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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Hearst Unveils Private Ad-Buying Marketplace for Its Magazine Websites

Another big magazine company is looking to ad tech to make its online ad inventory more valuable. Six months after Conde Nast launched a private ad marketplace to increase the sell-through of its online ad space without opening it up to public ad e ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #magazine websites #ad tech


EU publishing chiefs to discuss ebook tax

The chiefs of Europe's publishing houses will meet today (26th June) in Brussels at a round-... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing houses


Novelist Russo boycotts ebooks

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo says his new work is a "tribute to the printed book" and will not be sold online. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #printed book #sold online


Judge sets trial date for Apple ebook lawsuit

A US judge on Friday set a 2013 trial date for a lawsuit from the US government accusing Apple and book publishers of conspiring to fix the prices of electronic books. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2012-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publishers #electronic books


Macmillan's ebook gambit

Sci-fi imprint Tor/Forge leads publishing industry's quest to loosen the grip of Amazon. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book price fixing trial set for 2013: Apple, Macmillan and Penguin prepare for courtroom brawl

The Justice Department meant business when it accused Apple and five other publishers of price-rigging ebooks, and are officially taking Cupertino and two publishers to court. In a hearing on Friday, Judge Denise Cote set a bench trial for June 3, 2012, putting Apple, Macmillan and Penguin Group... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #accused apple #penguin group #agency pricing #justice department


Pew study: library patrons largely unaware of ebook offerings

According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, 62 percent of respondents didn't know whether or not their local library had ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook offerings #local library


Travolta sued by sex book author

A Los Angeles man who wrote a book about his alleged gay encounters with John Travolta filed a libel lawsuit on Thursday against the actor and his attorney. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin slinks back into ebook lending for New York City libraries, with a possible catch

You might say Penguin has had a rocky relationship with libraries. That looks to be on the tentative mend, as the publisher and 3M have together cut deals with the Brooklyn Public Library and New York Public Library to bring Penguin's ebook catalog back as part of a test program. Under the terms... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publisher #ebook lending #rocky relationship #cut deals


Amazon Audible hits WP 7.5: gesture controlled audiobooks, but no voice control

It didn't land in the Marketplace yesterday as announced, but Amazon's Audible audio book app for Windows Phone 7.5 is now available for download. This Metro-fied version of the app is free to install (including some short samples to get you started), and signing in with your Amazon account lets... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ll find #source link


U.S. Authors, Nonfiction Hot

The #5 book in Italy in May, Gianluigi Nuzzi’s His Holiness. The Secret Documents of Benedict XVI, has caused international news since its publication. Pope Benedict XVI’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested late last month on suspicion of releasing dozens of embarrassing letters to Nuzzi... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin returns its ebooks to New York libraries

After yanking their ebook titles from libraries last year, Penguin is launching an ebook pilot program for libraries in New York. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook titles


Harry Potter books land in Amazon's Kindle Owners' Lending Library

All seven Harry Potter books are now available in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, marking the series' first availability outside the Pottermore store. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle owners #lending library #pottermore store


More Tablet Owners Want Free Apps, With Ads, Instead of Paid

Both the number of people who use tablets and usage per tablet user are exploding. But tablet users' appetite for paid apps isn't following the trend.   A new study commissioned by the Online Publishers Association found that 54% of tabl ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jacket Copy: Amazon categorizes Rodney King's memoir as 'criminal biography'

After Rodney King's unexpected death this weekend at the age of 47, his recent book began climbing the charts. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jacket copy #rodney king #unexpected death


Field of Dreams author to Friday Project

HarperCollins imprint The Friday Project is to publish a new novel by W P Kinsella, author of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #friday project #harpercollins imprint


PSA: Entire Harry Potter series now available on Amazon's Kindle Owners' Lending Library

Fancy dipping back into the world of Quidditch and Dumbledore? Or maybe you shunned the whole Pottermania thing until now. Either way, if you own a Kindle, you can finally get up to speed without paying a spellbinding price -- thanks to Amazon's Kindle Owners Lending Library. All seven eBook... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle owners #lending library #ebook titles #prime membership


Amazon Updates Kindle for IOS With Support for Comics, Book Search

Amazon on Thursday released updates to the Kindle app for iOS, along with the Kindle Cloud Reader Web app. The updates add in support for children's books. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle app


What's Behind Amazon's Kindle App Tweak?

Today Amazon announced that it's improving the code behind its Kindle app for iOS and Android to allow support for graphic novels and children's illustrated comics. The iOS app is also being polished to alow better searches of your library of downloaded titles and to better fit the iPad's... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sparking speculation #kit eaton #fast company


Israeli authors fight book deals

A group of Israeli authors launch a battle to stop the country's leading bookstores from slashing prices, claiming it reduces their royalties. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #slashing prices