Amazon IS removing all erotica from the sales rankings. It’s Official.

[erastes]

I haven’t had an official reply, but Mark Probst has, and this is what they said to him:

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.

Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us.

Best regards,

Ashlyn D

Member Services
Amazon.com Advantage

 

REALLY, Amazon.  Can you explain why Charlie Cochrane’s Lessons series which has NO sex in it HAS been marked as adult and had its ratings removed and yet Millers ROSY CRUCIFIXION which has graphic sex on every page – or hasn’t?????

if all gay fiction is “adult” – what’s the point of having a gay romance bestseller list at all?

Is anyone organzing a petition?  If not, shall I do it?

Comments

[baritonejeff.livejournal.com]

I'd certainly sign it.

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Can you get Miss Ashlyn's email from Mark?

This is the generic contact email that's usually buried under layers of barriers: connect-help@amazon.com

[treva2007.livejournal.com]

I'll be fascinated to see their criteria for this.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

Is the same true of Amazon.co.uk? Because their bestseller stats are opaque to say the least.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yep.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

That seriously sucks.

I've posted on the subject, just to widen the net of knowledge.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

OK, I've written to them, let's see if it gets any reaction.

Text of email reads, "It's been drawn to my attention through discussion in the blogosphere that Amazon are stripping the sales rankings from books they deem 'explicit'. However, this is being done on a very 'hit and miss' basis, with books with explicit m/f sex being allowed through but gay books with no explicit sex being pulled from the rankings.

"Why is this?

"What are you doing to put this right?

"Are you aware this comes across as homophobic in the worst possible way and what are you going to do to rebuild Amazon's reputation among gay and lesbian (and other) customers?

"Yours,

"[my real name]"

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

The books are very randomly stripped of their ranks- it includes books on GLBT history.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I gathered that, and it makes no sense. Not when they happily list all sorts of m/f stories with explicit sex. It's just bizarre.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

If the criteria is gay-positive content, it makes all the sense in the world.

It doesn't say anything good about Amazon... but it makes sense.

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

E-mail the reporter from the Advocate who just interviewed you. The Advocate is a nation-wide pro-gay newspaper. I bet the Advocate would be VERY interested in knowing about this kind of subtle discrimination.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Good thinking!

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

Meta-writer is amassing a list of links and a list of books that aren't "adult" but that have been banned from the sales lists. She might be interested in those, too.

[emmyjag.livejournal.com]

Tha bastages. That connect-help is the only email I've got as well. If anyone has a live person's addy, please pass it along. I'd like to send a sweet and thoughtful message to Amazon.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

see Erastes' new post

1. Sign the petition

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy

2. Write to the CEO

Jeffrey Bezos.
1200 12th Avenue South,
Seattle,
Washington 98144-2734,
United States
Phone: 206-266-1000
Fax: 206-622-2405

3. Contact info for Amazon for calls, emails, faxes letters

http://clicheideas.com/amazon.htm

[the-sea-to.livejournal.com]

There is #amazonfail :) other than that, no petitions I can see.

Would sign the thing in blood. Possibly amazon's blood.

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

I'd sign it.

[the-sea-to.livejournal.com]

You'd attack it with a very big spikey sword type object.

[annebrooke.livejournal.com]

That's appalling. I'd certainly sign any petition.

==:O

Axxx

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I would suggest rather than a petition, people write to them either to the contact us address, or better to a real person.

If all else fails, send a real paper letter to their real bricks-and-mortar head office addressed to the CEO. I've usually found that works.

[rwday.livejournal.com]

That is an excellent suggestion, thank you.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Here's a good page of links

http://clicheideas.com/amazon.htm

[lexin.livejournal.com]

Just to make it a bit easier, I did a some digging.

The CEO is one Jeffrey Bezos. (total annual compensation $81k - irrelevant but interesting). The address is
1200 12th Avenue South,
Seattle,
Washington 98144-2734,
United States

Phone: 206-266-1000
Fax: 206-622-2405

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I'll stick this everywhere.

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

Included in my post, thank you!

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Registered or certified, to prove it was received.

