# Amazon policy wrt GLBT books



## webhill (Feb 12, 2009)

Some friends of mine are all upset about an apparently new amazon.com policy which classifies all books with GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) content as "adult," and thus not included in sales rankings, even if the book is not actually "adult," (for example - a book about a high school kid worried about getting a prom date is obviously not "adult," but if the kid is gay and worried about getting a prom date, suddenly it is "adult?" And a Jackie Collins novel - not "adult")

What do you all think?

here is the information:
http://markprobst.livejournal.com/15293.html

I'm getting upset because my friends want me to boycott amazon


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Doesn't really matter what your friends want.  You get to decide what you want.

Ann


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

webhill said:


> Some friends of mine are all upset about an apparently new amazon.com policy which classifies all books with GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) content as "adult," and thus not included in sales rankings, even if the book is not actually "adult," (for example - a book about a high school kid worried about getting a prom date is obviously not "adult," but if the kid is gay and worried about getting a prom date, suddenly it is "adult?" And a Jackie Collins novel - not "adult")
> 
> What do you all think?
> 
> ...


Oh man, Amazon made a huge mistake. Huge. Hopefully they will reverse this stupid policy.


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## webhill (Feb 12, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Doesn't really matter what your friends want. You get to decide what you want.


Well, yes, of course 
But we do try to support each other's causes when we can, without doing anything to violate our own morals or ethics.
This particular situation, well - I'm just not sure. I think Amazon needs to fix their indexing of "adult" material. I have a very hard time imagining that Amazon actually INTENDS to classify anything with a GLBT theme of any sort as "adult." I am curious what others think.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Fair enough. . . .just didn't want you jumping off a cliff (figuratively, of course) because all your friends did. 

I'm not a boycotter. . . . just don't think they work unless they are truly massive.  Because unless they KNOW there's a boycott on and it affects their bottom line, it won't make a difference.  A better course would be to contact Amazon with your concerns.  

Just my opinion, of course. . . . .you don't need to do what I say either!  

Ann


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Amazon has made a decision to hide and remove the ranks and sales figures for books with what they deem to be adult content. This is affecting a lot of popular authors who write either erotica or erotic romances, such as Jaci Burton, Maya Banks, Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler, but it's even more wide-spread than that. There seems to be an issue in particular with GLBT lit, even when there's not graphic sexual content -- for instance Annie Proulx's _Brokeback Mountain. _ which I think most of us know to have literary and social value.

The effect will almost undoubtedly be reduced sales for these authors, because they will no longer show up through simple searches.

Here is the beginning of a list of authors and books: http://community.livejournal.com/meta_writer/11992.html

If any of these books or authors have touched or entertained you. If the concept of what Amazon is doing offends you, please consider making your voices heard. Obviously, there is contacting Amazon. The other option being explored is GoogleBombing by sharing this link and with Amazon Fail as the anchor text: Amazon Rank

Other links that might be of use:
A site with a name I can't quite share here 

Dear Author

Do we really want, as adults, to have a harder time finding books? Is it really Amazon's business to censor searches or to not report accurate sale's figures? Are gay and transgender books extra "dirty" somehow?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

There's a discussion on this topic already in Not quite Kindle. . . . .

Ann


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I'm okay with you merging topics, understandable, but I do want my post to stand.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I didn't see this and also posted about it, with some links on it. I believe it will be merged into this one. I can't even believe this and they've come up with one of a short list of things that might lose me as a customer. This is a huge deal for me. I'm not much of a boycotter either, but I'm not feeling comfortable purchasing from them at this exact second.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Wouldn't delete. . . .was gonna merge but I can't merge to that thread as it's in another board I've not got mod authority in.  But don't be alarmed if it does get moved down there and merged at some point. . . . . . . . .or maybe it won't.  

Ann


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

I find Amazon's action offensive.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Here's another blog posting on the topic:

http://booksquare.com/open-letter-to-amazon-regarding-recent-policy-changes/


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

I guess I don't see/understand the problem.  The books are still offered for sale aren't they?


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I just merged the two similar threads, and they're in Let's Talk Kindle. 

I am quite curious as to what would have triggered this decision from Amazon. Were they getting complaints about GLBT books showing up in sales ranking results?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Forster said:


> I guess I don't see/understand the problem. The books are still offered for sale aren't they?


I think the issue is that they're automatically categorizing a book as 'adult' if it has even a mild level of 'gay' theme. Since they don't let those books be 'ranked', authors don't have accurate data for what they sell, and their books won't necessarily show up in 'popular now' type lists. At the same time, they don't categorize some authors that many consider 'soft porn' as 'adult'. So there is a disconnect there. . . .

Ann


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

Forster said:


> I guess I don't see/understand the problem. The books are still offered for sale aren't they?


It affects search results dramatically. If a book you are searching for has a gay main character, it won't come up in the search where it should. It will come up below books not deemed adult, even if it is the ONLY book that is an exact match for the title you searched for.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

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


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

MonaSW said:


> It affects search results dramatically. If a book you are searching for has a gay main character, it won't come up in the search where it should. It will come up below books not deemed adult, even if it is the ONLY book that is an exact match for the title you searched for.


Ahh, I didn't realize it affected the search results, that's more of a problem for me.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

So I assume that Laurell K. Hamilton's books will now be listed as adult? Especially the last several have at least mention of m/m in them. But I guess that would be to much to expect. Can't have a NYT's Best Selling Author unlisted.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

webhill said:


> Some friends of mine are all upset about an apparently new amazon.com policy which classifies all books with GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) content as "adult," and thus not included in sales rankings, even if the book is not actually "adult," (for example - a book about a high school kid worried about getting a prom date is obviously not "adult," but if the kid is gay and worried about getting a prom date, suddenly it is "adult?" And a Jackie Collins novel - not "adult")


Are you sure about this? I have several writer friends who write books that are openly gay/lesbian and their books are still ranked as they always have been.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Forster said:


> I guess I don't see/understand the problem. The books are still offered for sale aren't they?


