Amazon in journals subscription row

Amazon.com has responded to pressure from journals publishers to change the wording on its website, after it was accused of inciting institutions to take out personal subscriptions instead of institutional subscriptions to save money.

The website encouraged institutions to save money by applying for subscriptions as if from a single member of staff. The text read: "Certain publishers charge different subscription rates for individual consumers than for institutional subscribers. We encourage you to include an individual's first and last name in the shipping address - this is the easiest way to ensure your subscription order is accepted by the publisher."

But the text was changed following "enormous pressure from publishers", said Graham Taylor, director of the Council of Academic & Professional Publishers. Richard Gedye, sales director for journals at OUP , criticised Amazon as "downright dishonest". He said the pricing structure of academic journals depended on a bedrock of larger subscriptions from a " fairly small" number of institutions, and that any income from private subscriptions was "marginal". "If all the institutional copies were purchased at the individual rate, we wouldn't be viable," he added.

Taylor told IWR sister title The Bookseller : "It was definitely not on, but the wording has been heavily amended and is still in a constant state of flux."

The text now reads: "Some publishers may choose not to accept magazine subscription orders placed on our site for schools, libraries, corporations, and other institutions. If you place an order for an institution at the individual consumer rate and your order isn't accepted by the publisher, we'll cancel the order, issue you a full refund, and notify you via email." Amazon.com declined to comment.

Traditional publishers keep a close eye on Amazon and search engine Google, as both have radically changed the distribution of books and journals ( Click here to read more ).