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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What About an Ad Wall?

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atwood takes stage at TOC and tells publishers to keep feeding their authors

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 16/02/2011 - 07:06 Author Margaret Atwood used her Tools of Change keynote speech to warn the industry not to eliminate authors, and make sure they are paid enough to "pay for the cheese sandwiches". read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fifty UK libraries sign up to Overdrive ebook app

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 16/02/2011 - 15:42 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors calls for moratorium on library closures

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barbara Cartland is latest author to be wooed by digital

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon appoints three to UK team

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ PC World | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Debut author wins Waterstone's Children's Book Prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ PC World | 2011-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ PC World | 2011-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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