If I want to read a book, why should I jump through extra hoops to find it because there's a gay character? Amazon's job is to make the search easier for me -- to match me with that selection. This is 2009 and we should be well beyond new versions of separate water fountains. Technically, this is not even separate but equal, because those water fountains were side by side -- not at the bottom of an unlit flight of stairs. Amazon does not have a place judging these selections, making it harder for the authors, forcing the reader to go through extra inconvenience, or not giving books their due as best sellers. Looking at my Kindle, there are several selections that fall under this new policy, and my reading choices are not going to change.

What was it? 2 days ago I talked about loving my Kindle(s) and being unable to manage without one, so it's not like I was brimming with discontentment, but I can make due with already DLed books and my overflowing bookshelves until this is reversed -- and I cannot fathom it not being reversed.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I think the issue is that they're automatically categorizing a book as 'adult' if it has even a mild level of 'gay' theme. Since they don't let those books be 'ranked', authors don't have accurate data for what they sell, and their books won't necessarily show up in 'popular now' type lists. At the same time, they don't categorize some authors that many consider 'soft porn' as 'adult'. So there is a disconnect there. . . .
> 
> Ann


So just so I am understanding properly, Amazon has always had an "adult" category and books in that category were previously excluded from the "rankings" and now Amazon has lumped all books with a GLBT theme whether the book involved graphic sex or no into that same "adult" category?


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> If I want to read a book, why should I jump through extra hoops to find it because there's a gay character? Amazon's job is to make the search easier for me -- to match me with that selection. This is 2009 and we should be well beyond new versions of separate water fountains. Technically, this is not even separate but equal, because those water fountains were side by side -- not at the bottom of an unlit flight of stairs. Amazon does not have a place judging these selections, making it harder for the authors, forcing the reader to go through extra inconvenience, or not giving books their due as best sellers. Looking at my Kindle, there are several selections that fall under this new policy, and my reading choices are not going to change.
> 
> What was it? 2 days ago I talked about loving my Kindle(s) and being unable to manage without one, so it's not like I was brimming with discontentment, but I can make due with already DLed books and my overflowing bookshelves until this is reversed -- and I cannot fathom it not being reversed.


No, I now understand where you are coming from, I did not realize by not ranking the book it made it much more difficult for you to find.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

I see that within the same author, some books lose ranking and some still has ranking. So Amazon is not excluding by the author but the categories that books are in, like gay/lesbian?


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Shizu said:


> I see that within the same author, some books lose ranking and some still has ranking. So Amazon is not excluding by the author but the categories that books are in, like gay/lesbian?


It is not at all clear what is going on. Some are speculating that it is being done by publisher, others by tags. Whatever, the whole mess sucks.

L


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

I can see this is a problem since I can't see one of lesbian fiction author whose book is always in the top of bestseller in gay/lesbian is now gone. This will definitely affect their sales and the way we search for the book.


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

Wow......talk about biased and homophobic. If they're going to do this with homosexual/bisexual materials they need to do the same with heterosexual materials as well.....otherwise Amazon is stepping into lawsuit territories. NOT a good choice for Amazon.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/

It seems to be tags. There are reports that books/editions by Stephen Fry that are tagged gay are gone, while the ones not tagged that way remain. The same with John Barrowman. Dr. Who? Try Dr. Where! (Okay, I know he's not technically Dr. Who -- never mind.)

Um, the anthology I have a story in has been deranked, too. Crazy. http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Valentine-Bella-After-Dark/dp/1594930619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239577297&sr=1-1 

If you search all departments, there are a ton of things that show up that are a lot less relevant. Granted, it is all departments, but it used to pop right up.

I do want to point out, that while they're definitely throwing shade on GLBT, that straight books with more explicit sex are also being targeted.


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

The 9th Man by Dorien Grey used to be on the first page of the search results - now it doesn't show up until the third page.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

I just realize most of Bestseller in the gay/lesbian section are the kindle books. Most of the printed books are gone.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Let me speak up as a gay author who writes gay-themed books in several "genres." This discussion has been going on actively on the Gay & Lesbian Writers Readers Group (Yagoo) all morning, BUT even though some of the author's there have had their paperback rankings disappear, others have not and most authors of kindle books have not as well. In addition, my books (Kindle and CreateSpace) have not been effected. There has been a great deal of speculation on why, as there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it, and Amazon provided a policy statement regarding "adult" titles, which does not seem to be a new policy, but for some reason is being enforced and only in certain areas with some publishers. It does not effect the listing in any other way but the ranking. There is a deal of mystery about it. Boycotting Amazon will do you as much good as Boycotting the former Soviet Union (if you can find it) or the Catholic Church (good luck with that). And there is a petition out, BUT as it stands, there doesn't seem to be a GAY discrimination thing. Some openly gay authors have the same book (in different medias) ranked and rankless. I have advised the members of the GLBT boards to look to their rights ownership (basically their individual publishers) to make inquiries to Amazon regarding the issue. It's really between the rights owner and the distributor, and sometimes Amazon does silly things, but mostly don't clearly communicate reasons for changes. To boycott or petition Amazon because, because, because . . . just feeds into the many Amazon bashers out there, who define conspiracy in every corner. I know I'm being particularly vocal. And if and when this happens to me, I will seek recourse through the rights owner (which is me) and take issue on my property to my distributor. I will never ask my beloved readers to put down anyone's book because of my distributor's policies. How unfair is that to bring a business matter between legal parties to the buying audience.

