Is Amazon Really Anti-Gay?

Contents:

• AM I GAY?
• IS AMAZON REALLY ANTI-GAY?WHETHER WAS A “GLCH” THAT -LISTED GAY-THEMED BOOKS OM THE RANKGS OR THE WORK OF A HACKER, SARA NELSON THKS AMAZON HAS EVERY RIGHT TO CI WHAT WANTS TO SELL AND HOW.SARA NELSONUPDATED JUL. 14, 2017 12:00PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 13, 2009 1:29PM EDT  CALL ME CRAZY, OR AT LEAST POLILLY RRECT, BUT I THK ALL THIS FLAP OVER AMAZON’S REMOVAL OF CERTA GAY-THEMED TL OM NTENTN FOR S BTSELLER LISTS IS MORE THAN A LTLE OVERBLOWN, NOT TO MENTN NAïVE.FOR THOSE WHO ABANDONED BOOKLAND OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, ALLOW ME TO REP. ON SATURDAY, A PUBLISHER NAMED MARK PROBST POSTED AN EM ON HIS BLOG ABOUT HOW HAD STOPPED SUPPLYG SAL RANKGS FOR A NOVEL HE’D PUBLISHED LLED THE FILLY. THAT THE INTER RETAILER MIGHT HAVE MSED UP IS HARDLY NEWS—AMAZON REGULARLY HAS GLCH: A FEW YEARS AGO, AMAZON CANADA ADVERTENTLY REVEALED THE NAM AND EMAIL ADDRS OF S ANONYMO REVIEWERS; AT REGULAR OLD AMERIN , THE SE OFTEN LOS TRACK OF EDORIAL REVIEWS HAS LICENSED, AND THEY DON’T MAKE ONTO THE SE.STILL, SOMETHG WAS FUNNY ABOUT THE -LISTG OF THE FILLY, A NOVEL WH GAY THEM: IT ME TWO DAYS AFTER THE SAL RANKG DISAPPEARED OM TWO MORE HIGH-PROFILE GAY-ROMANCE BOOKS: TRANSGRSNS AND FALSE COLORS. BY SUNDAY, ACRDG TO PROBST, HUNDREDS OF SIAR BOOKS HAD LOST THEIR RANKGS. SO PROBST BRAVED THE KREML THAT IS AMAZON AND EVENTUALLY GOT A RPONSE OM ONE ASHLYN D, A MEMBER SERVIC REPRENTATIVE (PUBLISHERS ARE NSIRED “MEMBERS” AND GET DIFFERENT CTOMER SERVICE THAN NSUMERS): “IN NSIRATN OF OUR ENTIRE CTOMER BASE, WE EXCLU ‘ADULT’ MATERIAL OM APPEARG SOME SEARCH AND BTSELLER LISTS,” PROBST CLAIMS SHE WROTE. “SCE THE LISTS ARE GENERATED G SAL RANKS, ADULT MATERIALS MT ALSO BE EXCLUD OM THAT FEATURE.”MOVG CERTA BOOKS OUT OF NTENTN FOR BTSELLER LISTS DON’T SEEM A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT OM MOVG THEM OUT OF THE DISPLAY WDOW OR EVEN, LEAVG THEM RTONS THE STOCKROOM. WELL, THE BLOGOSPHERE WENT WILD. USERS TAGGED #AMAZONFAIL BEGAN TWTERG, REPORTERS BEGAN REPORTG, AND EARLY SUNDAY EVENG, AMAZON REVERSED -RANKG WAS SIMPLY A GLCH THE SAL-RANKG FEATURE, ANOTHER AMAZON SPOKPERSON PERSON TOLD SEVERAL JOURNALISTS; THERE IS NO NEW ADULT POLICY. UNSURPRISGLY, THE BLOGGER MOB WASN’T BUYG : “GLCH, MY ASS,” WAS ONE OF THE KR REMARKS.CLEARLY, THIS WAS NO GLCH—AS CAROLYN KELLOGG ON THE L.A. TIM BLOG JACKET COPY, AMONG MANY OTHERS, NOTED. SCE WHEN DO A GLCH ONLY AFFECT ONE KD OF BOOK? (A MORE LIKELY NSPIRACY THEORY CLAIMS THE -RANKG WAS THE WORK OF A HACKER.) AND IF I WERE ASHLYN D, I’D BE