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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Deconstructing Amazon’s #haveKINDLEwillTRAVEL Ads

Roger Tagholm deconstructs the brilliance of Amazon's new Kindle advertisements, which promote the ereader as a chic, travel companion and paragon of cool. The post Deconstructing Amazon’s #haveKINDLEwillTRAVEL Ads appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US: authors ask DOJ to investigate Amazon

Author protest group Authors United is asking authors to sign a letter to the US Justice Department, asking it "to examine Amazon's control of the book market." The letter has been drafted with the help of the Authors Guild. Meanwhile both the American Booksellers Association and the Association... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors guild #authors united #investigate amazon #justice department #book market #late july


Leading authors call for government probe of Amazon's 'damaging' power

Malcolm Gladwell and Ursula Le Guin lead call to US justice department to investigate its ‘monopoly as a seller of books’Authors including Malcolm Gladwell, Ursula Le Guin, Michael Chabon and Ann Patchett are putting their names to a letter attacking Amazon’s “abuse of its dominance in the world... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors, Booksellers & Agents Call for DoJ to Investigate Amazon

Days before Amazon celebrates its 20th anniversary, Authors United is asking authors to sign a letter to the DoJ for an investigation of Amazon, and ABA submitted a similar request on Monday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors call on the US to investigate Amazon's book business

Just because Apple is on the hook for allegedly anti-competitive book sales doesn't mean that Amazon is above reproach. As promised, groups representing both authors and booksellers are calling on the US Department of Justice to investigate Amazon fo... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple loses ebook price fixing appeal

Apple did conspire with publishers in the US to fix the prices of ebooks, an appeal court has found.  The technology company had appealed against an earlier decision by Judge Denise Cote, who said that Apple and publishers were guilty of conspiring to raise the prices of ebooks. Apple appealed... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon May Pay Self-Published Authors No More Than $0.006 Per Page Read

So much for writing short.Last month, Amazon took a page out of Spotify's playbook, electing to start paying its self-published authors by the page rather than per download. The new model was put into action Wednesday—and it looks like the e-commerce giant may now pay writers no more than $0.006... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon set to pay self-published authors as little as $0.006 per page read

Writers of shorter works could lose out on revenue as company’s Kindle Owners Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited no longer pay per copy downloadedSelf-published authors could be paid as little as $0.006 per page read under new rules planned by Amazon.Writers who make their works available... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Court rules Apple violated antitrust laws by conspiring to raise ebook prices

Apple violated antitrust laws by colluding with publishers to raise electronic book prices when it entered a market in 2010 that had been dominated by Amazon.com, a divided federal appeals court... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple loses appeal on ebook price-fixing case, will pay $450 million

An appeals court upheld a lower-court ruling that Apple violated antitrust laws to upset Amazon's control of the ebook market.  Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple loses ebook price-fixing appeal on same day as Apple Music launches

On the same day as Apple Inc.'s release of its much-anticipated Apple Music streaming service, a federal court upheld a ruling Tuesday that states the company illegally conspired with book publishers to drive up prices for ebooks to compete against Amazon.com Inc., USA TODAY reported. The... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Court says Apple fixed ebook prices

A US federal appeals court upholds a ruling that Apple conspired with publishers fix the prices of electronic books. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2015-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple to pay $450 million in ebook price-fixing suit

Apple conspired with publishers to artificially raise the price of ebooks, the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled today, upholding a verdict from 2013. Now that the company has lost its appeal, Apple is expected to pay $450 millio... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple DID conspire to inflate ebook prices, must pay $450 million

On the same day that Apple Music launched, Apple received some bad news from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a 2 to 1 vote, judges ruled that the company did conspire with publishers to inflate the prices of ebooks sold through iBookstore, agreeing with a 2013 ruling. The judges found... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2015-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How will Amazon's new pay-per-page model change ebooks?

Just as Spotify has done for music, the new pay-per-page system could change the way ebooks are published and authors paid. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon will pay some authors based on how many pages you read

Authors are normally paid a consistent amount for every ebook you download, no matter how much of a page-turner it is. Amazon might just shake up that model before long, though. As of July 1st, the internet giant will pay Kindle Unlimited and Kindle... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors based #july 1st #internet giant


Amazon to pay KDP authors 'per page'

Amazon is changing the way it pays self-published authors whose books are enlisted in the Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners Lending library to a pay-per-page-read model. From 1st July, it will pay Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) author royalties depending on how many pages of a book a customer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pullman: 'Amazon investigation should include author earnings'

Philip Pullman has warned that the European Commission should consider falling author income as part of its investigation into Amazon's ebook business. The author warned The Bookseller that the investigation, announced yesterday (11th June), was failing to take the role of the author into... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EC opens investigation into Amazon's ebooks distribution

The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into the way Amazon distributes ebooks and its relationship with publishers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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European commission to investigate Amazon's ebook dominance

US tech sector’s problems with Brussels deepen as competition chief focuses on allegedly restrictive contract clausesThe European commission has launched a competition inquiry into Amazon’s dominant market position in ebooks, as Brussels steps up its scrutiny of US tech groups. The EU’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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