There, I've had my say, but I had to, because -- have you ever played the game of telephone. It's getting that way where the facts are becoming . . .well, let's leave Fantasy to a fantasy writers.

Edward C. Patterson


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

Thank you Edward, very well said.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Edward,
I don't think my not spending my money there will hurt them, and I don't go in for formal boycotts, but I don't feel comfortable buying from them at the moment. It's not about my thinking I can hurt Amazon, but rather what my values allow. I believe they will do something in short order though.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I just don't want my readers fight my or my publsihers battles. It's not fair o them, or frankly me. The rankings are used mostly for marketing reasons, and true it does effect searches . . . and if it were a bona fide Gay & Lesbian discrimination issue, this author would be bruning something. I've marched on Washington twice and in Colorado. I've seen my share of candlelight vigils. And I have been a lobbyist (in my younger days). However, while I love my readers for their support in such issues, I write to touch your hearts and minds . . . not to kick some corporation's . . .

Well, you know what I mean.

Ed Patterson
PS: I appreciate your values. Never abandon what you believe.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm glad to know more about this issue, and appreciate the good discussion going on here.  The best way to handle an issue is to get well informed about it and then contact the people who can make a difference.  Thanks, Ed, for sharing one author's point of view!

Betsy


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Boycotting Amazon books would harm authors and publishers far more than it would harm Amazon. Amazon sells a variety of products, books being only one of them.

For whatever it may be worth, when I saw this thread I emailed Ed Patterson, asked him about the issue and sent him a link to the topic. In his reply to me he said that the policy applied to all adult erotica not just gay and lesbian titles, although he did not mention that specifically here.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Boycotting Amazon is not automatically the same as boycotting authors, not these days when books can be purchased elsewhere. (Edited to note that on occasion that might be the only way to obtain a book.)

I've said more than once that it does not only target GLBT. But, and this is interesting, some of the books are not erotic and still deranked with the only red flag being that they involve homosexuality -- Stephen Fry's autobiography, Moab is My Washpot, for example. Or Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America. I haven't read the latter, but it doesn't seem all that steamy.  

I'm not only hung up on how it affects gay lit. I like erotic romance. I write erotic romance. I'm plenty upset about all the books that have been deranked. There are authors saying they feel utterly blacklisted, because the searches are not bringing up their names.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> Boycotting Amazon is not the same as boycotting authors, not these days when books can be purchased elsewhere.


I beg to most respectfully differ. Although I sell a few paperbacks outside of Amazon, the vast majority of my book sales are through Amazon; the same is true for Ed Patterson's books and a host of others. In fact, Leslie's Amazon Kindle FAQ has no market outside of Amazon. You must of course do what you think is right but boycotting Amazon is really boycotting us.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Jeff said:


> I beg to most respectfully differ. Although I sell a few paperbacks outside of Amazon, the vast majority of my book sales are through Amazon; the same is true for Ed Patterson's books and a host of others. In fact, Leslie's Amazon Kindle FAQ has no market outside of Amazon. You must of course do what you think is right but boycotting Amazon is really boycotting us.


I understand the majority of sales being from Amazon, and I appreciate that some books are only available on Amazon, but in many cases there are other ways to purchase that people could select. Not always, I know. Almost anyone conscious of the issue enough to have issues with purchasing from there would probably be willing to buy from other sources. The problem, it seems to me, is not the people who are aware of the issue, but the ones who are unaware and might not be able to find authors.

Again, I'm not calling for a boycott, so all my words mean is that, if I opted not to buy from Amazon, I would pursue other avenues. Nowhere in my comments is, "let me punish the authors," so that means I would go out of my way to find them. Each person has to deal with their own reading choices, and I can't speak to every situation.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Of course, this KINDLEBOARDS, so abandining Amazon means tossing your kindle out, except for the free books (thnk God for them). 

Also, I need to make one thing clear - althoough I am a Gay author, and most of my work is gaythemed within various genres (my fantasy books are not GAY books, but are Fantasy books with some gay characters and subcultural elements), I do not write audt erotica. I support my family of authors who write gay, straight and all manner of erotica; but, if my books were zapped from the rankings, it would mean something else altogether - something that can be pinpointed to the sinister. Notice that Armistead Maupins books (tes gay and filled with erotica) have matained their rankings in all media formats on Amazon. Just saying there's no rhyme or reason to it. When I lift my banner of protest, I want to know why I'm lifting it, and from my observation, no one yet has a clear clue.

Ed Patterson


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

edwpat said:


> Of course, this KINDLEBOARDS, so abandining Amazon means tossing your kindle out


No, it doesn't. I can shop Baen, Fictionwise or some other electronic bookstores besides Amazon, and I do.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Hey, I just bought a second Kindle -- it's not like I'm eager to abandon it. I'm not thinking it's come to that...yet. 

I buy most of my ebooks on Amazon, but I've bought from Samhain and Ellora's Cave and I that it's quite possible to have a Kindle and buy the books elsewhere. 

