Why I Don’t Link My Posts to Amazon.com
Cause Amazon doesn’t need the help.
I mean, it’s a personal choice we all wrestle with, yes? If you’re a children’s literary blogger it’s the simplest thing in the world to link a book to its Amazon page without thinking twice about it. Amazon is big and convenient. The titles you talk about are always there. Sometimes you’ll get an SLJ or Booklist review as well.
You could probably say that I’m a bit of a two-faced so-and-so since all my reviews are copied onto Amazon once they’ve been published. True enough. I also happen to love the Amazon blog Omnivoracious (and Paul, evidently, loves my Fusenews too). And interestingly enough I don’t have problems with bloggers that participate in that system where if you purchase the book through Amazon through the blog the blogger gets money for it. I feel that if you’re linking to Amazon for a reason (i.e. monetary gain) that’s fine. It’s linking to Amazon for the convenience that perhaps we should examine more closely.
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The children’s literary bloggers and the independent bookstore bloggers haven’t come together in significant ways quite yet. Much of that may have to do with the fact that more children’s literary bloggers are librarians than booksellers. Still and all, it would be nice if every time a person wrote a review they linked it in some way to an independent store that needed the cash.
With that in mind, I once tried to support my local children’s bookstores here in NYC. There are only two in New York as it stands, however. You’ve got your Bank Street Bookstore on the one hand and your Books of Wonder on the other. But my attempts to link the books I was reviewing to these stores’ online catalogs often fails miserably. The whole reason we bloggers link to Amazon nine times out of ten is because of the user friendly nature of the site. You plug in the name, instantly a record appears, and on you go. Bank Street Bookstore does allow you to search their site for books, but since I review a lot of titles before their publication date, BSB doesn’t always have the titles there ready and waiting for me to link to them. Pity. As for Books of Wonder, I have linked to them in the past only to find the record disappear after a while. I can’t link to a site if the link disappears on me! The solution eventually turned out to be the Powell’s Bookstore. They’re big. They’re independent. They’re beautiful. They have a magnificent blog. And when I want a title they always have it somewhere. Almost always.
Another option is WorldCat. If you want to link to a book’s record without the ickyness of promotion and money changing hands, WorldCat is a dream come true. Not only will it provide you with your book’s record but it will also offer to tell you what library systems near you currently house that book in their collection.
Actually, I try to opt out of all these options when linking my titles. Nine times out of ten I prefer to link to the publishers’ webpages that are dedicated to the book. If you do that then you have a way of linking to a site that is actively interested in collecting information about the title. I see no problem with linking to the people who have created the lovely little thing anyway. And within the reviews I often link to titles on the Goodreads website. That’s not out of any moral higgelty piggelty, though. I’m just too lazy to change the links after I post the reviews on their site.
It’ll be interesting to see if children’s and YA bloggers start to change their linking habits in the future. Some bloggers have already done so and are particularly creative. 100 Scope Notes, for example, always makes a point to link reviews to Schuler Books and Music, which touts itself as "five of the nation’s largest independent bookstores." Kids Lit, on the other hand, prefers to go the WorldCat route.
So fess up, cuties. Who else do you link to and why? What have I forgotten?
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About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
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I have always refused to link to Amazon.
Jane
Goodreads. I don’t do reviews myself, so this gives my blog readers a chance to see other people’s reactions (often from bloggers in the Kidlit world) and as a bonus, there are easy links from goodreads to buy the book from Powell’s, Amazon, etc.— or (for library users) WorldCat. (Big fan of WorldCat. I even list it on my website as an option for those who want to read my book without buying it. Shooting myself in the foot, I know, but hey! that’s how I got ALL my books growing up.)
I don’t link to stores from my blog, but from my web site I try to provide a link for each book to the Indie Bound Bookstore Finder page, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Recently I’ve started adding Powell’s to the mix, too. I’m trying to provide options and also I hope that people will buy each book four times.
My blog is built in Drupal and takes advantage of an Amazon module to display book cover images, but we’ve changed the code so it doesn’t link to Amazon. (This seems somehow tricky and unfair, but as you say, Amazon isn’t hurting.) I prefer to link to the author’s website, if it exists. I figure anyone reading my blog is smart enough to take the next step.
Powells, Books of Wonder, or the Strand. Sometimes McNally-Robinson (Jackson now?) and sometimes Wellesley Booksmith. Only after I’ve exhausted those resources do I use Amazon. I never thought of linking to GoodReads or the publishers so I’ll definitely incorporate those links as well.
