Can a one-size-fits-all, low-price, consumer-dominated sales model support a diverse, innovative, challenging literary output?It is either an existential threat to intellectual freedom or a rustbelt media industry meeting its comeuppance at the hands of disruptive technology. The battle between the multibillion-dollar publisher Hachette (and now the Scandinavian publisher Bonnier) and the even more multibillion-dollar Amazon is usually discussed in high-minded tones, particularly by publishers and their authors. But at heart, it is merely another collision between producers and consumers that has a particular significance only if you ascribe a value to books as cultural artefacts. It is perfectly possible, instead of Hachette and Amazon, and the 900 writers who took out a two-page ad in the New York Times to protest, to substitute supermarkets, dairy farmers and the price of milk.Although books account for only 7% of the sales of the Everything store, Amazon sells a lot of them. In particular it has 60% of the ebook market. It believes a flat-rate sales price for new books and bestsellers delivers higher sales and bigger profits. Hachette disagrees. Amazon is forcing the issue by disadvantaging Hachette books (no buy button, no discounts and so on). Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cloud services continue to grow by leaps and bounds for Amazon.com.The company reported that Amazon Web Services generated $1.8 billion in sales in the second quarter, up about 80 percent from the $1 billion it brought in a year earlier.That helped Amazon achieve a profit of $92 million, a... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2015-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Although total Amazon sales rose 20% in the second quarter of 2015, sales in the media group, where book and ebook sales are reported, fell 2.6%. The decline was due to foreign exchange fluctuations which dropped international media revenue. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First the Serial podcast became wildly popular. Then President Barack Obama sat down for an interview with Marc Maron for the comedian's WTF program, and the audio-only format that is podcasting was validated like never before. The developments largely flew in the face of the increasingly... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2015-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon said sales during its first ever Prime Day broke global records, receiving 398 orders per second across Prime-eligible countries. Sales on 15th July or Prime Day – when the retailer offered heavy discounts to encourage shoppers to sign up to Amazon Prime membership – were 18% higher... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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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... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author protest group Authors United is asking authors to sign a letter to the US Justice Department, asking it "to examine Amazon's control of the book market." The letter has been drafted with the help of the Authors Guild. Meanwhile both the American Booksellers Association and the Association... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wendy McCurdy, formerly executive editor at Berkley Publishing Group, has been named editorial director at Kensington Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A 32-inch LED television for $75. Harry Potter books for up to half off their list price. An Apple iPad mini for $265. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2015-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A British speed reader has finished Harper Lee's much anticipated novel, Go Set A Watchman, in less than half an hour. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2015-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Just because Apple is on the hook for allegedly anti-competitive book sales doesn't mean that Amazon is above reproach. As promised, groups representing both authors and booksellers are calling on the US Department of Justice to investigate Amazon fo... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The e-commerce site is 20 years old this week. So what influence has it really had on the retail and internet industries?It was originally billed as “Earth’s Biggest Bookstore” and featured over one million titles. Twenty years later it boasts over 270m active accounts and claims to have more... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ahead of YALC 2015, Gemma Malley, director of communications at Book Trust and author of seven YA novels, takes a look at why authors write YA. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Days before Amazon celebrates its 20th anniversary, Authors United is asking authors to sign a letter to the DoJ for an investigation of Amazon, and ABA submitted a similar request on Monday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Josh McDowell on childhood molestation, what he's learned in 55 years of writing, and winning the Christian Bookseller Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman" won't be released to the public until Tuesday, but readers already know that the book reveals a darker side to Atticus Finch. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Subversive Science Fi... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2015-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Reading Agency is hoping to set a new record for "most pledges received for a reading campaign" for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, which launches tomorrow (11th July). The agency has teamed up with Guinness World Records for the challenge and, starting from this weekend, libraries... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nina George's international bestseller features good food, talk of love, and picturesque scenes of rural France. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scout is all grown up—and Jem is, well, you'll see... Go Set A Watchman Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee's long-awaited prequel to her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, hits shelves July 14. But if that still seems like too long to wait, both The Wall Street Journal and The... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Items that inspired 'Mary Poppins,' given by P.L. Travers herself, are on view at the Children's Center of the main branch of the New York Public Library. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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