I can't stress enough that I have not made any decisions, believe this will be settled, am usually quite fond of Amazon.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Michelle:

I'm only being vocal here because the first posts were why out of whack and infalmatory. You know, my friends are besiged and they want us to boycott. Now I know there IS a few authors out there that would sk their friends to fall on their swords and say "Opps! Thanks! Sorry" later. Otherwise I wouldn;t have chimed in so broadly and so loudly. Misinformation is a dangerous thing. I'm glad you're a cooler head - like me. I'm cool. Like you, I write, and author of stuff, and Amazon to me is a means to an end - to get my book into you, the reader's hand, so we both can finish the work. Sometimes the road between is rocky. That's why I am an Indie author - not because I've been rejected, but because the business part of the road does not need "rocks." lol

Bless you and happy holiday
Ed Patterson


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Thanks for the clarification Ed.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/amazon/archives/166259.asp


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Amazon will back down, I'm sure . . . just like in the Tardiff case last week.

Ed Patterson


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

There are some reports they're calling it a glitch, which is not what CS was saying earlier.


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## CoolMom1960 (Mar 16, 2009)

I must be naive because I don't rely on rankings etc to drive my purchasing.  I have authors I like and search on them and generally have no problem finding what I want.


If I see an ebook on an author's backlist that I would like to read, I search several ebook stores until I find it.  I certainly hope that NO matter where I purchase from the author gets what they are due.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Well, that circulting petion has garners over 5,000 names and has been picked up by the media as possible GLBT discrimination. I relented and signed the petition.

Ed Patterson


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

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


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

A theory that, if true, might put Amazon in a better light: http://tehdely.livejournal.com/88823.html

One person says that isn't how it's done: http://tehdely.livejournal.com/88823.html?thread=259319#t259319


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

A blog on how this affects books on disabilities and sexuality:

http://lisybabe.blogspot.com/2009/04/amazonfail.html


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I'm going to come back and read all the linked information later, but I'm highly offended if Amazon is doing what is described.  I certainly don't need them to tell me what is "adult".

I can remember when I as in high school and our sophomore English teacher told our advanced class that the school bookstore wasn't allowed to carry Catcher in the Rye and he just looked at us and said he expected that we would manage to find the book..  in other words, that bookstore, as wonderful and convenient as it might be, shouldn't limit our world of available books.  (this would have been 1960-61).  

I find this especially alarming in light of all the independent bookstore that have had to close in recent years, so I do NOT want the surviving mega stores to impose wacked rules.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Screen caps on how some authors are no longer appearing when searched under All Departments:
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/wp-photos/ScreenShot012.png
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/wp-photos/ScreenShot015.png
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/wp-photos/ScreenShot016.png


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

I just search some authors I know and they didn't come up either. I've finally found them but they are hard to find now.


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

Shizu said:


> I just search some authors I know and they didn't come up either. I've finally found them but they are hard to find now.


People are saying they seem to be working on fixing this, with books showing up in searches though still not showing in the rankings.

I did an entry on this earlier and linked to this Kindleboards thread to see MichelleR's link to MetaWriter, and have been updating it with whatever I see. 
http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/amazon-de-ranking-hiding-some-adult.html


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

http://jezebel.com/5209088/why-is-amazon-removing-the-sales-rankings-from-gay-lesbian-books

http://www.amazon.com/gp/tagging/items-tagged-with/ref=tag_dpp_yt_isrc_s__sr?tag=%23amazonfail&search=1&goBtn.x=0&goBtn.y=0

Time for bed.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Just reading this and trying to catch up is exhausting. What a mess and what a mess for Amazon. Whether this is a glitch or a troll or something else, I hope it gets fixed, and soon. As of right now (7 am on the east coast), the rankings are still missing from many of the books I am looking at as test cases. Like I said before, this just sucks.

L


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Just reading this and trying to catch up is exhausting. What a mess and what a mess for Amazon. Whether this is a glitch or a troll or something else, I hope it gets fixed, and soon. As of right now (7 am on the east coast), the rankings are still missing from many of the books I am looking at as test cases. Like I said before, this just sucks.
> 
> L


Well, thought of you right away when I saw Brokeback Mountain on that list !

A mess indeed.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

artsandhistoryfan said:


> Well, thought of you right away when I saw Brokeback Mountain on that list !


I'm just curious if they are handling the DVD of Brokeback Mountain the same way?


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

stevene9 said:


> I'm just curious if they are handling the DVD of Brokeback Mountain the same way?


The DVD of Brokeback Mountain still has a sales ranking. The book, Brokeback Mountain: From Story to Screenplay, does not.

L


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

How about the short story collection it originally came out in?  I'll try and research and see.  Mainly because I wonder if they are doing it manually, in which case this collection should be  classified the same, or if somehow it is a computer algorithm.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Red said:


> How about the short story collection it originally came out in? I'll try and research and see. Mainly because I wonder if they are doing it manually, in which case this collection should be classified the same, or if somehow it is a computer algorithm.


Brokeback Mountain was included in Close Range, which still does have a ranking.

L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

A listing of news articles about this issue can be found here:

http://erastes.livejournal.com/375091.html


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## MarthaT (Mar 3, 2009)

Leslie said:


> A listing of news articles about this issue can be found here:
> 
> http://erastes.livejournal.com/375091.html


thanks


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

If the collection still has ranking it makes me wonder if they are taking books the publishers are flagging with this genre and then some computer algorithm is doing it from there.  Which is still Amazons version of censoring, IMO, which bothers me.  Don't know why I feel the need to figure it out, except that it is inconsistent.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Here is an analysis of metadata that shows, among other things, why some editions were spared.

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/04/12/amazon-possibly-using-category-metadata-to-filter-rankings/

From the blog post:

_Thus, as a "glitch" it was a remarkably targeted one that seems to support the emails that Mark Probst and Craig Seymour received from Amazon which was gay and lesbian works were deemed "adult" content regardless of actual content. This evidence appears to indicate that it isn't so much a glitch but a specific policy. The question is then who implemented the policy of marking GLBT books as adult and who knew of the implementation? What kind of supervisory person signed off on it?_

An example given was the John Barrowman book, Anything Goes. The edition with no mention of "gay" is still ranked and the one listed as Gay & Lesbian is stripped of rank.


