Laurie Abkemeier

I’ve caught some flak for naming names in my post from two weeks ago: “17 out of 88 Agencies Prefer Amazon. Is Your Agency on the List?” Some have suggested I should have picked up the phone and called the agents. Or perhaps I could have posted a generic “I did some research and found 17 agencies that are linking only to Amazon, but I’m not going to tell you who they are” piece. 

But I’m not a member of the press, I had no reason to believe the agencies weren’t fully aware of the content of their own sites, and I know that words are more effective when they are specific. Have no doubt, I wanted to affect a change. 

Let me be clear, the agencies I named are reputable and successful for a reason. They represent hardworking, talented authors. I’m not suggesting those agencies are not good at what they do. They are made up of people I’ve worked with during two decades in publishing. Every time I come across an agency website with Amazon-only links, my heart sinks. 

My goal was merely to shed light on a double standard. We insist that authors display a wide variety of buy-button options. We should do the same (or, better yet, link only to the authors’ websites). It’s in everyone’s best interest to promote authors and their books, not a specific retailer. 

Yesterday, I came across an agency that I never expected to see linking only to Amazon: Regal Literary. Regal Literary was founded by someone who is currently launching a startup with the express purpose of competing and perhaps overtaking Amazon in the ebook market by forming partnerships with publishers and independent booksellers. And yet, Regal Literary is also an Amazon affiliate for select titles. 

Should I call them? Is it possible they don’t know? 

No and no. I simply added them to the list.