Amazon asked to remove Robert Pickton book by publisher

The publisher of abook apparently written by convicted serial killer Robert Pickton has asked online retailer Amazon to remove the item from sale.

Outskirts Press, a Colorado-based self-publishing service provider,also says it will discontinue publishing the text.

A statement from the company reads, "We have a long-standing policy of not working with, nor publishing workby, incarcerated individuals."

Pickton: In His Own Wordshad been available for $20.17 on Amazon since yesterday. Today,it is still available from previous links, but cannot be found bysearchingon either the dot-caor dot-comversion of the site.

The book is listed as being authored by Michael Chilldres, but the publisher says Pickton used him as means to get it the manuscript and publish the book.

• RobertPickton, notorious killer, pens book for sale on Amazon

News of the book's publication promptedB.C.Solicitor General Mike Morris to appeal to Amazon to stop selling the book.

'At a loss for words'

Premier Christy Clark says B.C.is looking at ways to stop criminals likePickton from profiting from their crimes.

"To think about the pain that he's prepared to willingly cause all of the families," said Clark. "What kind of a twisted person would still not understand how hard it is for the family to endure all that again?"

It is not clear when the book was written or how the material arrived with the publisher.

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontarioand Nova Scotia all have legislationpreventing criminals from profiting from their crimes. Clark saidthe province is looking at those laws closely to see if they can be mirrored in B.C.

"If we can just copy it and move it to the legislature as quickly as possible, that's what we're trying to do."

The book was also a topic of debate inthe House of Commons today. Former Surrey mayor and current Conservative MP DianneWatts askedthe government for assurance that the serial killer wouldn't benefit from the proceeds of his writing.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said he is investigating how the book came to be published.

Pickton, now 66, was convicted of the second-degree murders of six women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and was suspected in others, although a further 20 murder charges were stayed.

He is currently serving multiple life sentences at the maximum security Kent Institution near Agassiz, B.C.