Amazon screws anthology contributors

My good buddy Win Eckert encouraged those who read his blog (which can be found in the links section on this very page) to repost this, and I'm happy to oblige.

"Amazon fails again--and contributors to anthologies get punished

In the past year, Amazon has eliminated listings for contributors to anthologies. Their first stated rationale was that anthology participants are not "authors" and thus they were all deleted. Amazon instructed that participants should be listed as "contributors."

Now, apparently, Amazon is refusing to list such participants as "contributors." Such a position devalues those of us who write for anthologies, but then devaluing the writer is nothing new with Amazon.

A few days ago I noticed that Amazon had eliminated the listings for all the contributors to my anthology Myths for the Modern Age: Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Universe--despite the fact that when Amazon eliminated all the "author" listings a few months back, I dutifully went back into Amazon and re-entered them as "contributors."

Noticing the listings were once again gone, I re-entered the contributors... and received this pleasant missive this morning:

==== This is an automated response message - please do not reply ====

Thank you for using the Catalog Update Form to send suggestions for

Myths for the Modern Age: Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton Universe (ASIN 1932265147)


At this time we cannot accept the correction you have submitted for one of the following reasons:
- Could not verify
- Incorrectly formatted
- Provided URL did not confirm
- Some data on high-profile items is not editable

To help us make sure your submissions are correct, use proper case and correct punctuation and spelling, don't add comments or questions and include a valid URL from an authoritative source for verification.

Attribute: Author function
Current value: Win Scott Eckert | Editor
Your suggestion:
Win Scott Eckert
Editor
Philip Jose Farmer
Contributor
Matthew Baugh
Contributor
Christopher Paul Carey
Contributor
Peter M. Coogan
Contributor
Rick Lai
Contributor
Chuck Loridans
Contributor
Jess Nevins
Contributor
Dennis E. Power
Contributor
John A. Small
Contributor


Data accuracy is highly important to us. We appreciate the time you have taken to submit your updates to us.

Best regards,


Catalog Department
www.amazon.com

Amazon, enough is enough. I know who contributed to the anthology I edited. I submitted correct information, following your guidelines. I provided a URL listing the table of contents, and the contributors.

I've been playing ball with you, Amazon, entering, and re-entering, and re-entering correct information on both the anthology I edited, and other anthologies in which I've participated, only to have you constantly move the target.

Amazon's refusal to list Philip José Farmer as a contributor to a book in which he has nine essays--Myths for the Modern Age: Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Universe--is counter-intuitive at best and mean-spirited at worst. And it runs counter to Amazon's own self-interest by preventing readers from searching by authors, in order to locate anthologies to which their favorite authors have contributed.

I've tried Amazon's "customer service"... only to get the runaround and contradictory answers. Surprise.

Is it any wonder I do my damnedest to avoid purchasing from Amazon?

Please repost, re-tweet, re-fill-in-the-blank. Enough is enough."

My birthday loot

3 books:
The Evil in Pemberley House by Philip José Farmer and Win Scott Eckert
And the Hippos were Boiled in Their Tanks by William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac
The Adventures of Conan Doyle: A Biography by Russell Miller

$45 in cash, spent at Chicago Comics on the following:
The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcover Vol. 10
The Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special
The Shadow Annual #1 (back issue; discovered it was a lead in to a six-parter only after I bought it, sadly)
Men of Mystery #76
Astro City: Astra Special #1

and finally 2 Amazon.com gift cards totaling $70, which was spent on:
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, directed by the brilliant Russ Meyer
Strange Relations, also by Phil Farmer
10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western by THE Alex Cox
To Battle Beyond by C.J. Henderson

Everything else concerning my b-day went pretty well, too.

Tales of the Shadowmen: The Vampires of Paris

Since I'm trying to help my good buddy Win Eckert raise awareness of Tales of the Shadowmen, the anthology series to which he is a regular contributor, here's a review I wrote of the most recent entry in the series. Win asked me to write one, and was kind enough to call the final product "awesome". :)

Tales of the Shadowmen: The Vampires of Paris

My favorite films

Some of you guys know my taste in films pretty well, but others I'm not sure about. So, from the alternately really cool and really frustrating site Flixster, here's a list of my fave-raves.

Philip José Farmer (1918-2009)

From The Official Philip José Farmer website:

"February 25th:

Philip José Farmer passed away peacefully in his sleep this morning.

He will be missed greatly by his wife Bette, his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, friends and countless fans around the world.

January 26, 1918 - February 25, 2009. R.I.P.

We love you Phil. "

I am stunned by this news. Phil was one of my favorite authors, and his Wold Newton Family concept (tying together a number of literary heroes into a common family tree) has been an obsession of mine for six years now. I like to think he's in his Riverworld now.

Rest in peace.

Going to New York tomorrow

I'm going there to visit my aunt and uncle and staying 'till Saturday. Looking forward to the journey tremendously.