All weekend, according to Amazon.com, the writings of Hitler and sexually graphic straight novels were fine, but any gay-themed books, including “The Outsports Revolution,” were not. In what the online retailer is calling a “glitch” that is being fixed, all books in the “gay and lesbian” category were removed from sales rankings and in some cases from search results.
Books such as “Brokeback Mountain,” as well as sports autobiographies by out athletes Dave Kopay, Billy Bean, Esera Tuaola and John Amaechi were no longer ranked as of Sunday night. These books were listed as having “adult” content. Sales rankings numbers are vital for authors to see how books are selling and a key tool in having people find a book during a search. What infuriated me was seeing what book was listed first under a search for “homosexuality” on Sunday night: “A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality,” complete with its sales rank intact.
Wrote Pubisher’s Weekly:
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.
For most of the weekend on Twitter, in conversations with the hash tag “#amazonfail,” users were discussing the fact that the e-tailer was removing the sales rankings for books that it deemed featured “adult content.” Many readers, and writers, decried the fact that Amazon appears to be removing the sales ranking for titles that feature gay and lesbian characters and/or themes.
Outraged authors who wrote Amazon on Sunday received this reply: “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.”
When I first saw this story I figured it had to be a joke given how outrageous it was. Now, I am not sure if I believe it was a “glitch,” or whether that’s the cover story for a new policy that blew up in Amazon’s face and threatened to become a major media firestorm if uncorrected. I am holding off buying anything from Amazon until there is a more satisfactory answer than a “glitch.”
on Apr 13th, 2009 at 1:45 AM
If you need a book check out Powells.com first. A couple buds work there. Good employer. 200% gay friendly, unionized and a local family business founded in Portland, OR.
on Apr 13th, 2009 at 5:38 AM
Interesting story, and interesting how Twitter helped spread the word through the webosphere.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/amazon/archives/166259.asp
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23amazonfail
on Apr 13th, 2009 at 7:28 AM
Another casualty of the Amazon “glitch” is the current edition of my novel THE FRONT RUNNER, as published by Wildcat Press. Along with all the other Wildcat editions of my gay-themed novels. As for my nonfiction collection of Outsports pieces, THE LAVENDER LOCKER ROOM, it is now listed as “unavailable.”
The only Wildcat edition of a book of mine that still comes up on a regular search is ONE IS THE SUN, which is a Western historical novel, non-gay-themed. Which definitely shows that gay books are being targeted.
Paradoxically, all the vintage editions of my books (from other publishers during the 70s and 80s) are still listed on the regular rankings. Which shows how hypocritical their new policy is.
The hornet’s nest is buzzing loud and furious as LGBT authors and publishers gather to protest.
on Apr 13th, 2009 at 9:45 AM
Why am i not surpised!!! i think a big stink should be made about because companies like amazon will always try to get away with things like that. Come on people, it is 2009. I think as gay people we should definitely get on top of this and send a clear message. I intend to delete my Amazon membership and use powells.com instead.
on Apr 13th, 2009 at 10:37 AM
Apparently, it’s just an American “glitch.” The English edition of my gay coming-of-age novel, ENTRIES FROM A HOT PINK NOTEBOOK, isn’t ranked. However, the German translation, DAS KNALLROSA TAGEBUCHE, is ranked on Amazon’s German site.
Pardon me while I go cancel my account with Amazon…
on Apr 13th, 2009 at 3:18 PM
Now some hacker said he did all this himself:
http://gawker.com/5210142/why-it-makes-sense-that-a-hackers-behind-amazons-big-gay-outrage
Whatever, the rankings for GLBT books are still not back.
on Apr 13th, 2009 at 8:04 PM
Amazon.com speaks! This from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/amazon/archives/166329.asp?source=mypi
Amazon.com has offered a response to the AmazonFail fiasco.
Because there’s so much attention to this, I’ll offer spokesman Drew Herdener’s comments unfiltered:
“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.”
on Apr 13th, 2009 at 10:08 PM
This is certainly an interesting occurrence. I first heard about this yesterday night, and was utterly outraged that such policies and actions could be upheld given the large-scale clout that GLBTs have in industry and revenue. I’m fairly sure we represent one of the largest online shopping demographics, and I’m DISGUSTED that there’s been no major news discussion or coverage over the issue of this ‘glitch’.