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## LaraAmber (Feb 24, 2009)

Well it may be a very targeted glitch, but glitch can also mean "parting shot from employee on his/her way out the door" or "employee with personal agenda (who is now on his/her way out the door)".  If a peeved/crusading programmer decided to set up his/her own rules for the program it might takes months for the results to be seen and ferreted out.  It seems a bit haphazard to be a new policy.  With computers auto-generating letters and CSR's reading scripts to answer questions it wouldn't actually take that much to make it look like "official" Amazon policy for a few weeks.

I did tell Amazon I was against this, but I didn't make any threats of boycotting, etc.  I think they are getting enough press over this it will be fixed pretty soon.  

Lara Amber


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Looks like same thing is happening in amazon.co.uk.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

There is a facebook group that has been created to protest the policy.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70415607765

L


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

LaraAmber said:


> Well it may be a very targeted glitch, but glitch can also mean "parting shot from employee on his/her way out the door" or "employee with personal agenda (who is now on his/her way out the door)". If a peeved/crusading programmer decided to set up his/her own rules for the program it might takes months for the results to be seen and ferreted out. It seems a bit haphazard to be a new policy. With computers auto-generating letters and CSR's reading scripts to answer questions it wouldn't actually take that much to make it look like "official" Amazon policy for a few weeks.
> 
> Lara Amber


Before they called it a gitch, they were calling it a policy. The email sent to Mark Probst:

_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_

I buy that it was a glitch in the sense that they didn't mean it to work the way that it did, but emails like the above negate it being solely a disgruntled employee. Also, somehow gay became synonymous with adult, no matter how tame the book. So, okay, I buy that someone misinterpreted something...maybe.

But that doesn't completely fix anything. If we hadn't noticed, if it hadn't targeted some of the wrong books, is there a scenario where it's okay to suppress results? To put books and authors at a disadvantage? Why should any of these books be weighted differently?


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I wonder if Ashlyn still has a job this morning?

L


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

I went to see Japan's Amazon and same thing. So apparently, whole Amazon has this so call "glitch".


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Rankings have been reinstated on *False Colors*, *Transgressions*, and *The Filly*. *False Colors* shows up as no. 1 on the gay & lesbian list, no. 24 on historical, which is pretty good. At least three books have had the glitch fixed.

The print version of *L. A. Mischief*, also published by Mark's company, Cheyenne Publishing, doesn't have its ranking back. On Thursday, before all this started, it was no. 41 on the gay & lesbian list.

L


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Leslie said:


> I wonder if Ashlyn still has a job this morning?
> 
> L


I hope so. I don't think she really did anything wrong. If it became a cat that was not supposed to be let out of the bag, it wasn't that when she sent the email. She couldn't have seen the storm clouds in the distance on this one. I mean, there isn't any evidence that she shouldn't have typed it at that point. In fact, there was no other explanation she could have offered at that point.

If you do something that a company is okay with and in full compliance with their rules, I don't think it should be able to come back and bite you in the patootie.


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## MAGreen (Jan 5, 2009)

Only 10% of the books in the "gay and lesbian" section have ranking, and none in the erotica section. The 10% in "G&L" seem to anti-gay christian (or other religious) books.


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## Panjo (Dec 21, 2008)

There is so much info to read through. It's overwhelming! I do hope they fix it soon. 

It sounds to me like the problem started long ago when they lumped all GLBT books in the "Adult" category regardless of content. Now suddenly they are de-ranking that category and all the books that have been in there are being de-ranked as well... is that right? So the problem started long ago when they lumped regular books with a GLBT character, or books to help a teenager come out, or WHATEVER in with the erotic books (GLBT or otherwise). 

I tend to be an optimist- I HOPE it was just some oversight, or that they get enough flack that they fix it fast.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I'm sorry if all my links have added to the overwhelming feeling. I've actually held back quite a bit. There's a lot of info out there. 

***
As of about an hour ago:
AMZN stock down -1.79% with loss of $1.43 since opening bell.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Please keep posting the links, Michelle. I'm trying hard to stay on top of this.

Did anyone post the link to the online petition?

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


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Please keep posting the links, Michelle. I'm trying hard to stay on top of this.
> 
> Did anyone post the link to the online petition?
> 
> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy


I posted it, but it probably go lost in the shuffle.

This sums up much of my theory:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011173.html

Except sex toys are still ranked.

I've been posting so many places, that I can't keep track of what I typed where. I did go ahead and cancel some pre-orders until this is resolved.

_Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, says in a statement: "GLAAD has reached out to Amazon.com and they indicate this was an error, so we expect to start seeing evidence of its correction immediately, and any loss of visibility of gay-themed books as a result of this error will be made right by Amazon &#8230; When people learn about the lives of gay and transgender people and the common ground we share, the culture changes and advances. It is so important that stories about the lives of our community are available, and that companies like Amazon promote these titles in an equal fashion."_


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> As of about an hour ago:
> AMZN stock down -1.79% with loss of $1.43 since opening bell.


Get real here Michelle. The market was down at that time. When the market was up on the day, the stock was up. You are trying to infer that Amazon stock is being hurt by this. I feel sympathy for your general position on the book matter, but it is disingenuous to try to insinuate a linkage which is more than tenuous. You have enough going for your argument than to try to create something out of thin air. I have traded stocks professionally for 40 years and it will take a lot more than this extent of a controversy to significantly affect the stock.


