ETA 4/12 10:25 pm: A theory about why this happened that compares it to LJ Strikethrough.

ETA 4/12 9:45 pm: Hanne Blank and Lawrence Schimel talk about how some of their books being deranked have changed their search results.

ETA 4/12 9:25 pm: Amazon apparently tells Publishers Weekly that it's just a glitch. Which doesn't really fit into what else is being said.

I'm glad I saw this before I finished the order I was putting together, because Amazon doesn't get my money when they use stupid policies like this.

AmazonFail

Amazon is removing the sales rank and ability to search for books they deem to have adult content, but pretty much only where adult content = GBLTQ and sometimes straight and queer erotica. Obviously they have some interesting standards for adult content because I was still able to find the rankings for, say, Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake books; I'm sure they have no adult content at all, nope.

Links

+ Smart Bitches, Trashy Books provides a new definition for Amazon Rank
+ A list of some of the books which have had their rank removed
+ markprobst, publisher, asked Amazon about it and received this response

Quote: 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.

+ strange_selkie provides a link to the petition and Amazon's customer service phone number. (I've reposted them both below.)
+ Social networking sites, including Twitter, spread this far and wide.
+ tammy212 is angry.
+ Denver Internet Examiner "Online Censorship"

Activism
+ Amazon Daily, a blog (No post about the topic yet but people leaving comments about it.)
+ Petition
+ Customer Service complaints 800-201-7575