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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Amazon's fight with Hachette over ebook pricing just got extra-personal. Hot on the heels of writers attacking Jeff Bezos' "retaliation," the Amazon Books Team has posted a Readers United site that calls on you to email Hachette CEO Michael Pietsch... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Neither side has confirmed it, but it looks like Amazon's latest pricing battle (after Warner Bros. and its ongoing battle with book publisher Hachette) is with Disney. That's why you can't pre-order a copy of Guardians of the Galaxy on DVD or... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette finance chief plays down effect of Amazon tactics as parent Lagardère reports 1% overall dip in salesThe Hachette publishing group has reported a fall in ebook sales as it continues its battle with Amazon over pricing.The publisher of Ian Rankin and Booker prize nominee Joshua Ferris... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon recently extended a public challenge to Hachette, saying that if the publisher will lower ebook prices to $9.99, the company won't ask for a larger share of the revenues. This is the first time Amazon has publicly shared details of the dispute between the two companies. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Book Group is “sharing too small a portion” of the revenue from ebooks with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon.com believes that pricing ebooks at US$9.99 will boost sales by over 74 percent as the books are highly price-elastic.If customers would buy 100,000 copies of a particular ebook at $14.99, then they would buy 174,000 copies of the same ebook at $9.99, boosting total revenue to $1.7... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a survey, Codex Group reports 39% were aware of the Amazon/Hachette dispute — and 7.5% are buying less from Amazon. Are you? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has reportedly offered Authors United, a group of writers protesting against the online... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The publisher is reportedly in talks with the e-commerce giant, sparking speculation as to what the negotiations are about. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's long-running standoff with Hachette has been making headlines for months. Here's the whole story in PW coverage. What began as a "scuffle" now has us using the language of war to describe it. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon has gone directly to authors 'hoping to gain hearts and minds – and leverage' in its dispute with Hachette. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon recently offered Hachette writers 100 percent of ebook profits until the dispute between the publisher and the bookselling giant is resolved. The move prompted criticism from Hachette. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-10 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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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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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 war of words between Amazon and Hachette US escalated overnight, after Amazon offered authors... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 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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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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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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