WAKG UP THIS MORNG WORRYG WHETHER I STILL HAD A JOB. BUT THE OUTRAGE, ON TWTER, ON BLOGS LIKE JACKET COPY AND , SEEMS DISGENUO: AS THOUGH PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY SHOCKED THAT SOMETHG FUNNY MIGHT HAVE GONE ON.AMAZON, AFTER ALL, IS THE RETAILER MANY BOOKLAND LOVE TO HATE. WHILE ONLY REPRENTS ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THE BS (BARN & NOBLE NTROLS MORE THAN 35 PERCENT), AMAZON HAS NSUMER “MD SHARE,” ENOMI OF SLE, AND SOME NERVE: THE ONLE RETAILER PROVIS ENORMO DISUNTS TO NSUMERS, ARGU PUBLISHER DISUNTS S OWN FAVOR, AND NOW, WH THE KDLE, SEEMS TO HAVE A STRANGLEHOLD ON THE DISSEMATN OF E-BOOKS, AS WELL. AND THERE’S SOMETHG ABOUT AMAZON THAT ISN’T EXACTLY “NICE.” FOR ONE THG, EXECUTIV SEEM TO WORK ON THE BEG FIVENS, DON’T ASK PERMISSN BS MOL; WHEN LNCHED THE KDLE2 EARLIER THIS YEAR, EXECUTIV MT HAVE KNOWN THERE’D BE AN OUTCRY AMONG AGENTS AND PUBLISHERS ABOUT “D RIGHTS.” BUT THEY LNCHED ANYWAY—AND THE MUTE BOOKLAND SQUAWKED, AMAZON RENEGED AND OFFERED AN D OPT-OUT CLSE.BUT AMAZON’S BIGGT CRIME, AT LEAST FOR SOME NSUMERS, IS THAT IS HELPG TO PUT THE SENTIMENTAL FAVORE—THE PENNT BOOKSELLER—OUT OF THE RACE. (I N’T HELP SEEG SOMETHG BIBLIL ABOUT AMAZON’S RISE; JT A AGO, WAS BARN & NOBLE THAT WAS THE EVIL EMPIRE, CROWDG OUT THE BELOVED DI; TODAY ’S AMAZON, WHICH DOTH SME B&N AS B&N ONCE SMOTE THE LTLE GUY.) THAT BOOK LOVERS SEIZED ON THIS RECENT -LISTG SNDAL AS A VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH TO VENT THEIR TRATN AND RAGE AT BIG BAD AMAZON MAK PERFECT SENSE; TO HAVE A POLILLY RRECT HOOK ON WHICH TO HANG ONE’S ARGUMENT MAK WHATEVER REVENGE ONE MIGHT WREAK ALL THE SWEETER.NOW, I’M HARDLY FAVOR OF CENSORSHIP, AND I DO APPRECIATE THE IRONY THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, A SER BOOK LIKE ANDREW SULLIVAN’S VIRTUALLY NORMAL GOT -LISTED, WHILE BRET EASTON ELLIS’S SEXUALLY VLENT NOVEL AMERIN PSYCHO DID NOT. (MAYBE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU E A PLITED ALGORHM, STEAD OF BASIC HUMANS, TO SEARCH FOR SO-LLED OFFENSIVE WORDS AND THEM.) AND THERE’S NO QUTN THAT AMAZON BEHAVED RIDICULOLY. BUT I SUGGT THAT THE RETAILER’S BIGGT MISTAKE WAS, AS IS UALLY THE SE POLILLY SENSIVE MATTERS, THE ’RE A RETAILER, AFTER ALL, AND WHILE MANY BOOKLAND WOULD THK PRETTY TO BE OTHERWISE, A RETAILER IS UNR NO OBLIGATN TO SELL EVERY BOOK THAT IS PUBLISHED, OR TO ARRANGE S BTSELLER LISTS TEGORI TO SU THE DTRY, OR, FOR THAT MATTER, TO GIVE EQUAL AIR TIME TO EVERY BOOK. IN FACT, JT AS PUBLISHERS ARE ALLOWED TO— SUPPOSED TO—EXERT JUDGMENT OVER WHAT THEY PUBLISH, SO TOO ARE BOOKSELLERS. ONE GROUP EDS WHAT GETS PRTED, THE OTHER EDS WHAT GETS SOLD.Y, TAKG GAY BOOKS—OR ANY BOOKS—OFF THE RANKGS LIST SERLY LIMS HOW MANY WILL SELL, BUT ISN’T UP TO THE BOOKSELLER TO CI WHAT THE MARKET WANTS, WHAT WILL SELL AND HOW WILL SELL ? MOVG CERTA BOOKS OUT OF NTENTN FOR BTSELLER LISTS DON’T SEEM A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT OM MOVG THEM OUT OF THE DISPLAY WDOW OR EVEN, LEAVG THEM RTONS THE STOCKROOM—ALL OF WHICH ARE LEGIMATE SAL TECHNIQU, ASSUMG A BOOKSELLER HASN’T TAKEN -OP DOLLARS OM A PUBLISHER AND PROMISED CERTA PLACEMENT. AFTER ALL, THAT’S JT WHAT B&N AND SOME OTHER STOR SAID THEY’D DO WH O.J. SIMPSON’S “NFSN” A FEW YEARS BACK; THEY AGREED TO MAKE THE BOOK AVAILABLE TO CTOMERS, BUT THEY WOULDN’T SHOVE DOWN THEIR THROATS. WHY IS THAT OK—AND WHY WAS OK, EVEN RIGHT, FOR SOME BOOKSELLERS TO BALK AT MY SUGGTN, YEARS AGO, THAT THEY NOT STOCK ANN COULTER’S LIBERAL-BASHG BOOKS? BEE BOOKSELLERS ARE A BS, NOT A PUBLIC-WORKS PROJECT, AND LIKE ALL BS, BOOKSELLG SUCCEEDS OR FAILS ON HOW WELL GIV THE CTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT.BEFORE SATURDAY, DID THE MAJORY OF BOOKBUYG CTOMERS RE WHETHER GAY-THEMED BOOKS WERE PART OF THE GENERAL-BOOK MIX ON MY GUS IS NO—AND THAT MOST AMAZON SHOPPERS HAD NEVER EVEN NOTICED IF THEY WERE. BUT THEY KNOW NOW, AND, MORE IMPORTANT, THEY HAVE NOW HEARD OF BOOKS LIKE THE FILLY AND TRANSGRSNS AND FALSE COLORS, BOOKS THEY MIGHT NEVER HAVE NOTICED ON THE RANKGS LIST. I DON’T DOUBT THAT MARK PROBST’S ORIGAL POST WAS FULL OF GENUE NCERN AND OUTRAGE—BUT TODAY HE’S GOT SOMETHG BETTER: EE PUBLICY. LUCKILY, WE N STUDY THE AMAZON RANKGS TO SEE JT HOW WELL THAT PUBLICY WILL PAY OFF.PL: CHECK OUT BOOK BEAST, FOR MORE NEWS ON HOT TL AND THORS AND EXCERPTS OM THE LATT BOOKS.SARA NELSON IS THE FORMER EDOR CHIEF OF PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND THE THOR OF THE BTSELLG SO MANY BOOKS, SO LTLE TIME. SARA NELSON

AM I GAY?

LGBT is still a popular term ed to discs genr and sexual mori, but all GSRM are wele beyond lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people who nsent to participate a safe space. 5m to supporters of gay marriage Washgton state, what is believed to be the largt-ever sgle donatn to the mpaign for same-sex unns the Uned donatn doubl the amount of money available to supporters of a referendum Washgton, which seeks to uphold a same-sex marriage law that was signed by the state ernor Chris Gregoire , wh Microsoft, Nike and Starbucks, publicly clared support for Washgton's same-sex marriage legislatn Febary when the legislatn was before the state senate.

