Fantasy author accuses the online giant of using its market dominance ‘to control what we write and what we read’The grande dame of fantasy Ursula K Le Guin has weighed in forcefully to the debate about Amazon’s role in publishing. In a blogpost on the site Book View Cafe, entitled “Up the Amazon with the BS Machine, or Why I Keep Asking You Not to Buy Books from Amazon”, the American author has spoken out against what she describes as the company’s increasing influence not only on the bookselling market but also on which books get published, promoted and read. Her fierce conclusion is: “Every book purchase made from Amazon is a vote for a culture without content and without contentment.”After an analysis of how the “Best Seller Machine” has worked in the last decades, Le Guin writes that the online retailer is changing the culture of publishing. The Amazon model, she writes, is “easy salability, heavy marketing, super-competitive pricing, then trash and replace”. The ideal book, under this template, is “a safe commodity, a commercial product written to the specifications of the current market, that will hit the BS list, get to the top, and vanish. Sell it fast, sell it cheap, dump it, sell the next thing.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A ruling on John Wiley & Sons Inc. v. Kirtsaeng – a case expected to come before the Supreme Court early next year – could make it illegal for non-profits and businesses to resell copyrighted works produced abroad. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has made a big selling point of X-ray for Kindle books -- but, not surprisingly, for its own platforms first. iOS readers can reclaim some equal footing today now that a Kindle 3.5 update is bringing X-ray to their devices. The addition lets iPad and iPhone bookworms see a map of where... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German self-publishing platform XinXii, which allows indie authors to sell their titles through mobile ebook shops, has gone live in Russia. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Agency Curtis Brown has launched a digital self-publishing programme through Kindle Direct... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Berlin-based startup txtr has launched a Danish ebook store, with special promotions from two Danish publishers set to begin on December 3rd. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you've got content you think other publishers want to buy, what do you need to do to to make it an attractive proposition? A good example of a successful licencing operations is Bloomberg, which provides content to more than 600 publish ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Jeff Belle announced in a letter to literary agents that Amazon Publishing will begin building a European publishing division in 2013. Hiring will begin in January. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has said that it is to open a European publishing wing headquartered in Luxembourg,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is giving its KDP self-publishing platform a further push before Christmas by putting an... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins is creating a new digital imprint—HarperTeen Impulse—focusing on young adult short stories and novellas, which sell for .99 cents to $2.99. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Advertising Standards Authority has told Amazon it must change the wording of its Prime offer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has teamed up with Author Solutions to launch a self-publishing service... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's UK net sales were £2.91bn in 2011, according to information the retailer has... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online retail site Bilbary will launch its e-lending service in December, beginning with a focus... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tablets and other digital reading devices are expected to be big sellers this holiday season due in part to the growing number of devices available from a host of manufacturers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers across the UK have put up signs in their windows reading 'We pay our taxes' in response to a hearing by the Public Accounts Committee on Amazon's business practices. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pottermore Shop has launched a gifting service enabling the delivery of Harry Potter ebooks... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspapers have appealed to consumers to boycott Amazon this Christmas following its statements... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A marathon wait and one Herculean wrestling match with recalcitrant publishers later, the Kindle... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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