Publisher Claims Amazon Restricts Book Sales

Conroe, Texas USA, September 13, 2018 (Newswire) -​Conroe, Texas - Texas-based publisher Defiance Press is challenging Amazon to publicly explain its actions which have effectively shadowbanned one of its popular titles and is exploring legal action against the online retail giant.

While tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google have come under scrutiny for allegedly suppressing conservative viewpoints, Amazon has come under fire recently for its similar censorship efforts and reliance on the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) recommendations to limit free speech.

Author Daniel Miller's book, "TEXIT: Why and How Texas Will Leave the Union" surged to the top of Amazon's new release charts in three non-fiction sub-genres according to their website shortly before it's official release on May 22nd, and for weeks after its release.

"Approximately six weeks ago Amazon began requiring potential purchasers of TEXIT to be Amazon Prime members, which cost $119 per year. We have never seen this restriction on any of our book titles in the past. When we contacted our distributor, they indicated they had also never seen Amazon require Prime membership to purchase a title they distributed," stated Defiance Press & Publishing's President, David Roberts.

Roberts added, "Amazon has also limited the quantities of TEXIT a customer could buy to no more than four. This title was generating bulk sales as many readers would gift multiple copies to friends, families and elected officials." Roberts continued, "Amazon has also lowered the price to near wholesale cost. As the largest bookseller, this pricing strategy will likely discourage other book retailers from stocking and selling a title in which matching the Amazon price would guarantee a competitor no profit incentive to carry TEXIT. While I'm a big believer in free market pricing, it's the combination of these questionable tactics and Amazon's refusal to even respond to the concerns by the publisher, distributor and author that leads us to believe there is another agenda at work regarding this title - and we intend to find out exactly what that agenda is."

Although Amazon’s restrictions have since been partially lifted after a public pressure campaign spearheaded by the author and the publisher, Roberts believes that Amazon still needs to answer for the six weeks that they were in effect to prevent other books from being shadowbanned, and to account for lost sales of TEXIT.

"We’ve had multiple conversations with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on this issue and he expressed concern for the negative consequences to a Texas author and publisher and he indicated his office will explore this in conjunction with other censorship efforts by social media and tech giants," Roberts said. " With the advent of the shadowbanning that is occurring to conservative voices by giant tech companies and social media platforms - we plan to explore every route possible - including legal and regulatory action if necessary to expose and resolve this issue, whether this is an action by a rogue Amazon employee or a systematic attack on free speech and the God-given right to self-determination."

Defiance Press & Publishing is a Texas-based publisher with focus on conservative and libertarian titles.

Media Contact:
JW Delano Delanoye Strategies
Phone: 832-910-7307
DelanoyeStrategies@outlook.com

Defiance Press & Publishing (Conroe, TX) is a hybrid publisher of very high-quality, principled fiction, non-fiction, current events and children’s literature, from outstanding authors with a special emphasis on conservatism, to serve the diverse interests of our readers through various imprints.

Defiance Press & Publishing, LLC
1836 Spirit of Texas Way, Ste 200
Conroe, TX 77301

This release was published on openPR.