IS AMAZON REALLY ANTI-GAY?WHETHER WAS A “GLCH” THAT -LISTED GAY-THEMED BOOKS OM THE RANKGS OR THE WORK OF A HACKER, SARA NELSON THKS AMAZON HAS EVERY RIGHT TO CI WHAT WANTS TO SELL AND HOW.SARA NELSONUPDATED JUL. 14, 2017 12:00PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 13, 2009 1:29PM EDT  CALL ME CRAZY, OR AT LEAST POLILLY RRECT, BUT I THK ALL THIS FLAP OVER AMAZON’S REMOVAL OF CERTA GAY-THEMED TL OM NTENTN FOR S BTSELLER LISTS IS MORE THAN A LTLE OVERBLOWN, NOT TO MENTN NAïVE.FOR THOSE WHO ABANDONED BOOKLAND OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, ALLOW ME TO REP. ON SATURDAY, A PUBLISHER NAMED MARK PROBST POSTED AN EM ON HIS BLOG ABOUT HOW HAD STOPPED SUPPLYG SAL RANKGS FOR A NOVEL HE’D PUBLISHED LLED THE FILLY. THAT THE INTER RETAILER MIGHT HAVE MSED UP IS HARDLY NEWS—AMAZON REGULARLY HAS GLCH: A FEW YEARS AGO, AMAZON CANADA ADVERTENTLY REVEALED THE NAM AND EMAIL ADDRS OF S ANONYMO REVIEWERS; AT REGULAR OLD AMERIN , THE SE OFTEN LOS TRACK OF EDORIAL REVIEWS HAS LICENSED, AND THEY DON’T MAKE ONTO THE SE.STILL, SOMETHG WAS FUNNY ABOUT THE -LISTG OF THE FILLY, A NOVEL WH GAY THEM: IT ME TWO DAYS AFTER THE SAL RANKG DISAPPEARED OM TWO MORE HIGH-PROFILE GAY-ROMANCE BOOKS: TRANSGRSNS AND FALSE COLORS. BY SUNDAY, ACRDG TO PROBST, HUNDREDS OF SIAR BOOKS HAD LOST THEIR RANKGS. SO PROBST BRAVED THE KREML THAT IS AMAZON AND EVENTUALLY GOT A RPONSE OM ONE ASHLYN D, A MEMBER SERVIC REPRENTATIVE (PUBLISHERS ARE NSIRED “MEMBERS” AND GET DIFFERENT CTOMER SERVICE THAN NSUMERS): “IN NSIRATN OF OUR ENTIRE CTOMER BASE, WE EXCLU ‘ADULT’ MATERIAL OM APPEARG SOME SEARCH AND BTSELLER LISTS,” PROBST CLAIMS SHE WROTE. “SCE THE LISTS ARE GENERATED G SAL RANKS, ADULT MATERIALS MT ALSO BE EXCLUD OM THAT FEATURE.”MOVG CERTA BOOKS OUT OF NTENTN FOR BTSELLER LISTS DON’T SEEM A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT OM MOVG THEM OUT OF THE DISPLAY WDOW OR EVEN, LEAVG THEM RTONS THE STOCKROOM. WELL, THE BLOGOSPHERE WENT WILD. USERS TAGGED #AMAZONFAIL BEGAN TWTERG, REPORTERS BEGAN REPORTG, AND EARLY SUNDAY EVENG, AMAZON REVERSED -RANKG WAS SIMPLY A GLCH THE SAL-RANKG FEATURE, ANOTHER AMAZON SPOKPERSON PERSON TOLD SEVERAL JOURNALISTS; THERE IS NO NEW ADULT POLICY. UNSURPRISGLY, THE BLOGGER MOB WASN’T BUYG : “GLCH, MY ASS,” WAS ONE OF THE KR REMARKS.CLEARLY, THIS WAS NO GLCH—AS CAROLYN KELLOGG ON THE L.A. TIM BLOG JACKET COPY, AMONG MANY OTHERS, NOTED. SCE WHEN