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I just read this about Amazon. Are you selling your books there? They may be pulling a new scam. Check this out at Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/third-party-sellers-can-...
Comments
It's horrid.
I've seen this article before. Amazon is being really horrid to authors and their publishers. And I really don't see how it even benefits Amazon to do so.
The Wild West
I'm wondering if ethics have always been an illusion and it's only the still relatively free internet that allows us to know how badly life is tilted?
I sunk nearly $1 million into a website based on the premise that Google was playing relatively fair when posting search engine result pages.
We spent not only a large amount of money, but also nearly eight years before we realized we were playing a fool's game. Google just paid a huge fine in Europe for what I suspect is daily practice here. Not that our bought and paid for government cares.
Oh well.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Necroposting, I know, but I
Necroposting, I know, but I just wanted to say that I've seen lots of people sink money into web sites, pushing for search results, and almost every single one of them falls for the same SEO garbage.
Google, and the other search engines, spend a LOT of money to counteract SEO 'optimization'. They then proceed to penalize sites that are extremely egregious about it.
There's only one route to get into a search engine, get reasonably close to the top of the search results, and stay there.
1) Build a site with relevant content. The more content the better. This is the key - CIK - Content Is King. Companies don't want to put forth the effort to do this, they'd rather have a six to eight page web site, covered in photos, with minimal information, and try to draw people in. The closest to a legitimate complaint is "we don't want our competitors to steal our information!".
2) Have links to the content. In other words, within your site, make sure that content is easy to reach, with clearly labeled links. Those link labels are what are used for preliminary indexing by most search engines. Text links are best, as long as they're straightforward. Scattering one word 'links' in the middle of your page will drag you down. Making all of your links being graphically oriented ALSO drags you down.
3) have enough content, and good content, that you draw attention from other related sites - especially forums - pointing to your information. When those forums are indexed, having someone say "I found a way to fix my XXX problem" (keywords) with a link to a page on your site, which shows "This is a way to fix XXX problem", improves results.
There's a lot more I can add, but it boils down to being willing to do research on your subject/topic, and be willing to duplicate effort. Don't say "But this is over there!" - because _it's not on your site for indexing_.
Also be willing to point your site to other sites if there's active content there that is related to your subject. (if you're in construction, pointing at certain pages on Bob Vila's site doesn't hurt you, for example)
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
all part of the grand plan
to be the only store in town. Anywhere where they can squeeze out the little players the better. When they have all gone to the wall then the big ones will be next. Perhaps they are learning from Wal-Mart but doing it on a worldwide scale?
Apple got hit with a huge fine for price fixing e-books a few years back. I think it is time that Amazon were 'investigated' as well. Compared to Amazon, Apple is a niche player.
I've limited the amount of business (sorry Erin) I have done with Amazon for the last two years. They are not always the cheapest or give the speediest delivery.
Samantha.
Long run....
Less books in the long run.
Isn't that bad for Amazon too?
:(
>i<
It doesn't hurt Amazon
As long as there are enough authors out there that are willing to self publish, it doesn't hurt Amazon. And as long as the law doesn't come down on them it doesn't matter to Amazon if the publisher selling the book has permission to publish.