Thanks for this post! I just started a new school blog today and had just published my first post when I read yours. I immediately went back and changed my link from Amazon to the author’s page!
The encyclopedia of blogs. Thanks for giving me great ideas on how to update my website. This might be a good topic to discuss at the Blog Conference while you are all together. I tend to google my books to find reviews and have run across the Fuse review on a few other sites besides Amazon and Good Reads.
Clove Lakes Bookstore in Staten Island is a long standing indi bookstore. Support the boroughs when you can!
I must admit to taking the easy way out in many cases, but I do link to the publisher’s or author’s webpage whenever possible.
Worldcat, here I come!
When I first started blogging I almost always linked to bn.com, just out of some lingering loyalty to them from my bookselling days. I also tend to go to bn.com more for work, because they tend to be better about posting reviews. But yes, I’ll sometimes do Amazon, too. I do think it’s nice to at least always link to something, to make it easier for readers.
Do you know if technorati.com recognizes links other than Amazon? I’ve heard that those links can be very beneficial, however I would much rather support indies!
Scholastic likes me to link to their site if they have a page on the title I’m writing about; otherwise, I try to link to the author’s website if there is one, or the publisher’s page (though some of those load pretty slowly).
Interesting discussion. When we interview authors/illustrators, we *ask* them where they want us to link their book titles, giving them the option to pick their favorite independent bookstore. But, like you said, sometimes you can’t link properly, depending on the store.
We always default to Amazon or Powells, and you know why? This will make me sound like a big lame-o to those who care about the issues behind it all, which I understand, but I simply want to link to the site with the MOST information, the best images (the bigger, the better). I actually, when looking for a wide variety of reviews on a title (professional reviews), go to barnesandnoble.com first — they usually have a lot of print reviews (as Alvina already pointed out), they have all the book info right there, clean and clear-cut, and you can click on the book covers to see ’em pretty honkin’ big.
But if we were to link to B & N in our posts? Shoot, no one would read us.
But, like everyone else has said, I always let the author’s or illustrator’s site trump any commercial sites first.
90% of the time I link to Powells, because it is a fabulous store that I have enjoyed on more than one occasion.
I asked the crew at Guys Lit Wire to link to Powells as well. I just think we should support a place that does so much for literature.
Plus they’re union, which I think is pretty cool too.
I link to Amazon because, like Jules said, it has the most information. Their huge lot of customer reviews (often by reputable people like yourself, Fuse) are such a great resource.
The funny thing with Amazon. I mean, very few people don’t know about it, right? Many of us know that it contains huge swaths of information (though B&N has a better professional review section, as some have pointed out). So if we like the user reviews, Goodreads makes just as much sense to link to, if not more so. And if we like the professional reviews then B&N (who killed my mom’s bookstore, but who’s counting?) would be the logical choice. Amazon has information, but wouldn’t most “customers” know to go there anyway? Do they need our help?
I link to Powell’s in my reviews, not only because it is made of awesome, but also (and mostly, really) because their URLs are so much cleaner and shorter than Amazon’s. None of this hundred-character encryption crap: just http://www.powells.com/and the ISBN. Beautiful! (Full disclosure: my church’s website, which I maintain, is part of the Amazon Associate program, and when it comes to buying, I choose Amazon over BN.com any day. BN.com, you stink! This year I may try doing my Christmas shopping at Powells.com, however.)
I always link to Amazon. Call me a traitor, if you will, but I never see anyone complaining that people link to Google rather than some obscure, small search engine that needs the hits a lot more than Google does. Amazon is the 800-lb gorilla and–you know what?–they’re the best online bookseller. Period. I love Powell’s–as a physical bookstore. I like LOTS of local bookstores and comic book shops. And when I’m in town and browsing around, that’s the best place to get books. But we’re living in that newfangled world of the intertubes now, and it’s foolish, in my opinion, to pretend that small, local businesses should always try to compete with national businesses in every situation. It’s like small farms trying to make a profit by wholesaling wheat and corn. It’s a losing battle. Switch to specialty fruits and vegetables and sell specifically to your local market, rather than trying to compete against the volume and infrastructure that the national players have. Where’s the outcry over all of us traitors subscribing to Netflix, thereby starving our hardworking, local video stores of revenue? Etc. etc.