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> I'm sorry if all my links have added to the overwhelming feeling. I've actually held back quite a bit. There's a lot of info out there.
> 
> ***
> As of about an hour ago:
> AMZN stock down -1.79% with loss of $1.43 since opening bell.


 Sad, but they have to look at their system. Your links were GREAT. Thanks much for them.

In the meantime, someone has taken responsibility and given two reasons and described how he did it.
I updated that on my entry, including the fact the theorist from last night, tehdely, was pretty close to the truth if this guy isn't just taking credit to get a lot of admiration he's now getting.

See the last update at the bottom of 
http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/amazon-de-ranking-hiding-some-adult.html 
for details and a theory posted by tehdely (if some missed it) which weev/veew says was on the mark.

This doesn't wholly absolve Amazon of the problem that they did have a milder version of this policy in effect and it was easily gameable to this particular end.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

As much as I can follow this, this LJ debunks weev's claim that he is the hacker:

http://bryant.livejournal.com/672165.html

L


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## MAGreen (Jan 5, 2009)

stevene9 said:


> Get real here Michelle. The market was down at that time. When the market was up on the day, the stock was up. You are trying to infer that Amazon stock is being hurt by this. I feel sympathy for your general position on the book matter, but it is disingenuous to try to insinuate a linkage which is more than tenuous. You have enough going for your argument than to try to create something out of thin air. I have traded stocks professionally for 40 years and it will take a lot more than this extent of a controversy to significantly affect the stock.


Stevene9-
The "market" reflects the stocks themselves, not the other way around, so your statement about the stock being down when the market was down is not really pertinent. However, while I do agree that the stock taking a dip today has nothing to do with this issue (I own stock and have been tracking it for months), if not resolved it could potentially spark a hell of a civil rights legal battle which almost certainly will effect stock prices. Could you try to say it a little less aggressively next time, please? I respect your position that trying to make a correlation between the stock dip and the issue at hand is grasping at straws, and I even agree, but it is no reason to patronize the person who said it.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> I'm sorry if all my links have added to the overwhelming feeling. I've actually held back quite a bit. There's a lot of info out there.
> 
> ***
> As of about an hour ago:
> AMZN stock down -1.79% with loss of $1.43 since opening bell.


Thanks for the links Michelle. Please post more.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

stevene9 said:


> Get real here Michelle. The market was down at that time. When the market was up on the day, the stock was up. You are trying to infer that Amazon stock is being hurt by this. I feel sympathy for your general position on the book matter, but it is disingenuous to try to insinuate a linkage which is more than tenuous. You have enough going for your argument than to try to create something out of thin air. I have traded stocks professionally for 40 years and it will take a lot more than this extent of a controversy to significantly affect the stock.


Yes, this was an evil attempt by me to...er, something.

I can completely buy that the 2 are not related. I wasn't presenting it as some sort of proof of anything, just throwing up general info, as I've done throughout this thread. Unless you think I'm personally espousing every theory I've linked to, which would make me schizophrenic, then this is just picking and choosing.

I get it. Every time someone in my vicinity discusses animal shelters I take an extra interest and feel inordinately smug in my personal knowledge. Still, there is a way for me to correct people on their perceptions of shelters that doesn't involve calling them ignorant and there is a way for you to explain about stocks without calling me disingenuous.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Leslie said:


> As much as I can follow this, this LJ debunks weev's claim that he is the hacker:
> 
> http://bryant.livejournal.com/672165.html
> 
> L


If hacker is responsible, why did Amazon reply to the email to Mark Probst with that content? This doesn't make sense to me.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Shizu said:


> If hacker is responsible, why did Amazon reply to the email to Mark Probst with that content? This doesn't make sense to me.


Right, and other people have said that they were told, almost verbatim, the exact thing over the phone. I know this is anecdotal, since they can't prove it, but all indications seem to say this issues goes back to at least February and that anyone asking was told about this policy. It came to a head this weekend, but it didn't just start.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Neil Gaiman has blogged on the issue. He includes a link that describes why this might not be an easy fix.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/04/amazonfail-sunday.html


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> Still, there is a way for me to correct people on their perceptions of shelters that doesn't involve calling them ignorant and there is a way for you to explain about stocks without calling me disingenuous.


You are correct. I should have stated it better.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

stevene9 said:


> You are correct. I should have stated it better.


Thank you. 

This is interesting. http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal/2009/04/idosyncratic-code-amazonfail/ From the link:

_Well, this is the real story: a guy from Amazon France got confused on how he was editing the site, and mixed up "adult", which is the term they use for porn, with stuff like "erotic" and "sexuality". That browse node editor is universal, so by doing that there he affected ALL of Amazon. The CS rep thought the porn question as a standard porn question about how searches work._

Not sure I totally buy it, but it's more plausible than some of the other theories.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Here is the form letter response to my emailed complaint. A lot of people are receiving the exact same one:
_Hello,

Thank you for contacting Amazon.com.

This is an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error for a company that prides itself on offering complete selection.

It has been misreported that the issue was limited to Gay & Lesbian themed titles - in fact, it impacted 57,310 books in a number of broad categories such as Health, Mind & Body, Reproductive & Sexual Medicine, and Erotica. This problem impacted books not just in the United States but globally. It affected not just sales rank but also had the effect of removing the books from Amazon's main product search.

Many books have now been fixed and we're in the process of fixing the remainder as quickly as possible, and we intend to implement new measures to make this kind of accident less likely to occur in the future.

Thanks for contacting us. We hope to see you again soon.

