Anders wrote me a note and wondered about this email in his inbox, from Amazon.

I didn’t authorize this book to be published, I have no idea who the publisher is and I certainly didn’t ask Amazon to email anyone.

You can get the ebook right here for free.

This is partially my fault because the creative commons license I chose for the copyright doesn’t preclude something like this. However, trademark law is really clear and there’s no doubt in my mind that selling this as a new book with my name on it is not kosher. I wrote the book in 2005 and intended it all along as a freebie. If you want to buy a copy, feel free… the issue isn’t the royalties, it’s that people are being willfully misled. This isn’t a new Seth Godin book. There, now you know.

So, save your money. Tell your friends. If you did buy the book, please feel free to return it. I apologize for the inconvenience.

[UPDATE: First, I want to clarify the above… I thought I was clear, but trackbacks seem to indicate that I wasn’t. I fully realize that the Creative Commons license I chose permits someone to sell the ebook or even turn it into a book. I had no problem with that. My concern was that the book was being passed off as something new. That my trademark (and your expectations) were violated when Amazon sent out an email indicating that in 2007 I had a new book come out on this topic.

The news is that the publisher of the book was incredibly responsive and has changed the cover. He’s being really clear about the origin of the book now, and that was my point all along. If you want it in book form, then of course, go buy it! Now that you know what you’re getting.]