Amazon Sales Rank: Purged Books
Want to play? Try to search "A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon" on Amazon.com with the search filter set to "All Departments"... the result will be 0 titles! BUT if the filter is "Books" you find the book, one of the most selling Young Adult Gay Novel of 2007 and 2008. The reason is that A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon no more has the Sales Rank on Amazon.
This is my Top 100 Gay Novels List. In bold the books that now haven't anymore the sales rank on Amazon:
1 The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
2 The Master by Colm Toibin
3 Melusine by Sarah Monette
4 Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling
5 Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman
6 Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
7 Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
8 At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill
9 How I Paid for College by Marc Acito
10 The Indian Clerk by David Leavitt
11 Liquor by Poppy Z. Brite
12 The Book of Salt by Monique Truong
13 A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice
14 All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann
15 Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
16 Freak Show by James St. James
17 Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
18 Alternatives to Sex by Stephen McCauley
19 Every Visible Thing by Lisa Carey
20 Totally Joe by James Howe
21 Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon
22 Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
23 We Disappear by Scott Heim
24 Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
25 The Back Passage by James Lear
26 The Married Man by Edmund White
27 Now Is the Hour by Tom Spanbauer
28 Vintage by Steve Berman
29 The Tin Star by J. L. Langley
30 Dark Reflections by Samuel R. Delany
31 Leave Myself Behind by Bart Yates
32 Brethren: Raised By Wolves by W. A. Hoffman
33 The World of Normal Boys by K. M. Soehnlein
34 A Bit of Rough by Laura Baumbach
35 The First Verse by Barry McCrea
36 Saints of Augustine by P.E. Ryan
37 Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft
38 A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R. W. Day
39 The Year of Ice by Brian Malloy
40 The Sluts by Dennis Cooper
41 Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan
42 Tales from the Town of Widows by James Canon
43 Comfort and Joy by Jim Grimsley
44 Fatal Shadows by Josh Lanyon
45 The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek
46 The Coming Storm by Paul Russell
47 The Martian Child by David Gerrold
48 The Notorious Dr. August by Christopher Bram
49 Looking For It by Michael Thomas Ford
50 A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon
51 A Son Called Gabriel by Damian McNicholl
52 The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson
53 Standish by Erastes
54 The Abomination by Paul Golding
55 The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
56 Ransom by Lee Rowan
57 Oleander House by Ally Blue
58 Vampire Vow by Michael Schiefelbein
59 Clay's Way by Blair Mastbaum
60 Breakfast with Scot by Michael Downing
61 Edinburgh by Alexander Chee
62 Bareback by Chris Owen
63 Falling by M. L. Rhodes
64 Avoidance by Michael Lowenthal
65 The Phoenix by Ruth Sims
66 Half-Life by Aaron Krach
67 The Practical Heart by Allan Gurganus
68 Lawnboy by Paul Lisicky
69 Man About Town by Mark Merlis
70 A Young Man's Passage by Julian Clary
71 The Price of Temptation by M. J. Pearson
72 Where The Boys Are by William J. Mann
73 The Trouble Boy by Tom Dolby
74 Mother of Sorrows by Richard Mccann
75 Faith for Beginners by Aaron Hamburger
76 My Best Man by Andy Schell
77 Latter Days by C. Jay Cox
78 He's The One by Timothy James Beck
79 Every Man For Himself by Orland Outland
80 Metes and Bounds by Jay Quinn
81 Bourbon Street Blues by Greg Herren
82 Desert Sons by Mark Kendrick
83 Someone Killed His Boyfriend by David Stukas
84 Common Sons by Ronald L. Donaghe
85 Soul Mates: Bound by Blood by Jourdan Lane
86 Strings Attached by Nick Nolan
87 Can't Buy Me Love by Chris Kenry
88 Tricks of the Trade by Ben Tyler
89 On Fire by Drew Zachary
90 Any Kind Of Luck by William Jack Sibley
91 Letters to Montgomery Clift by Noel Alumit
92 The Haunted Hillbilly by Derek McCormack
93 Suspension by Robert Westfield
94 What We Do Is Secret by Kief Hillsbery
95 Hot Sauce by Scott Pomfret
96 PsyCop: Partners by Jordan Castillo Price
97 Wicked Angels by Eric Jourdan
98 The Master of Seacliff by Max Pierce
99 Daytime Drama by Dave Benbow
100 Three Day Passes by Sean Michael
Should I comment on Andre Aciman, or Steve Kluger? Bart Yates or Robin Reardon? If you search Jamie O'Neill or Edmund White, the first result on the search hasn't the sales rank, but if you click in some other minor edition, some of them have the rank, it seems that if the book was previously released in Hardcover or has a Kindle Edition, you can still find it, but I believe that not having the rank in the most relevant result is not a good thing... All the LGBT books released for the first time as paperback (and only paperback) haven't the sales rank.
