From GalleyCat:
As the dust settles after a "ham-fisted cataloging error" that resulted in 57,310 titles being de-ranked on Amazon, GalleyCat caught up with Don Weise, the publisher of Alyson Books--"the world's oldest and largest publisher of LGBT literature."
Despite the resolution, Weise had words of caution for the bookseller: "In spite of Amazon issuing a formal statement about the computer glitch (which I believe was actually the case more or less), I'm still curious about what would motivate them to want to filter out adult content in the first place. Whether that content is gay or straight is irrelevant. It concerns me when lines of permissible content get drawn because so often they're arbitrary and reflect social prejudices, usually against gay people and women," he explained in a statement.
Nevertheless, Weise added that he would "welcome the opportunity to work with Amazon toward making more gay books available to more readers. Perhaps the error and the resulting outcry can be put to good use. From my 15 years experience Amazon has been great about offering a wide array of gay literature, and for many people who live in rural places or who aren't out and are afraid to be seen going into a gay store or even the gay section at the chains, they can offer a lifeline to readers."
Good point. So many were quick to boycott Amazon, I appreciate your rational stance.
Posted by: lb | April 15, 2009 at 11:19 AM
That's a great way to turn this around, a "silver lining" if you will. I recently went to a conference and was shocked that the only person concerned about the gay content of my book...was me. The tide has really shifted. Not in every single town, but this is the first time I can remember not having to cautiously introduce my material and wait for a few judgmental looks. It's progress.
Posted by: Graeme | April 16, 2009 at 03:09 AM
I don't think any of it was a glitch at all and we need to be careful about easily dismissing it as such.
Posted by: david | June 16, 2009 at 01:50 PM