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 ]
News tagged with:
#two-page ad
#ebook market
#buy button
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 22/07/2011 - 08:34 Random House c.e.o. Dame Gail Rebuck has urged retailers to devote shelf space to the Galaxy Quick Reads promotion, as its 2012 line-up of authors is revealed. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#rebuck urges
#quick reads
#urged retailers
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 21/07/2011 - 09:08 Amazon.co.uk has launched a service allowing customers to trade in old textbooks in exchange for gift card credit on their Amazon account. The UK e-retailer is allowing customers to send textbooks to Amazon free-of-charge, but... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#amazon account
#allowing customers
Iniative would allow Kindle users to rent books with up to 80% offAmazon.com launched Kindle textbook rentals, promising "tens of thousands of textbooks" at discounts of as much as 80% less than purchase price on July 18. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2011-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#kindle users
#purchase price
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 19/07/2011 - 10:17 Simon & Schuster senior commissioning editor Francesca Main is leaving the publisher to become editorial director at Picador. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Amazon, which dominates the ebook market, has stayed out of the electronic textbook market. Until now: The company has opened up a textbook store for its Kindle platform, where it is renting "tens of thousands" of titles for the upcoming school year. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#kindle platform
#textbook rentals
#ebook market
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 18/07/2011 - 15:00 The Reading Agency director Miranda McKearney has called for the annual Summer Reading Challenge, which launches its 2011 run today (18th July), to be on every head teacher's school improvement plan. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 18/07/2011 - 15:22 Amazon.com is giving students the ability to rent textbooks on Kindle e-readers. The company said students can save up to 80% off textbook prices with the new initiative, which launched today. Kindle Textbook Rental will also... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#amazon offers
#kindle e-readers
#launched today
#academic publishers
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 13/07/2011 - 15:35 The Reading Agency has warned library service cutbacks could challenge its Summer Reading Campaign, as it revealed 97% of library authorities will participate in this year's scheme. It will be launched on Monday at the House... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#reading agency
#library authorities
#local authorities
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 13/07/2011 - 15:32 Amazon.com has dropped the price of its advertising-heavy Amazon 3G Kindle to $139 (£86.91). Telecoms company AT&T is sponsoring the Kindle with Special Offers, which will include campaigns for customers and sponsored... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#special offers
#jeff bezos
Hachette Filipacchi is expanding its Elle brand onto the mobile platform with the launch of a magazine iPhone app. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2011-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#hachette filipacchi
#elle brand
#mobile platform
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 11/07/2011 - 08:45 Amazon.co.uk is creating 900 jobs by opening its seventh fulfilment centre in Rugeley, Staffordshire. The 700,000 square foot centre will begin fulfilling orders from September and aims to employ more than 900 permanent and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#fulfilment centre
#temporary workers
Sheila C. Bair, who ended a tumultuous five-year term as chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation this month, has landed a book deal to give her inside account of the financial crisis. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#media decoder
#write book
#financial crisis
#book deal
#inside account
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 08/07/2011 - 08:27 HarperCollins has bought four books by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards, whose self-published novels have been Amazon bestsellers, in a six-figure, pre-empt deal. Commissioning editor Kate Bradley bought world rights from agent Sam... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#louise voss
#mark edwards
#self-published novels
#pre-empt deal
#coleridge white
#physical edition
Sometimes keeping up with the Internet can seem like an endless assignment. The tweets and Facebook posts scroll infinitely, the email piles up, and news sites and blogs publish around the clock. That's why Summify seems so different. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#news sites
#iphone app
Many publishers are moving to leaner editorial staffs while relying on more contributors (some paid, many not) to generate digital content. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 07/07/2011 - 09:06 The Booksellers Association has announced it will formally oppose the merger of Amazon and The Book Depository, with the BA saying that Amazon already had a "de facto monopoly". Meanwhile, the PA is actively considering... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#booksellers association
#formally oppose
#book depository
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 07/07/2011 - 09:06 The Booksellers Association has announced it will formally oppose the merger of Amazon and The Book Depository, saying that Amazon already had a "de facto monopoly". read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#booksellers association
#formally oppose
#book depository
Publication Date: Wed, 06/07/2011 - 15:47 Hachette Livre has acquired a stake in Moscow-based trade publishing group Azbooka-Atticus. The publishing giant now owns a 25% interest (plus one share) in the publisher, which is owned 94.6% by Alexander Mamuts A&NN Group, which recently acquired... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishing giant
Amazon is making a move to become even more international. The online bookseller has just acquired the Book Depository International, a U.K. bookseller that distinguishes itself as being home to "the largest range of titles in the world." The terms of the deal have not yet been released, but the... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2011-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book depository
#free shipping
#publishing arm
#operate independently
Amazon.com has acquired The Book Depository International, a seven-year old online bookseller based in the UK, which also republishes titles that are no longer in print or poorly available. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |