Amazon hits back at claims it is to blame for falling author earnings

Retailer insists Authors Guild report that criticised the online giant for contributing to tumbling writers’ incomes used flawed figures, but Guild stands by findingsAmazon has called the conclusions of a recent report into US author earnings flawed, after the Authors Guild suggested that the retail giant’s dominance could be partly responsible for the “a crisis of epic proportions” affecting writers in the US.The report from the writers’ body, published last week, highlighted the statistic that median income from writing-related work fell to $6,080 (£4,730) in 2017, down 42% from 2009, with literary authors particularly affected. Raising “serious concerns about the future of American literature”, the writers’ body singled out the growing dominance of Amazon for particular blame. “Amazon (which now controls 72% of the online book market in the US) puts pressure on [publishers] to keep costs down and takes a large percentage, plus marketing fees, forcing publishers to pass on their losses to authors,” said the report. Related: Crashing author earnings 'threaten future of American literature' Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #retail giant #median income #american literature

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Top-Authors Lobby for Long-Term Strategy Against Amazon

Numerous top authors are enlisting fellow writers to formulate a "long-term" strategy to combat Amazon's dominance of the market, writes The Bookseller. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Makes Plea to Authors to Quiet Down

Amazon has extended an olive branch to the newly formed Authors United group, and asked that the organization stop making statements that paint the e-tailer in a negative light as its terms dispute with Hachette drags on. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Authors United' promises long-term Amazon strategy

Authors United, the group of writers who signed a letter calling on Amazon to resolve its dispute... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon buyers prefer DRM-free ebooks, study claims

The big publishers lock down their ebooks to their own detriment, according to a new study. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon tells authors 100% royalty offer was 'sincere'

Amazon has hit back at the American Author's Guild for calling its offer to temporarily give... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Appeals Directly to Hachette’s Authors

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon has gone directly to authors 'hoping to gain hearts and minds – and leverage' in its dispute with Hachette. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon-backed award turned down by Ahlberg

Distinguished children’s author Allan Ahlberg [pictured] has declined the inaugural... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon offers 100 percent of ebook profits to Hachette authors as dispute rages on

Amazon recently offered Hachette writers 100 percent of ebook profits until the dispute between the publisher and the bookselling giant is resolved. The move prompted criticism from Hachette.  Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon offers Hachette authors 100% ebook royalties

The war of words between Amazon and Hachette US escalated overnight, after Amazon offered authors... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid Hachette fight, Amazon appeals to authors

Amazon.com Inc. is offering authors caught up in its dispute with Hachette Book Group all of the proceeds from the sale of any digital book, seeking to bypass the publisher and appeal directly to the... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon appeals directly to authors in ongoing ebook dispute

Despite sounding like a rogue militant organization from G.I. Joe, Hatchette is actually a book publishing group. Tame as that may sound, Hatchette is currently engaged in a high-stakes game of Chicken with a juggernaut in the book sales world:... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Tries to Drive Wedge Between Hachette and Its Authors

Amazon.com Inc. is offering authors caught up in its dispute with Hachette Book Group all proceeds from the sale of any digital book, seeking to bypass the publisher and appeal directly to writers.Amazon sent a letter to authors, including Douglas Preston, proposing to extract them from the spat... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid Hachette dispute, Amazon appeals to authors

Amazon.com Inc. is offering authors caught up in its dispute with Hachette Book Group all of the proceeds from the sale of any digital book, seeking to bypass the publisher and appeal directly to the... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Latest Proposal Rankles Hachette and Authors

The acrimony between Amazon and Hachette does not appear to waning. And their battle, over ebook sales terms, continues to play out in newspaper headlines. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors choose sides in the duel between Amazon and Hachette

Some 'old guard' authors are joining forces in a letter criticizing Amazon, even as a cluster of self-published authors is rallying around Amazon, charging that traditional publishers like Hachette mistreat authors and readers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors choose sides in the duel between Amazon and Hachette (+video)

Some 'old guard' authors are joining forces in a letter criticizing Amazon, even as a cluster of self-published authors is rallying around Amazon, charging that traditional publishers like Hachette mistreat authors and readers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Typical author earnings 'dropped to £11,000 in 2013'

The typical income for a professional author in 2013 was just £11,000, more than £5,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors taking sides in Amazon-Hachette dispute

One one side are established authors including Stephen King, John Grisham and James Patterson. On the other side are self-published authors. They're taking sides in the weeks-old dispute between Amazon.com Inc. and Hachette Book Group. King, Grisham and Patterson have signed their names to a... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Pen Open Letter to Amazon About Hachette Dispute

Two weeks ago bestselling author Douglas Preston began quietly circulating a letter to other writers that encourages readers to write to Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie Authors, Readers Show Support for Amazon

More than a thousand readers have signed a petition in support of Amazon in its dispute with Hachette. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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