I'm a Small Publisher Because of Amazon

Not since Hester Prynne walked out of prison with an infant in her arms and â??a rag of scarlet clothâ? in the shape of the letter A has there been such public hue and cry as Amazon has provoked in the past few weeks. Amazonâ??s latest miscreant behavior is its â??predatory practiceâ? of encouraging customers to browse in bricks-and-mortar stores, e-mail a photo of the barcode on whatever item they want to buy, and receive a $5 to $15 discount on the product from Amazon if it falls into certain categories. This is just one in a series of actions by Amazon that has publishers and booksellers wringing their hands, venting their spleens, and girding their loins. While no one is suggesting (yet) that Amazonâ??s behavior is illegal (as opposed to an investigation into the so-called â??agency pricingâ? practices of the Big Six publishers and Apple), the consensus is that Amazon uses its resources to take unfair advantage. Coming from the modern publishing industry, this smacks of the pot calling the kettle black.