[rwday.livejournal.com]

I'll sign, obviously.

I'm baffled by their reasoning process here - the Iris edition of Thaw has a ranking. The Kindle edition has a ranking, but the Lethe print version does not. What, exactly, is this supposed to accomplish? Protecting the kiddies from gay oriented PODs?

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Amazon tried to refuse to sell any POD not from their own Booksurge. I'm not sure if this has any connection - because as far as I know, the Linden Bay books went through Booksurge. This may have changed after Samhain bought LBR - they use a different POD supplier.

[rwday.livejournal.com]

And anyway, what's 'adult?' Why does 'adult' just mean sex? Here's a segment from the Library Journal review of American Psycho, which is, apparently, not adult.

Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, Bateman calmly and deliberately blinds and stabs a homeless man. From here, the body count builds, as he kills a male acquaintance and sadistically tortures and murders two prostitutes, an old girlfriend, and a child he passes in the zoo.

But we have to protect the kiddies from two guys holding hands. Again, not knocking American Psycho or any other book, just saying that Amazon is being ridiculous.

[aphephobia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was gonna say, out here, American Psycho is sold shrinkwrapped and not to people under 18. And I don't think that's because of the sex scenes.

If that's not "adult," I don't know what is. The whole "adult = sex" thing strikes me as really immature and hang-uppy. Adults are interested in much more than just sex. (Isn't it that teenagers tend to be all "sexsexsex!" and once we've matured a bit-- ie, we've hit adulthood, we're a little bit more calmed down and have a wider level of perspective about life...?)

[clarelondon.livejournal.com]

I'll sign anything you prepare. I'll also be writing and, hopefully, phoning. Their search facility sucks if it relies on the sales ranking - seems to me that's the wrong way round. Why not flag a book if there's adult content? Then rankings and lists can be prepared accurately.

*furious*

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

For God's sake! I finished Alex's book on Friday, and I wouldn't call it erotica AT ALL. It was well written and excellent, and I am now officially cranky as Hell with Amazon.

[aphephobia.livejournal.com]

So their entire customer base is mostly made up of children, is it?

Or... bigots?


Glad I'm buying your books at www.fishpond.com.au

[shoganrea.livejournal.com]

I just signed the petition. This is simply outrageous and a discrimination. Working on the Google-Bomb from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books right now...

[leebenoit.livejournal.com]

Is anyone talking about organizing a mass dismantling of Amazon accounts? Letters, calls, and petitions are an excellent start, but if Amazon's powers that be realize that customers will close accounts and take their business elsewhere, they might have added incentive to remedy this idiotic and bigoted policy. I realize such an action is effective only on the demand side of supply and demand, and that publishers and authors may lose more than they gain by such an action. It's just a thought...What do you all think?

SHE'S STRUCK HER COLORS!

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

It appears that Amazon.com is reversing its idiocy:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6651080.html

I'll believe it when I see it .... but I think maybe we made an impression.

Re: SHE'S STRUCK HER COLORS!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Just crawled out of bed - 9000 signatures, near enough and media attention. wow.

Re: SHE'S STRUCK HER COLORS!

[aunty_marion]

And you're mentioned in the Publisher's Weekly article! Fame!

Re: SHE'S STRUCK HER COLORS!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

it's just... boggling.

Re: SHE'S STRUCK HER COLORS!

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Of course, they have not said they'll stop defining anything that's teh ebil ghey as "adult."

"Heather has two mommies?" Adult? They must be some pretty low-function adults, is all I can say.

[bialogue.livejournal.com]

sory if this is a repeat but fyi they seem to be backing off, seee here:

Amazon Says Glitch to Blame for "New" Adult Policy
By Rachel Deahl & Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 4/12/2009 5:49:00 PM

A groundswell of outrage, concern and confusion sprang up over the weekend, largely via Twitter, in response to what authors and others believed was a decision by Amazon to remove adult titles from its sales ranking. On Sunday evening, however, an Amazon spokesperson said that a glitch had occurred in its sales ranking feature that was in the process of being fixed. The spokesperson added that there was no new adult policy.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6651080.html