Sincerely,

Customer Service Department
Amazon.com_


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

This is an emotionally charged issue and I want to thank all of you for keeping your discussions civil.  AND for providing all this good info.

Betsy


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

A casual search shows some of the authors who were missing under All Departments have reappeared. It does seem like Amazon is sorting this out, and I'm grateful for that, but I still want to know more. Clearly, the implementation got out of hand, but they were still attempting something which is of concern to any writer or reader of the affected genres. Not just GLBT, but erotica, erotic romance, sexual/self-help issues, the disabled and sexuality, and feminism. I would even lump in all romance other than the inspirational "flavor," as one person's tender lovemaking is another person's smut.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks for all the info Michelle.

I searched some authors that I did before and they showed up this time but it seems their books are still de-ranked. So their books won't be in the bestseller section. I wonder if de-ranked books will regain their rank. The whole thing will be as it was before...


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

An Amazon.com employee gives an inside look at what happened.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/amazon/archives/166384.asp


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

If you do a search using "homosexuality," the top 5 results are:

1. A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality

2. This is interesting -- a generic link saying Homosexuality that leads you to another search result and several of the books that were de-ranked with their ranks in tact. Like they have their own folder.

3. You Don't Have to Be Gay: Hope and Freedom for Males Struggling With Homosexuality or for Those Who Know of Someone Who Is

4. For The Bible Tells Me So

5. Can Homosexuality Be Healed? 

(6 is King & King & Family)

It seems like the ranks are being restored, but things are still wonky.


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> Here is the form letter response to my emailed complaint. A lot of people are receiving the exact same one:
> _Hello,
> 
> Thank you for contacting Amazon.com.
> ...


_

Thanks for this, Michelle. I found a link that is reporting this statement too:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/amazon/archives/166329.asp

The commenting pro and con on that column is of more interest to me than 
what that rep said or the guy who worked there until 2001.

On the long lists last night WERE Health topic books and of course the areas he
mentions all do include sexuality and I was bothered by his insinuating that was 
not all that was affected since the books deranked and the similar ones not
happening to be deranked just tended to be of a particular variety.

Leslie,
The guy who writes that he feels the Troll and hater was probably making it
up didn't at first take into consideration that Amazon themselves said they
had closed up access to some pages and plugged up certain features last 
night -- so it makes sense certain parts of his script wouldn't run now.

Since 'weev' was bragging, off the cuff, it is easier to make an error that
will invalidate a string that's typed or even pasted in, if even one character
is missing.

Much won't be known for sure for some time. But I don't trust people
who rush to say they 'know' when they can't, yet, and I felt the guy
aiming to debunk his story was doing that.

It's been my belief that he was just claiming credit -- for the kind of
adoration he is getting right now from his fans there, but it's just not
knowable yet, in my view._


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> It seems like the ranks are being restored, but things are still wonky.


I see that the ranking had been restored too.


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> I posted it, but it probably go lost in the shuffle.
> 
> This sums up much of my theory:
> http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011173.html
> ...


 That Hayden guy is a really good writer. As are many here, but his reasoning on all this
is so well-expressed. Thanks for that too.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I sent another letter, this time requesting a personal response. We'll see if they "ham-fist" me again. Oh, that so doesn't sound right.  

Artandhistoryfan, I could only hope to be half as articulate as "that Hayden guy."


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

The story is at...

http://consumerist.com/5210378/amazon-gay-book-removal-was-massive-prank-i-did-it-claims-troll

The conspiracy theorist in me almost says this is a cover up to a debaucle on amazon's part... or just some stupid kid looking to take credit for something. The rational part of me believes the latter, and then some other soon to be named part of me wants to believe it. At any rate, it seems like the stance on the book removals is going to be reversed from what I've been hearing, so may be it was some sort of hacking or mistake that Amazon reacted overly much to.


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

IF it's true....big IF then the kid needs to get a LIFE


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I'm seeing other sites claim internal errors on amazon's part, but this was after amazon claimed they were trying to clean up their ratings system?  At any rate... after reading the hacker article more carefully I can't believe he's responsible ><  It's a funny read at any rate.


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> I sent another letter, this time requesting a personal response. We'll see if they "ham-fist" me again. Oh, that so doesn't sound right.


 LOL!



> Artandhistoryfan, I could only hope to be half as articulate as "that Hayden guy."


 WAY more than that. You were one of the ones I was thinking of. But the other thing
I liked about his writing is he's so generous! Without sounding pollyannish. Thanks again, 
for all the info you kept coming up with too.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

from today's New York Times:

April 14, 2009
Amazon Says Error Removed Listings
By MOTOKO RICH

In response to nearly two days of angry online commentary, particularly on Twitter, Amazon.com said on Monday that "an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error" had caused thousands of books on its site to lose their sales rankings and become harder to find in searches.

Most of the company's online critics complained that the problem appeared to have a disproportionate effect on gay and lesbian themed books, leading to cries of censorship.

The titles that lost their sales rankings during the weekend included James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room," the gay romance novel "Transgressions" and "Unfriendly Fire," a recently published book about the government's policies on gays in the military.

But in an e-mailed statement that came late Monday, Amazon said 57,310 books in several broad categories had been affected, including books on health and reproductive medicine.

On Sunday night, an Amazon spokeswoman told The Associated Press that there had been a "glitch in our systems," but the company offered no further explanation for most of Monday, allowing suspicion and conspiracy theories to run rampant.

