“Stop Hitting Yourself!”

After months of wielding the stick, Amazon is trying the carrot—or at least pretending to—in its feud with Hachette over ebook pricing. Early this week, it sent a letter to “a few authors and agents” with a sugarcoated proposal to “take authors out of the middle” of the dispute. So long as negotiations continued, why not have both Amazon and Hachette forgo their revenue and profit from ebook sales, and give 100 percent of the proceeds to the authors until an agreement is reached? Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #ebook pricing #ebook sales

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Orwell estate hits back at Amazon's corporate 'doublespeak'

Internet retailer accused of using tactics from Orwell's 1984 in war of words with the publisher HachetteRepresentatives of George Orwell have described Amazon's selective quoting of the Nineteen Eighty-Four author as "dystopian and shameless" and "as close as one can get to the Ministry of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publisher hachette #ebook terms #ebook pricing


NME hits a new low in print sales

Title trails last in music magazine sector, selling fewer than 15,000 copies in first half of year Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obama on Martha's Vineyard: Will he stop by an independent bookstore this summer?

Obama angered some in the independent book world after he praised Amazon's business practices in 2013 and skipped his usual visit to a Martha's Vineyard indie bookstore later that year. Will he pick up some books during his Vineyard visit this year? Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookstore #business practices


Child hits back at indie authors in Amazon debate

Author Lee Child has come out swinging in the manner of Jack Reacher on The Passive Voice website... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie authors #jack reacher


Copyright Changes Hit Canadian Publishers Hard

When the Canadian Copyright Modernization Act was passed in 2012, publishing associations were happy with certain aspects of the legislation, including its antipiracy measures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Native-Ad Slayer John Oliver Visits Native-Ad Seller Hearst and Explains His Hit Piece

Why did John Oliver devote 11 minutes of his HBO show "Last Week Tonight" to skewering the practice of native advertising?It was inspired by an interview he saw with Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp, Mr. Oliver told an audience at Hearst Tower in New York on Tuesday. Mr. Oliver was struck by how easily... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #week tonight #hearst tower #business side #iconic titles #sports illustrated


Lagardere reports hit to Hachette US ebook sales

Hachette Book Group's ebook sales declined in the first half of 2014, and the impact of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook sales


Comics, Graphic Novels Market Hit $870 Million in 2013

Led by book format comics with $415 million in sales, the North American comics and graphic novel marketplace generated $870 million in sales in 2013, according to a new estimate by ICV2 and Comichron. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to Stop Facebook From Making Us Pawns in Its Corporate Agenda

Facebook’s most recently published study is not unique. This is a call to action. We should work together to demand that companies promise not to make us involuntary accomplices in corporate activities that compromise other people’s autonomy and trust. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: 'Hard Choices' Hits #6

Hillary Clinton's "Hard Choices" failed to crack the top five on Apple's iBooks bestseller list for the week ended June 16. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ibooks bestsellers #hard choices #hillary clinton


iBooks Bestsellers: King Hits the List

"Mr. Mercedes," Stephen King's latest novel, came in at #2 on Apple's iBooks bestseller list for the week ended June 9, behind "The Fault in Our Stars." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ibooks bestsellers #stephen king


Hastings Merger Hits Snag

Hastings Entertainment’s merger with a company affiliated with one of its largest shareholders has hit a snag as a judge has issued a temporary restraining order. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One-stop print and digital offer for Canada's libraries

US-based Baker & Taylor (B&T) and Canada-based Whitehots Inc will co-operate to offer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder Children’s signs Wattpad hit

Hodder Children’s Books has acquired a YA fantasy trilogy from debut author Taran Matharu.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weinstein Has a Hit with 'Finding Me'

"Finding Me," Michelle Knight's account of the decade she spent in captivity at the hands of her kidnapper, Ariel Castro, was the top selling title on PW's nonfiction bestseller list for the week ended May 11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #michelle knight #ariel castro #week ended


Hungry Girl’s First Diet Book Hits Big

Lisa Lillien, better known as “Hungry Girl” to her fans, has eight bestselling cookbooks under her belt, and her first diet book, 'The Hungry Girl Diet: Big Portions. Big Results. Drop 10 Pounds in 4 Weeks,' has hit the ground running. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lisa lillien #bestselling cookbooks #diet book #big portions #big results


Authors Guild Hits Back at Google Ruling

Late Friday afternoon, the Authors Guild filed its appeal in its copyright infringement lawsuit against Google. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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L.A. Times Festival of Books Hits the Mark Again

The spirit of literary camaraderie makes itself known at the 19th L.A. Times Festival of Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Graywolf Has Hit with 'Empathy Exams'

Leslie Jamison’s collection of nonfiction essays about pain, "The Empathy Exams," is hitting a nerve in more ways than one: the April 1 Graywolf Press release is landing on bestseller lists and has gone into a sixth print run. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #empathy exams #leslie jamison #bestseller lists


Can We Please Stop Talking About Al Gore

People keep asking me about Al Gore. I wrote a book, Windfall, about who will profit from climate change. On book tour and in advance of the latest bleak report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, I've been traveling around the country talking about our warmer future. I can't... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book tour #stop talking #al gore #climate change