One of the raging debates on the web among authors is: do you link to your book at Amazon?
If you're self-pubbed, the answer is an unequivocal "yes," because Amazon will likely be your single biggest source of sales. However, for authors whose works are produced by traditional publishers, it's a thornier issue. On one side of the debate (let's call it the "Pro-Amazon" side) you can create your own Amazon affiliate ID, filter people to the site, make it easy for them to buy, and earn your standard royalty--with an affiliate kickback on top of it. What's not to like?
On the other hand, the "Anti-Amazon" folks point out, you run the risk of alienating independent booksellers. After all, independent booksellers are an author's true friends: they can recommend and hand-sell your work to their customers. Does Amazon do that? No, not really. Plus, isn't it nice to support bookstores offering a true "book experience"--places such as Denver's Tattered Cover, Portland's Powell's Bookstore, or Seattle's Elliott Bay Book Company. (On the more local level, I have fond memories of Books West in Kalispell, Montana, near where I grew up, and Fact and Fiction in Missoula, where I got myself college-edjicated.) Amazon just can't replicate the sights, sounds, smells and feel of a true, authentic bookstore. Meatspace booksellers are a line of defense against the impersonal intermediation that's invading every transaction we make.
Okay, I suppose I've tipped my hand a bit. I wouldn't call myself necessarily anti-Amazon, but I'm certainly pro-independent bookstore. I'd rather folks wander into a local bookstore, sit down and spend a few minutes reading my book, decide to purchase it, and maybe get a cup of coffee so they can hang around and read for a while. That's an experience I enjoy, and one I think many other readers enjoy.
However, there are other thornier issues to consider. Chief among them: the issue of rankings. Amazon is the most ubiquitous book source on the web, and let's face it: links to Amazon help your rankings. This includes search engine rankings, of course, but also rankings on blog indexes such as Technorati and Blogdex. In most cases, these services rank the "popularity" of books based solely on the number of links to Amazon. Perhaps at some point, these ranking metrics will change and improve; until then, we're stuck with knowing links to Amazon are an essential component of online marketing.
So, what's a fellow who loves indpendent local booksellers to do? My solution, unless someone offers something better: when I blog about a book (my own, or one I'm encouraging others to buy), I'll link to Amazon, as well as independent booksellers. Amazon is a must in these cases, I think.
In all other instances, however, I'll link to independent booksellers only, and encourge readers to buy there.
Your thoughts?
