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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Amazon ebook pricing battle intensifies after 'Authors United' ad'


Amazon kicks off its Breakthrough Novel contest

Amazon's annual competition comes with some changes this year as the company plans to self-publish the winner and adds new genres for the contest. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon kicks #annual competition #company plans


Analyzing 2012′s Bestselling Books and Ebooks in the US and UK

Trade magazines Publishers Weekly and The Bookseller have put out new lists analyzing the bestselling books of 2012. No surprise, but E.L. James dominated. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bestselling books


Quebec Weighs Price Fixing

On August 22, 2012, 13 days before Quebecers went to the polls in one of the most hotly contested provincial elections of the past two decades, Quebec’s book industry launched its One Price for Books campaign (noslivresàjusteprix.com). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Price and Alport to leave Scholastic for MCB

Macmillan Children's Books has appointed Alyx Price [left] to the role of communications... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #leave scholastic #macmillan children


Simpson splits from Random over ebook royalties

Touching the Void author Joe Simpson has split from long-term publisher Random House following... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook royalties


Ether for Authors: Can’t See the Reading for the Devices

Porter Anderson curates the best web clips for authors, including Random House's Facebook success, male vs. female genre writing, self-publishing success in the UK and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Why Native Ads Are Bad News for Some Agencies

When Capital One set out to endear itself with entrepreneurs, it enlisted Forbes to create blog posts on its behalf about cybercrime and other scourges of small business. Likewise, UPS entrusted Fast Company to create custom infographics that ran on the business brand’s site. In both cases, it... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #zenith media #content creation #due respect #signs point #online survey


McGraw-Hill reveals the SmartBook: an 'adaptive' ebook for students

McGraw-Hill is taking on the one-size-fits-all approach to textbooks with its freshly unveiled SmartBook: an ebook that is claimed to adapt to student's learning patterns. Aimed at college students, the SmartBook service peppers users with questions as they read and determines what topics it... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #college students #driving home


Random House UK to launch 'author portal'

Up-to-date sales and royalties information are to become available to authors and agents via an... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #author portal


Faber Voices offers poetry ebooks with audio

Faber has launched a series of digital-only poetry ebooks being described as "a new way to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Amazon tax fallout boosts indie Christmas sales

The majority of independent booksellers saw a Christmas sales rise in 2012, with fall-out from... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent booksellers


Self-published authors on Kindle bestseller list

Amazon has revealed that 15% of its bestselling Kindle books in the UK last year were written by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-published authors


France Rejects Plan to Block Online Ads

The Internet service provider Free restored the ads after meetings with French online publishing and advertising groups, which had complained about a loss of revenue. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


French bookshops take up Amazon protest

French bookshops and cultural product chains are following the UK example in protesting against... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #french bookshops


The bestselling ebook of 2012: 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

If you bought a copy of "Fifty Shades of Grey" for your e-reader, you are not alone -- not by a long shot. If you bought a copy of "Fifty Shades of Grey" for your e-reader, you are not alone -- not by a long shot. E.L. James' sexy novel about innocent college student Anastasia Steele and her... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bestselling ebook #fifty shades #long shot #love affair


Apple Soon to Offer 80,000 Japanese-language Ebooks

News out of Japan suggests Apple will launch Japanese-language ebooks in January, with a selection of 80,000 titles from publishers including Kadokawa, Shogakukan, and Kodansha. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Predicting the Winners and Losers in Brazil’s Ebook War

Surprisingly, Apple leads Brazil's ebook sales, but by 2014 Amazon should dominate, with Kobo, Google, Saraiva and others behind. We explain why. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook sales


My New Year’s Resolution is to Dump Amazon, And Why I’ll Fail

For long-time ebook buyers indoctrinated in Amazon's convenient ecosystem, trying to make the switch to a competitor can lead to frustration and disappointment. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


E-books grow but at low prices

  The consumer ebook market was worth more than £90m in the first 10 months of 2012... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #e-books grow #low prices


News Corp. Says Publishing Unit Lost Money

The media conglomerate, which plans to separate its entertainment businesses from its publishing businesses into two separate listed stocks next year, said the publishing company would have reported a net loss of $2.08 billion in the year through June 30 if it had been a stand-alone company. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media conglomerate #entertainment businesses #publishing businesses #net loss