DO A GLCH ONLY AFFECT ONE KD OF BOOK? (A MORE LIKELY NSPIRACY THEORY CLAIMS THE -RANKG WAS THE WORK OF A HACKER.) AND IF I WERE ASHLYN D, I’D BE WAKG UP THIS MORNG WORRYG WHETHER I STILL HAD A JOB. BUT THE OUTRAGE, ON TWTER, ON BLOGS LIKE JACKET COPY AND , SEEMS DISGENUO: AS THOUGH PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY SHOCKED THAT SOMETHG FUNNY MIGHT HAVE GONE ON.AMAZON, AFTER ALL, IS THE RETAILER MANY BOOKLAND LOVE TO HATE. WHILE ONLY REPRENTS ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THE BS (BARN & NOBLE NTROLS MORE THAN 35 PERCENT), AMAZON HAS NSUMER “MD SHARE,” ENOMI OF SLE, AND SOME NERVE: THE ONLE RETAILER PROVIS ENORMO DISUNTS TO NSUMERS, ARGU PUBLISHER DISUNTS S OWN FAVOR, AND NOW, WH THE KDLE, SEEMS TO HAVE A STRANGLEHOLD ON THE DISSEMATN OF E-BOOKS, AS WELL. AND THERE’S SOMETHG ABOUT AMAZON THAT ISN’T EXACTLY “NICE.” FOR ONE THG, EXECUTIV SEEM TO WORK ON THE BEG FIVENS, DON’T ASK PERMISSN BS MOL; WHEN LNCHED THE KDLE2 EARLIER THIS YEAR, EXECUTIV MT HAVE KNOWN THERE’D BE AN OUTCRY AMONG AGENTS AND PUBLISHERS ABOUT “D RIGHTS.” BUT THEY LNCHED ANYWAY—AND THE MUTE BOOKLAND SQUAWKED, AMAZON RENEGED AND OFFERED AN D OPT-OUT CLSE.BUT AMAZON’S BIGGT CRIME, AT LEAST FOR SOME NSUMERS, IS THAT IS HELPG TO PUT THE SENTIMENTAL FAVORE—THE PENNT BOOKSELLER—OUT OF THE RACE. (I N’T HELP SEEG SOMETHG BIBLIL ABOUT AMAZON’S RISE; JT A AGO, WAS BARN & NOBLE THAT WAS THE EVIL EMPIRE, CROWDG OUT THE BELOVED DI; TODAY ’S AMAZON, WHICH DOTH SME B&N AS B&N ONCE SMOTE THE LTLE GUY.) THAT BOOK LOVERS SEIZED ON THIS RECENT -LISTG SNDAL AS A VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH TO VENT THEIR TRATN AND RAGE AT BIG BAD AMAZON MAK PERFECT SENSE; TO HAVE A POLILLY RRECT HOOK ON WHICH TO HANG ONE’S ARGUMENT MAK WHATEVER REVENGE ONE MIGHT WREAK ALL THE SWEETER.NOW, I’M HARDLY FAVOR OF CENSORSHIP, AND I DO APPRECIATE THE IRONY THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, A SER BOOK LIKE ANDREW SULLIVAN’S VIRTUALLY NORMAL GOT -LISTED, WHILE BRET EASTON ELLIS’S SEXUALLY VLENT NOVEL AMERIN PSYCHO DID NOT. (MAYBE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU E A PLITED ALGORHM, STEAD OF BASIC HUMANS, TO SEARCH FOR SO-LLED OFFENSIVE WORDS AND THEM.) AND THERE’S NO QUTN THAT AMAZON BEHAVED RIDICULOLY. BUT I SUGGT THAT THE RETAILER’S BIGGT MISTAKE WAS, AS IS UALLY THE SE POLILLY SENSIVE MATTERS, THE ’RE A RETAILER, AFTER ALL, AND WHILE