reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
reviews_and_ramblings ([personal profile] reviews_and_ramblings) wrote2009-06-23 06:09 pm

I don't want to cry wolf, but

...I check every week Amazon for the release of new print books, so I can see if there is something new.

Usually I do the following research

Advanced Search with the following filters
Publisher:
Format: "printed books"
Sort Results by: "publication date"

this week doing the same exact research as every week I didn't find my usual result for the following publisher:

Amber Quill Press (24 books available, most recent book Nov 22, 2006)



Loose Id (4 books available)



P.D. Publishing (1 book available)



Torquere (no books available)



I believe there is something not right in the search filter, if I search for the single books (I did two/three test), I find them.

All the other publishers I use to check (MLR Press, Phaze, ...) are all right.

[identity profile] mistry89.livejournal.com 2009-06-23 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)
It just seems so ironic. I received one of those newslettery update things from Amazon at the beginning of the month "June - Gay Pride Month!" or something and yet it seems as if the only way to find some things (it may be greater than our area of interest, after all) on Amazon, is to already know they they are there. Hope that makes sense!

I'm not a big buyer of stuff from Amazon these days - international shipping bites and can't buy ebooks from them, but I've been a customer there since 1996 and feel that it should be easier (especially for new-to-the-genre people, to be able to find what they are searching for. This can't be anything to do with parental advisory notices or adult content, it is more like making some groups of people go into the back room and up the stairs and use a secret handshake before they can see what is available - and of course, you need to know the address of the building with the room and the hidden doorway and the secret handshake before you begin. I may be paranoid, but if feels Discriminatory in a Discouraging rather than Excluding way.
Amazon is such a great resource, but is slipping - either deliberately or through inconsistent application of codes/tags/rules/whatever. I'm not sure which is the greater "evil".
Cheers!

[identity profile] elisa-rolle.livejournal.com 2009-06-23 05:35 pm (UTC)(link)
It's quite a coincidence that all the publishers affected are small and mainl epublishers... I like Amazon for how far it can reach people, but hate when something like this happens.

And yes, it's not only related to LGBT Books, bother Amber Quill Press than Loose Id have a huge catalouge of het romance. Elisa
Edited 2009-06-23 17:36 (UTC)

[identity profile] tangerine-haze.livejournal.com 2009-06-23 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I wish amazon would at least allow you an option in your profile to say yes I'm 18 please show me adult content. Then they can get over their issue with showing "gay" erotica or other books. As it is I end up buying half my ebooks at fictionwise.com

[identity profile] elisa-rolle.livejournal.com 2009-06-23 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
That would be a nice solution. I believe that this last problem is more aimed to "erotica" books rather then specifically LGBT titles, even if that result for P.D. Publishing let me perplexed. Elisa

[identity profile] thelastaerie.livejournal.com 2009-06-23 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I think it could have to with they are mainly ebook publishers. And Amazon is pushing Kindle - they are not very keen to promote other ebook publishers, I suppose.

I get most ebooks directly from publishers, if not, then fictionwise. I do think Amazon intentionally wants to have Kindle ebooks (mostly) on their site.

[identity profile] elisa-rolle.livejournal.com 2009-06-23 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes it can be a reason, but P.D. Publishing? It's only a print books publisher... there is fire in Denmark...

[identity profile] semioticwarrior.livejournal.com 2009-06-23 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
I tried a broad search on the publisher name, then clicked on "Gay and Lesbian" under "Department" in the left sidebar, once the search had been run. It turned up lots of books from those publishers. Choosing "Publication Date" in the drop-down menu at the top right after that will put the most recent ones on top.

[identity profile] elisa-rolle.livejournal.com 2009-06-24 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
Now my usual Advanced Research works fine. It was probably another "glitch" that they resolved in a fast way. The only thing is that I'm quite tired to find this glitch around. I work in a software company, and I know that this errors are not something that could happen so often. Elisa