Please sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy
Amazon's response to Mark Probst's, author of Gay YA The Filly, complain:
In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature. Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us
ETA: The reply Amazon sent to my enquiry:
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/593237.html
This is my Top 100 Gay Novels List. In bold the books that now haven't anymore the sales rank on Amazon:
1 The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
2 The Master by Colm Toibin
3 Melusine by Sarah Monette
4 Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling
5 Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman
6 Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
7 Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
8 At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill
9 How I Paid for College by Marc Acito
10 The Indian Clerk by David Leavitt
11 Liquor by Poppy Z. Brite
12 The Book of Salt by Monique Truong
13 A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice
14 All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann
15 Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
16 Freak Show by James St. James
17 Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
18 Alternatives to Sex by Stephen McCauley
19 Every Visible Thing by Lisa Carey
20 Totally Joe by James Howe
21 Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon
22 Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
23 We Disappear by Scott Heim
24 Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
25 The Back Passage by James Lear
26 The Married Man by Edmund White
27 Now Is the Hour by Tom Spanbauer
28 Vintage by Steve Berman
29 The Tin Star by J. L. Langley
30 Dark Reflections by Samuel R. Delany
31 Leave Myself Behind by Bart Yates
32 Brethren: Raised By Wolves by W. A. Hoffman
33 The World of Normal Boys by K. M. Soehnlein
34 A Bit of Rough by Laura Baumbach
35 The First Verse by Barry McCrea
36 Saints of Augustine by P.E. Ryan
37 Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft
38 A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R. W. Day
39 The Year of Ice by Brian Malloy
40 The Sluts by Dennis Cooper
41 Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan
42 Tales from the Town of Widows by James Canon
43 Comfort and Joy by Jim Grimsley
44 Fatal Shadows by Josh Lanyon
45 The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek
46 The Coming Storm by Paul Russell
47 The Martian Child by David Gerrold
48 The Notorious Dr. August by Christopher Bram
49 Looking For It by Michael Thomas Ford
50 A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon
51 A Son Called Gabriel by Damian McNicholl
52 The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson
53 Standish by Erastes
54 The Abomination by Paul Golding
55 The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
56 Ransom by Lee Rowan
57 Oleander House by Ally Blue
58 Vampire Vow by Michael Schiefelbein
59 Clay's Way by Blair Mastbaum
60 Breakfast with Scot by Michael Downing
61 Edinburgh by Alexander Chee
62 Bareback by Chris Owen
63 Falling by M. L. Rhodes
64 Avoidance by Michael Lowenthal
65 The Phoenix by Ruth Sims
66 Half-Life by Aaron Krach
67 The Practical Heart by Allan Gurganus
68 Lawnboy by Paul Lisicky
69 Man About Town by Mark Merlis
70 A Young Man's Passage by Julian Clary
71 The Price of Temptation by M. J. Pearson
72 Where The Boys Are by William J. Mann
73 The Trouble Boy by Tom Dolby
74 Mother of Sorrows by Richard Mccann
75 Faith for Beginners by Aaron Hamburger
76 My Best Man by Andy Schell
77 Latter Days by C. Jay Cox
78 He's The One by Timothy James Beck
79 Every Man For Himself by Orland Outland
80 Metes and Bounds by Jay Quinn
81 Bourbon Street Blues by Greg Herren
82 Desert Sons by Mark Kendrick
83 Someone Killed His Boyfriend by David Stukas
84 Common Sons by Ronald L. Donaghe
85 Soul Mates: Bound by Blood by Jourdan Lane
86 Strings Attached by Nick Nolan
87 Can't Buy Me Love by Chris Kenry
88 Tricks of the Trade by Ben Tyler
89 On Fire by Drew Zachary
90 Any Kind Of Luck by William Jack Sibley
91 Letters to Montgomery Clift by Noel Alumit
92 The Haunted Hillbilly by Derek McCormack
93 Suspension by Robert Westfield
94 What We Do Is Secret by Kief Hillsbery
95 Hot Sauce by Scott Pomfret
96 PsyCop: Partners by Jordan Castillo Price
97 Wicked Angels by Eric Jourdan
98 The Master of Seacliff by Max Pierce
99 Daytime Drama by Dave Benbow
100 Three Day Passes by Sean Michael
Should I comment on Andre Aciman, or Steve Kluger? Bart Yates or Robin Reardon? If you search Jamie O'Neill or Edmund White, the first result on the search hasn't the sales rank, but if you click in some other minor edition, some of them have the rank, it seems that if the book was previously released in Hardcover or has a Kindle Edition, you can still find it, but I believe that not having the rank in the most relevant result is not a good thing... All the LGBT books released for the first time as paperback (and only paperback) haven't the sales rank.
Please sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy
Amazon's response to Mark Probst's, author of Gay YA The Filly, complain:
In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature. Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us
ETA: The reply Amazon sent to my enquiry:
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/593237.html