MANY BOOKLAND WOULD THK PRETTY TO BE OTHERWISE, A RETAILER IS UNR NO OBLIGATN TO SELL EVERY BOOK THAT IS PUBLISHED, OR TO ARRANGE S BTSELLER LISTS TEGORI TO SU THE DTRY, OR, FOR THAT MATTER, TO GIVE EQUAL AIR TIME TO EVERY BOOK. IN FACT, JT AS PUBLISHERS ARE ALLOWED TO— SUPPOSED TO—EXERT JUDGMENT OVER WHAT THEY PUBLISH, SO TOO ARE BOOKSELLERS. ONE GROUP EDS WHAT GETS PRTED, THE OTHER EDS WHAT GETS SOLD.Y, TAKG GAY BOOKS—OR ANY BOOKS—OFF THE RANKGS LIST SERLY LIMS HOW MANY WILL SELL, BUT ISN’T UP TO THE BOOKSELLER TO CI WHAT THE MARKET WANTS, WHAT WILL SELL AND HOW WILL SELL ? MOVG CERTA BOOKS OUT OF NTENTN FOR BTSELLER LISTS DON’T SEEM A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT OM MOVG THEM OUT OF THE DISPLAY WDOW OR EVEN, LEAVG THEM RTONS THE STOCKROOM—ALL OF WHICH ARE LEGIMATE SAL TECHNIQU, ASSUMG A BOOKSELLER HASN’T TAKEN -OP DOLLARS OM A PUBLISHER AND PROMISED CERTA PLACEMENT. AFTER ALL, THAT’S JT WHAT B&N AND SOME OTHER STOR SAID THEY’D DO WH O.J. SIMPSON’S “NFSN” A FEW YEARS BACK; THEY AGREED TO MAKE THE BOOK AVAILABLE TO CTOMERS, BUT THEY WOULDN’T SHOVE DOWN THEIR THROATS. WHY IS THAT OK—AND WHY WAS OK, EVEN RIGHT, FOR SOME BOOKSELLERS TO BALK AT MY SUGGTN, YEARS AGO, THAT THEY NOT STOCK ANN COULTER’S LIBERAL-BASHG BOOKS? BEE BOOKSELLERS ARE A BS, NOT A PUBLIC-WORKS PROJECT, AND LIKE ALL BS, BOOKSELLG SUCCEEDS OR FAILS ON HOW WELL GIV THE CTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT.BEFORE SATURDAY, DID THE MAJORY OF BOOKBUYG CTOMERS RE WHETHER GAY-THEMED BOOKS WERE PART OF THE GENERAL-BOOK MIX ON MY GUS IS NO—AND THAT MOST AMAZON SHOPPERS HAD NEVER EVEN NOTICED IF THEY WERE. BUT THEY KNOW NOW, AND, MORE IMPORTANT, THEY HAVE NOW HEARD OF BOOKS LIKE THE FILLY AND TRANSGRSNS AND FALSE COLORS, BOOKS THEY MIGHT NEVER HAVE NOTICED ON THE RANKGS LIST. I DON’T DOUBT THAT MARK PROBST’S ORIGAL POST WAS FULL OF GENUE NCERN AND OUTRAGE—BUT TODAY HE’S GOT SOMETHG BETTER: EE PUBLICY. LUCKILY, WE N STUDY THE AMAZON RANKGS TO SEE JT HOW WELL THAT PUBLICY WILL PAY OFF.PL: CHECK OUT BOOK BEAST, FOR MORE NEWS ON HOT TL AND THORS AND EXCERPTS OM THE LATT BOOKS.SARA NELSON IS THE FORMER EDOR CHIEF OF PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND THE THOR OF THE BTSELLG SO MANY BOOKS, SO LTLE TIME. SARA NELSON

His voice sounds like a girl, but that n't prove his gay.

Well, amaz don't make this artwork so, who knowsAnd why do matter even if he was gay?