"Amazon books getting no shelf space"

Nora Krug's story in today's Washington Post got my attention in a big way, what with today being the day I began my upcoming (fourth) book, working title "Think Like An Anesthesiologist."

Her article related how many bookstores — both independents and chains — refuse to stock books published by Amazon, which these stores consider a predatory publisher.

Excerpts from the piece follow.

"We don't want to do anything that will support their publishing venture," said Mark LaFramboise, chief buyer for Politics & Prose in Washington.

"Amazon has not been a very cooperative fellow bookseller in any fashion," LaFramboise said. "They pretty much want nothing more than our demise."

Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal said, "We don't support Amazon’s 'Wal-Martization' of bookstores."

It's not just the independents that are protesting. Barnes & Noble also has decided not to stock New Harvest [a collaboration between Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Amazon] books in its 689 stores. "Our decision is based on Amazon's continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents, and the authors they represent," Jaime Carey, B&N's chief merchandising officer, said in a statement in January.

Without prominent display in bookstores, "authors are not going to get the kind of exposure they want," said Becky Anderson, president of the American Booksellers Association, a trade organization for independent booksellers. "If I were an author, I would think twice" about signing on with Amazon.

I am an author and I won't think twice about signing on with Amazon when it comes time to publish my new book.

Why?

Because the chance of getting a book accepted for publication with a traditional publisher is about the same as that of winning the lottery.

And then, even if you somehow manage to get published by an old-fashioned publisher, your likelihood of success is pretty minimal.

Far better to take your chances with Amazon and your own best efforts at getting the word out.

I plan to publish excerpts from my new book in progress right here on bookofjoe, taking advantage of this built-in publishing platform with instant feedback from you.