Small publishers and Amazon

Over at her Happenstance blog, Helena Nelson has published a post which highlights the pìtfalls of dealing with Amazon from the perspective of a small publisher. It's well worth the read (find it here), showing just how commercial giants in all realms of business squeeze their suppliers' margins.

Of course, I too buy poetry through Amazon, as their Marketplace enables me to access secondhand books that I'd struggle to find elsewhere. However, I do try to purchase new titles directly from poetry presses. Otherwise, Amazon's cut can easily turn a profit into a considerable loss.