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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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: How Clear a View of Publishing Do We Have?

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc. Launches Documentary Video Unit

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[ Folio Magazine | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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American Booksellers to Fight Amazon Through Negative Publicity

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge scolds Apple for lack of remorse in ebook antitrust case

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[ PC World | 2013-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ PC World | 2013-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Engadget | 2013-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ BBC World | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebook Sales Are Flattening Out: Are Tablets to Blame?

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Engadget | 2013-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ PC World | 2013-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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