’s worth of a particular TV show. When it got here the DVD sleeve thingy had no discs in it. I was on the phone with them immediately. The next day they sent UPS to pick up the empty DVD sleeve and the day after that a replacement DVD came in the mail. I’ve had nothing but speed and efficiency from that company.


33 posted on 09/02/2014 3:05:03 PM PDT by Lizavetta
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To: JoeFromSidney
Well I heard that after the litigation on the book price fixing law suit The Judge ordered Amazon and the old guard publishers into negotiations for book pricing (Hatchette and the other old guard publishers and Apple lost that suite IIRC)

Hachette was supposed to be first. So we will see how it all turns out.

34 posted on 09/02/2014 3:21:01 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: cuban leaf

And yet I know RV’ers who love working the Christmas season for Amazon, and return year after year.

The problem some people have is that Amazon actually expects you to WORK.


35 posted on 09/02/2014 8:10:42 PM PDT by chaosagent (Remember, no matter how you slice it, forbidden fruit still tastes the sweetest!)
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To: cuban leaf

Thank you.


36 posted on 09/02/2014 10:30:00 PM PDT by skr (May God confound the enemy)
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