One hacker even tried to take credit for the incident, writing on his blog that he had taken advantage of bugs in Amazon's Web site to trick people into flagging gay-themed books as inappropriate. Thousands of Twitter users included the tag "#amazonfail" in their messages on the subject, pushing it onto rankings of the most popular topics on the site and drawing in other users.

to read the whole thing:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/technology/internet/14amazon.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&hpw=&adxnnlx=1239703522-LmjnrqlaFF48UvGMfF3/bw

L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

We have another thread on this issue which folks were posting updates to all day yesterday and continuing today. I'm going to merge the two together. Thanks!

L


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/04/14/why-amazons-explanation-is-none-at-all/#more-11517

I received the form letter again. Yeah, in response to my email about feeling unheard. I might pass out from the irony.


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## Mycroft (Jan 10, 2009)

I really hope that Jeff Bezos personally addresses this issue. Until now my wife has been a long-time Amazon customer and an enthusiastic Kindle user since last fall, but she is extremely offended by this incident. It's going to take more than what they've said to date to keep her business.


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

Here's another article, continuing the "hacker" theory:
http://valleywag.gawker.com/5210142/why-it-makes-sense-that-a-hackers-behind-amazons-big-gay-outragev


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

The hacker debate misses the point that there's a mechanism in place that weighs books differently depending on if they're considered adult or not. Why? If Amazon's customers are adults then why the filter under any circumstances? If author A sells more than author B, why set up a system that doesn't acknowledge that, because author A has more graphic comment? I think anyone interested in this issue has to ask if the system feels right to them, even if it worked as intended.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Good article in The Washington Post entitled "Why Amazon Didn't Just Glitch." In order to read the whole thing, you have to register, but it's a good piece. Here's a snippet:
_
The bar for ethics in creating algorithms and classification systems should be very high. #AmazonFail proved it's not, at least at Amazon. I would venture that Amazon's classification and algorithm system have more of these discriminatory assumptions, and while their tagging system does allow users to correct for some of this, Amazon is using it's internal classification system in it's filters, not user tagging, that I can tell.

I would suggest that the company, because of its position in the market and power over both authors and publishers, as well as users and the intellectual marketplace of idea, ought to be doing a complete and public review of their classification and algorithm assumptions. Publishers and authors should push for it, and so should users. _


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

Here is a link to that article:

Why Amazon Didn't Just Have a Glitch
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041402985.html


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Thanks Mona -- I meant to add the link...and then forgot.


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

You're welcome!

Amazon's "Glitch" Myth Debunked
http://www.afterellen.com/node/48877


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks for the link, Mona. It's very interesting to know how long this is happening. Big always takes advantage of small....


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

People who have been paying attention to this thread and the stories in the news probably noticed that three books that got mentioned quite often were *Transgressions* by Erastes, *False Colors* by Alex Beecroft, and *The Filly* by Mark R. Probst. *Transgressions* and *False Colors* are a bit of a sensation right now because they are the first two books in a new m/m romance line being launched by Running Press. Two more books are scheduled to be released in the fall and if sales of the line are good, the publisher will continue it. They are really hoping that these books might be the cross-over to capture the mainstream romance audience.

Because I was curious, I went on a field trip today to Borders, to see if the books were in stock and if so, where they were shelved. First stop was the computer which said that *Transgressions* hadn't been published yet but *False Colors* was likely in the store. Boo number one -- it was shelved with "Gay Fiction," not romance or historical fiction. Oh well.

Off I went and yay! numbers one and two: *Transgressions* was on the shelf (the computer was not up-to-date) and it even arranged facing out! I was so excited, I decided to do a little re-arranging for *False Colors*, too, and then took a picture:










Don't they look great? (BTW, there were three copies of each book available.)

Here's a picture showing the whole shelf:










I was starting to head out and saw this _other_ display that had a great big gaping hole -- I had to fix that! 










*False Colors* is in front and *Transgressions* is behind it. I sort of wished I could stay all day and see if anyone noticed the display or picked up the book but alas, I had to get to work.

Meanwhile, for all of us, both books are available in Kindle versions which was another change from the publisher since they originally did not plan on publishing ebook versions. Hooray for that. I guess the "kindle-klick" campaign worked.

 

I am reading *Transgressions* right now and it's _very_ good.

L


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

The word that comes to mind after reading your post, Leslie, is formidable.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Jeff said:


> The word that comes to mind after reading your post, Leslie, is formidable.


Thank you!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Jeff, you should send her copies of your books. . .. she can seed the bookstore with them and REALLY confuse the sales people!  

Ann


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

After seen Leslie's post, I got curious and went B&N near my house. I didn't expect to see much of gay/lesbian fiction and I was right. I didn't see any of the books Leslie mentioned. In fact, there was only few latest gay/lesbian fiction in the gay/lesbian shelves. Well, people voted "Yes" to the Proposition 8 (Against Gay marriage) in my area.  

What genre of books bookstore carry depend upon where you live, what is the demand and who is handling the purchase of the books in the store. I know a person who handles the purchase in one of the B&N in the east coast. She is a lesbian and she wants to have the good selection of the lesbian fiction in her store so the customer will know what's out there. She purchase new release of the lesbian fiction and put in the display as much as possible like Leslie did in her way out.    

I didn't know there are so many GLBT books available until I saw one in Amazon bookstore. So to the publisher and the author of GLBT books, this Amazon's incident was very big deal. Online bookstore is where people can find their books.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Interesting follow up in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/weekinreview/19rich.html?_r=1

L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Another interesting article. AmazonFail is mentioned, but it's a good overview of slash fiction, fanfiction and the growing interest in m/m romance.

http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/article.cfm?aid=12643

L


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks for the link Leslie. It was very interesting article. The Gay novel and comics are very popular in Japan too.


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