Amazon ebook pricing battle intensifies after 'Authors United' ad

Compares Hachette dispute to past paperback fears, but partially quoting George Orwell is a risky moveAmazon has hit back following an open letter from more than 900 authors criticising its licensing dispute with publisher Hachette, which was published as an ad in the New York Times.However, the latest blog post from the Amazon Books Team is raising eyebrows within the publishing industry due to its use of a partial quote from George Orwell in support of its cause.We have made Amazon many millions of dollars and over the years have contributed so much, free of charge, to the company by way of cooperation, joint promotions, reviews and blogs.This is no way to treat a business partner. Nor is it the right way to treat your friends. Without taking sides on the contractual dispute between Hachette and Amazon, we encourage Amazon in the strongest possible terms to stop harming the livelihood of the authors on whom it has built its business.With it being so inexpensive and with so many more people able to afford to buy and read books, you would think the literary establishment of the day would have celebrated the invention of the paperback, yes? Nope. Instead, they dug in and circled the wagons.They believed low cost paperbacks would destroy literary culture and harm the industry (not to mention their own bank accounts). Many bookstores refused to stock them, and the early paperback publishers had to use unconventional methods of distribution places like newsstands and... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #status quo #penguin books #market share #big businesses #reading public

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Apple settles ebook antitrust dispute with U.S. states, consumer group

Apple has reached an out-of-court settlement in the ebooks price-fixing lawsuit with U.S. states and a consumer group ahead of a trial for damages scheduled for July 14, according to records in a New York federal court.The iPhone maker will, however, continue its appeal of a verdict in July last... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #district court #southern district #york ruled #raise prices #ebook market #settlement agreement


Facebook Is Beginning to Look Like a Bona Fide Online Ad Network

Now that Facebook will include users’ Web behavior to fine-tune targeting, it’s only a matter of time before it expands its ad network to outside publishers, according to marketing experts. Facebook has said that it will gather Web surfing data on users to help advertisers understand... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen Colbert has a new way to 'really show Amazon'

When Colbert asked viewers to pre-order Hachette author Edan Lepucki's upcoming novel 'California,' the book shot to the top of independent bookstore Powell's sales list. Now Colbert asks fans to help him get the book on The New York Times bestseller list. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air Friday June 13, 2014: Rick Rinehart and Ron Deal

Taylor Trade’s editorial director, Rick Rinehart, will appear on "Weekend Edition Sunday" on Sunday, June 15, to discuss his grandmother, the mystery author Mary Roberts Rinehart. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oops! The Former Lyft Driver Featured In Uber's Ad Never Drove For Lyft

Uber quietly pulled a video ad Thursday night after learning the featured driver never worked for other ridesharing services.Earlier this week, Uber published a video ad on Facebook profiling a driver who jumped ship from Lyft. Only problem was: He never drove for Lyft.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook to Use Web Browsing History For Ad Targeting

Through its ubiquitous "like" buttons on publisher sites across the web, Facebook has long been able to watch the web surfing behavior of its 1.28 billion monthly users.Soon it will begin to use that information for ad targeting on Facebook.Facebook already enables retargeting to users who've... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad targeting #publisher sites #ad exchange


First It Was Books. Now Amazon Has Frozen Warner Bros. DVD Pre-Orders

Amazon's war on content providers has apparently opened up another front. While the online behemoth is still embroiled in a dispute with Hachette that has led to the removal of the ability to pre-order that publisher's titles on the site, it now seems upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases from... Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tracking Amazon: '10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse' Bests 'Hard Choices'

After J.J. Smith's appearance on the "Steve Harvey Show," the author's "10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse," published in February, moved from #42 to #2 on Amazon's bestseller list, pushing Hillary Clinton's memoir down to #3. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Play to expand ebook offering to 13 new countries

Google Play is soon to make ebooks available in 13 more countries around the world. The company... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Inside Amazon's Music Streaming Service For Prime Members

For $99, Prime members get a streaming video service, ebook lending library, free two-day shipping--and starting today, a music service.Amazon is rounding out its Prime membership with the addition of a streaming music service. On Thursday the e-commerce giant launched Prime Music with more than... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brooklyn Book Festival Unveils 2014 Author Lineup

Authors Paul Pope, Colson Whitehead and Roz Chast are among more than 100 literary figures presenting at the 9th annual Brooklyn Book Festival, slated for September 21, 2014 at the Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette reveals Amazon digital sales share

Amazon has a 78% market share of Hachette Livre ebook titles in the UK and a 60% share in the US... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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McDermid: 'bring down the ebook pirates'

Crime author Val McDermid has directly appealed to the government and police for ebook pirates... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon pulls Warner Bros movies from sales as trade dispute expands

Already in fracas with publisher Hachette, retailer pulls pre-orders such as The Lego Movie to pressure the studio over pricingFirst they came for Harry Potter's author, and now they have come for your Lego. Amazon has expanded its trade dispute with publisher Hachette by adding Warner Bros to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publisher hachette #harry potter #online retailer


Authors Guild Responds to Second Circuit Ruling

The Authors Guild released a statement in response to the Second Circuit's affirmation of Judge Harold Baer's October 2012 decision in the Authors Guild v. HathiTrust. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Says Price-Fixing Suit Filed by Retailers Can Proceed

Australian upstart DNAML says it was was harmed by the 2010 price-fixing scheme executed by Apple and the five agency publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air June 9, 2014: Kenneth Turan

Kenneth Turan, author of "Not to be Missed: Fifty-Four Favorites from a Lifetime of Film" (PublicAffairs, 9781586483968 ) will appear on the "Diane Rehm Show" on Tuesday, June 10. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen Colbert has some choice words for Amazon (+video)

In a recent episode of his show, Colbert discussed the dispute between Amazon and publisher Hachette which has caused some books, including his own, to be delayed or unavailable to customers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stephen colbert #choice words #recent episode #colbert discussed #publisher hachette


Colbert Declares War on Amazon: Watch the Clip

Our Clip of the Week comes to you in the form of two back-to-back segments from Wednesday night's "The Colbert Report," in which Stephen Colbert first outlines the ongoing battle between Amazon and the Hachette Book Group over ebook pricing, and then, together with his guest, National Book... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tracking The Amazon-Hachette Response

The Amazon-Hachette dispute has dominated conversation in both the industry and the wider culture for the past month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon-hachette dispute #wider culture #past month