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 of books” and calling on the US justice department to investigate the retailer’s “power over the book market”.The letter, which is due to be submitted to the department later this month, is the latest initiative from the group of powerful authors calling themselves Authors United, which was set up in the wake of the dispute over terms between the internet shopping site and Hachette last year. Douglas Preston, who founded the group, said that signatories were “pouring in” for the letter this week, with “many hundreds” putting their name to the letter, including Sara Paretsky, Francis Fukuyama, Elizabeth George, Michael Lewis, Richard North Patterson, Luc Sante, Stuart Woods and Daniel Handler. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Leading authors call for government probe of Amazon's 'damaging' power"


Preston: 'Authors United will fight on'

Campaign group Authors United will continue its “efforts to persuade” the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department in the US to look into Amazon’s market practices, saying there are "still many open questions about Amazon's market power". The group was set up by American author Douglas... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon-HBG Deal: The Reaction

Reaction to the agreement between Amazon and the Hachette Book Group has been coming in quickly. Douglas Preston, who founded Authors United, said he was “relieved” to hear about the agreement. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Lemony Snicket' urges authors to connect with indie bookshops

Authors United has sent out a letter from the author Daniel Handler  - a.k.a. Lemony Snicket - encouraging writers to take part in Upstream, a new programme to support independent bookstores. Upstream, “cooked up” by Handler and “assorted interested parties”, aims to connect writers with their... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lee Child On Why He Signed with Authors United

The reason the author of the Jack Reacher novels weighs in on Amazon-Hachette dispute has nothing to do with the "protection money" that Amazon is demanding from publishers. Child signed with thriller writer Douglas Preston's Authors United, a group of writers who want to take authors out of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Authors United’s Next Move: DOJ

With the Amazon-Hachette dispute cutting Hachette authors sales by at least 50 percent, a group of concerned authors is turning to the government for help. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Authors United 'asking DoJ for antitrust inquiry'

Authors United is to call on the US Department of Justice to launch an antitrust inquiry into... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Columbia business 'honest broker' between farmers and consumers

In Michael Lewis's best-selling book Flash Boys , a group of do-good stockbrokers abscond from their cushy, high-paying jobs at big Wall Street banks to become the honest broker in what is depicted as increasingly corrupt stock market, one that rewards leaving the everyman on the raw end of the... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2014-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon Returns Fire: The Battle With Hachette and Authors United Continues

Amazon has responded to an open letter by Authors United, signed by 900-plus authors in support of Hachette, with their own open letter, Readers United. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Authors take out full-page NYT ad to criticize Amazon

There's no sign that Amazon and Hachette are close to burying their ebook hatchet, which has prompted the authors caught in the middle to speak up. One of those affected, Douglas Preston, penned an open letter to Jeff Bezos, requesting that he... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Over 900 Authors Sign Open Letter to Amazon

Authors United, the loosely knit group of authors who joined forces to formally ask Amazon to end its sales terms dispute with Hachette Books, is preparing to run a full-page ad in Sunday's "New York Times." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon-Dissenting Authors Form 'Authors United'

As HBG's dispute with the e-tailer continues, authors are starting to prepare for the long haul by forming their own organization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'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 ]
More news stories like this


Daniel Handler (also known as Lemony Snicket) will host the National Book Awards

According to the National Book Foundation, the writer will be the first master of ceremonies to have published books in both the children's and adult fiction categories. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


National Book Foundation Taps Snicket as 2014 NBA Ceremony Emcee

Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, will serve as master of ceremonies for the 65th National Book Awards on November 19, 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


BEA 2014: The Future Isn’t What It Used to Be

Douglas Preston and John Scalzi have a lot in common: their work, of course—they both write speculative and near-future fiction about, as Douglas Preston says, “things we are quite sure will happen.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Men Drove ‘Flash Boys’ Buzz

After Michael Lewis’s much-buzzed about 60 Minutes appearance at the beginning of the month, "Flash Boys," the author’s exploration of high-speed trading on Wall Street, was the most-talked about book on social media in April. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


iBooks Bestsellers: Roth Back on Top

After a brief stint at #1, Michael Lewis's "Flash Boys" fell four spots to #5 on Apple's iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Authors on the Air April 4, 2014: Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis, author of "Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt" (Norton, 9780393244663) will appear on C-SPAN2's "BookTV" on Saturday, April 5. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Norton Back to Press on 'Flash Boys'

After a much-talked about "60 Minutes" appearance by Michael Lewis, Norton has gone back to press for 50,000 more copies of the author's new book, "Flash Boys." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this