17.04.13 | Philip Jones - The Bookseller
UK trade publishers are becoming increasingly concerned about how Amazon.co.uk is policing territorial rights on its website, with some publishers claiming that US print editions of certain titles are being preferred in the retailer's online listings and supplied to UK customers direct.The issue, believed to have become an increasing problem over the past six months, is said to have been dominating conversations ahead of and during the London Book Fair, with some publishers fretting that this could be part of wider move against territoriality.
Other publishers spoken to by The Bookseller interpreted the situation differently, arguing that in some cases the problems had occurred because of technical glitches in the retailer's data feed, with Amazon said to be slow to correct.
Publishers' fears do not appear to be borne out by the Nielsen BookScan data, which last week showed that the top US import selling in the UK was Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill, which has no UK publisher. However, one source claimed that the online retailer was registering UK editions, but supplying US versions of the book, thus skewing the figures.
Amazon.co.uk has yet to respond to a request for comment.
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