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 ]
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The stand-off between the internet retail giant and the publishing corporation has drawn both sides into open contention over commercial termsThe extraordinary stand-off between Amazon and Hachette saw battle lines further entrenched on Tuesday as both parties took to the public arena to insult... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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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.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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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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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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As things stand, Hachette is making ebook discounts impossible, and almost everybody else stands to lose, writes Hugh HoweyNews: New Amazon terms amount to 'assisted suicide' for book industry, experts claimHow much should an ebook cost? And how should that money be split? These two questions... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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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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Amazon senior vice president of Kindle content Russ Grandinetti told The Wall Street Journal that Amazon is acting 'in the long term interest of our customers.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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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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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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The outcome of the current Amazon/Hachette pricing war has implications for the entire publishing industry, Wharton experts and others say. Continue reading at Knowledge@Wharton
[ Knowledge@Wharton | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is responsible for 78% for Hachette ebook sales in the UK, and 60% in the United States — which makes the company especially vulnerable. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has a 78% market share of Hachette Livre ebook titles in the UK and a 60% share in the US... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shops launch 'I didn't buy it on Amazon' sticker campaign, rallying customers and authors including JK RowlingIndependent booksellers in America are weighing into the dispute between Amazon and Hachette with a series of banners telling potential customers "Thanks, Amazon, the indies will take it... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US publisher will cut staff as 'cost-saving initiative' while row with Amazon continues to hamper ability to sell booksHachette, the multinational book publisher embroiled in a public spat with Amazon, announced that it will be laying off about 3% of its staff on Thursday."Today, we had to make... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Amazon-Hachette dispute has dominated conversation in both the industry and the wider culture for the past month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon and Hachette are reportedly at odds over terms for ebook prices, at a time when Amazon is in a position of strength and vulnerability. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon said of its delays on and lack of availability of Hachette titles, 'Unfortunately, despite much work from both sides, we have been unable to reach mutually-acceptable agreement on terms.... we are not optimistic that this will be resolved soon.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Show-goers have been impressed with BookExpo America 2014 so far, saying it's one of the most exciting and energetic in recent years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While the bookseller and publisher are battling over mundane business specifics, the state of publishing hangs in the balance. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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