How Amazon's bid to bury Hachette has backfired

Amazon's suggestion that the ebook and paperback revolutions are comparable has sparked scorn, satire and indigationWhen Amazon published their rather extraordinary "Message from the Amazon Books Team" at readersunited.com last week, they got a few things right and a few things wrong. Alongside a realistic analysis of ebook pricing and a rather aggressive plea to bombard the CEO of Hachette with threatening emails, the letter noted that "Just ahead of World War II, there was a radical invention that shook the foundations of book publishing". This was the paperback, and apparently it was opposed by publishers who "dug in and circled the wagons". Which is a bit odd, as the person most widely credited with the popularisation of the paperback (but not its invention) was Allen Lane, who, as founder of Penguin Books, introduced paperback classics to the British public.Amazon's other bizarre decision, alongside the somewhat unnecessary second world war reference, was to quote George Orwell selectively on the subject and accuse him of "collusion". In fact, Orwell was making a sarcastic dig in favour of the paperback, and Amazon has been accused of doublespeak by the Orwell estate. The parody page booksunited.org, created by online writer Dan Hon in the voice of the books themselves, smartly notes that "We are not fighting for our existence. We know that as long as you humans exist, you will write, and you will read." Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #book publishing #bit odd #allen lane #british public

Other Publishing stories related to: 'How Amazon's bid to bury Hachette has backfired'


How Amazon's bid to bury Hachette has backfired

Amazon's suggestion that the ebook and paperback revolutions are comparable has sparked scorn, satire and indigationWhen Amazon published their rather extraordinary "Message from the Amazon Books Team" at readersunited.com last week, they got a few things right and a few things wrong. Alongside... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publishing #bit odd #allen lane #british public


Amazon not ready to bury the Hachette

Amazon.com Inc. said it is "not optimistic" that a dispute with publisher Hachette Book Group will be resolved soon and added that it is acting "on behalf of customers." The comments, which Amazon... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Court to Hear Bids by Amazon, Publishers to Dismiss Revived Price Fixing Case

The hearing on the revived case comes some 10 months after magistrate judge Valerie Figueredo found insufficient evidence for the initial case to proceed. The suit accuses Amazon and the Big Five publishers of a conspiracy to fix e-book prices, a claim the publishers insist is "implausible" and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon gives rugby £20m lifeline and could spark Six Nations bidding war

Amazon may not be in it for the long term but its investment in Autumn Nations Cup is likely to prompt interest from othersThere has been little cheer for unions and clubs this year as restrictions imposed by the pandemic have reduced cash flow to a trickle, prompted wage cuts and led to a run... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-11-12 19:00:30 UTC ]
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LBF LATEST: Amazon withdraws as US teams at HarperCollins and Hachette exit fair

Amazon has pulled out of the London Book Fair, as the US businesses of HarperCollins and Hachette have joined Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Penguin Random House in withdrawing a number of their rights staff from the London Book Fair amid the coronavirus outbreak, adding pressure on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-01 20:42:21 UTC ]
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Amazon Swings Into Header Bidding With Cloud-Based Service for Publishers

Amazon plans to announce a cloud-based header bidding solution aimed squarely at publishers as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter.Header bidding has become one of the most important areas of ad tech because it lets publishers take more offers for their ads at once... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Livre's Nourry discusses Amazon and ebooks

Arnaud Nourry, the chairman and chief executive of Hachette Livre discusses the terms impasse with Amazon and the future for print and 'e' Hachette Livre will move into its new purpose-built offices in Vanves (on the outskirts of Paris) on April 7. Even though the new building is very elegant,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Leading Players in the Amazon-Hachette Dispute: Notables of 2014

The dispute over ebook terms between Amazon and Hachette Book Group USA generated headlines around the world when the e-tailer stopped accepting preorders on HBG titles and delayed shipments on some print titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Resolves Dispute With Top-Five Publisher Hachette Over Book Sales

After months of bitter fighting, Hachette and Amazon announced on Thursday morning that they have settled their differences and reached a new multi-year agreement for ebook and print book sales. The post Amazon Resolves Dispute With Top-Five Publisher Hachette Over Book Sales appeared first on... Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Amazon-Hachette Dispute is Over. Now What?

Amazon and Hachette Book Group reached an agreement on Thursday, ending one of the longest (and most widely covered) negotiations of sales terms in publishing history. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Book Group reaches agreement with Amazon

Hachette Book Group (HBG) in the US and Amazon have reached a new multi-year agreement, after months of negotiations and a very public battle. The agreement will give HBG responsibility for setting consumer prices of its ebooks, and the publisher will “benefit from better terms when it delivers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon and Hachette settle dispute

Internet giant Amazon and book publisher Hachette resolve a bitter months-long royalties dispute that has delayed orders of several high-profile titles. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette book preorders return to Amazon as companies come to terms

Amazon and Hachette have resolved a contentious contract battle that caught readers and authors in the crossfire for months. Neither company is talking specifics, but the New York Times reports that Hachette will get the ability to set its own ebook prices. At the same time, Amazon will offer... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon, Hachette Reach Deal on Sales Terms

Amazon and Hachette Book Group USA have reached a new, multi-year agreement for ebook and print sales in the U.S. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon and Hachette call a truce in their ebook pricing war

Well, that was anticlimactic. Online retail titan Amazon and the publisher Hachette have been sniping at each other for months because they couldn't see eye to eye on how much ebooks should cost (and how much revenue Amazon should get off of them).... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Deal Struck, Amazon Lets Hachette Set Its Own E-Book Prices

Amazon and Hachette Book Group have resolved their dispute over ebook prices and physical book sales with a multiyear agreement in the U.S., ending a standoff that cut off availability of some of the publisher's books by the online retailer and stirred up ugly PR for Amazon.The deal will take... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon, Hachette end months-long dispute

One of publishing's nastiest, most high-profile conflicts, the monthslong standoff between Amazon.com and Hachette Book Group, is ending. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wylie Backs Hachette in Amazon Dispute

Agent Andrew Wylie told a Toronto audience that publishers need to stand firm in the battle against Amazon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon and Simon & Schuster reach a deal – what does this mean for Hachette?

Amazon and Simon & Schuster recently reached a deal on ebook and print book prices and it gives Simon & Schuster control over ebook prices 'with some limited exceptions.' E-book prices are reportedly part of the ongoing dispute between Amazon and publisher Hachette. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Authors Hit by Hachette-Amazon War

Canadian authors say the Hachette-Amazon fight is hurting U.S. sales, particularly for writers looking to break into the American market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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