I wouldn’t say that whether or not Amazon needs the help is the most relevant question. It’s more a matter of what’s most familiar and comfortable for the reader, and that’s often Amazon. I say this despite the fact that I’m all for supporting the local and the independent over the homogenizing behemoth.
Well, let’s look at what we’re really talking about here. We’re talking about situations in which a blogger reviews a book and includes a helpful link about that book. Many times, most times, that blogger has already included publication information, yes? And in my own case I always link to online reviews, both professional and those done by bloggers, IF they are available. Now a reader has read my review. They like the idea of the book. If they’re a library then they have their own methods of ordering the book, and it’s probably through Baker & Taylor or something. If they’re a normal joe schmoe, however, maybe they want to order that book right away. If they already have an Amazon account and they prefer to order that way then they’ll just type the url in and badda bing, badda boom. But on the odd off-chance (and how often does this really happen, anyway?) that they decide to order through the link that I have provided, maybe they’ll try to order that way. I can’t quite imagine why they would, but it’s a possibility. But wait, what’s this? They’ve been taken to Goodreads, or Worldcat, or Powell’s. Strange indeed. In some cases they can order online, easy peasy. In other cases they cannot and therefore would type in their own preferred URL (or, better still, get their tuchis off the couch and enter a nearby store) and order howsoever they prefer. Essentially, I am not making this choice for them. All that I’m doing is linking to another site that would offer other bits of information. Goodreads is probably the best for this since, unlike Amazon, you get the sense that the reviewers think about what they write more than half the time. You can pull out the old no-one-can-compete-with-Amazon argument, sure. No one’s going to argue with that. But at the same time I’m not going to help them get any new sales if I can help it. You can, if you like. Totally your prerogative. Just be aware of why you do it. Like I say in the piece, I don’t mind if people link to Amazon if, like you, they have a reason. Just don’t do it without any consideration of your whys and wherefores.
I’ve been trying to remember to link to librarything.com’s main page for a book instead of using amazon, although sometimes I falter. I figure that people can shop where they want to shop, but it provides a place with info about the book.
for years i’ve linked through indiebound/booksense, and also provide a link to the original amazon (the feminist bookstore).
All these comments just go to remind us that there’s nothing people like to blog about more than how they blog. The circle is complete!
Amen to that! Thank God too. I don’t know if I could keep coming up with material if there wasn’t some way to blog about blogging about blogging about . . .
Why not link to your library catalog?
If my library doesn’t have it yet, I’ve used Powell’s.
Interesting point raised about the frequency of readers who click the link provided and actually end up purchasing the book from that site. I’m guessing it doesn’t happen all that often. I would assume most children’s lit blog readers are librarians or booksellers and have their own means of purchasing books. That being the case, steering random (non librarian/bookseller) visitors toward an independent seems like the best way to go. No matter where I am, it never fails to amaze me how consistently great independent stores are. Worth supporting, even if it is with something as humble as a url.
Betsy, as an independent bookseller who loves your blog, I have really appreciated the fact that you don’t link to Amazon. It’s hard to compete with Amazon, particularly so when everyone defaults to it as the go-to book site. I realize that it’s simple, it’s informative (I’ll admit to using Amazon.com as a search tool), and bloggers can make money by affiliating themselves with Amazon; but it’s hard to see this company gobbling up huge sections of the market (not just books–I’m sure that local video and music shops are also in competition with this behemoth.) Shop locally and use your library whenever you can, folks! The local bookstore and local library are both community treasures that need your support to continue.
On my blog (AmericanIndiansinChildrensLiterature) I link to Oyate, a non-profit organization that does a lot of good with the revenue generated from book sales, which is only one of the things they do. I teach at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and discuss what it means to buy a book from Amazon versus an independent seller.
I am lazy by nature but your post inspired me to link to Hue-Man bookstore in Harlem.
I try to link directly to the publisher, though sometimes the author’s website is easier to find. Powell’s is my third choice.
How did I miss this post? I link to Amazon for my 6% referral fee, but I want very badly to syndicate my blog to library systems. I would rather drive circs than drive Amazon sales. Pink Me would appear on your library’s web site, and each title would link to the record in your library’s OPAC, where the reader/patron can put the book on hold. There’s some technical stuff to work out about converting the links for each subscribing system, but that’s no barrier. I haven’t seen it done anywhere yet, but I’m sure I’m not the first to think of it. It actually seems like the kind of thing SLJ would be looking at.