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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More ebooks sold than print books

Online retailer Amazon announces it sells more ebooks than hardbacks and paperbacks combined. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2012-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twenty pence ebook cracks Kindle top three

An ebook being offered on the Kindle store for 20p has broken the top-three monopoly of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Report: consumers switch between print and ebooks

A new study by the Book Industry Study Group says readers are choosing both print and ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poor turnout hits ebook festival

A ebook literary festival expecting up to 20,000 visitors ends early after only 100 show up. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2012-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James 'has outsold Potter' on Amazon UK

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Maeve Binchy dies aged 72

Best-selling Irish author Maeve Binchy, who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, has died after a short illness. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author acknowledges fake Dylan quotes, resigns

A staff writer for The New Yorker has resigned and his latest book has been halted after he acknowledged inventing quotes by Bob Dylan. Jonah Lehrer released a statement Monday through his publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, saying that some Mr. Dylan quotes appearing in his book "Imagine: How... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo launches roadshow as indies ponder ebook options

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Youngest ever authors make Dylan Thomas Prize longlist

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arrow snaps up six Sweet Valley ebook novellas

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Picks Up Market Share

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Debate over 20p ebooks rages on

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New ebook short from King

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spalding success for Amazon

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Headline to publish erotic ebook series

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon puts 50MB limit on 3G Kindle's 'free' experimental browser

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[ Engadget | 2012-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp launches Amplify educational unit, with help from AT&T (video)

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[ Engadget | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Fast Company | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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McKenzie speaks out on 20p ebooks

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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