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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The UK's biggest bookstore chain has announced that it will start selling Kindles alongside other digital services from Amazon. Waterstones stores will let Kindle owners digitally browse books in-store and link up with special offers, tying into the chain's plans for substantial renovations that... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Latitude Festival is launching a monthly book club in London, with the first to be held today... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reactions of surprise and bemusement have continued in the trade today in the wake of this... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Manchester-based independent Comma Press has sold short story collection The Corpse Exhibition by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo is to join the ranks of physical and online booksellers licensed by Pottermore to sell Harry... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A dozen books a year? Some writers are accelerating the pace in this brave new world of ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon says it has signed a deal for the electronic books rights to all seven Harry Potter titles in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish for its Kindle lending library. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Future plc has launched a new weekly digital magazine, called Cycling News HD, to be sold through Apple’s Newsstand. The first issue is available for free, while subscriptions are priced at $.99 per week, or $42.99 per year. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2012-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Members of the Amazon Prime subscription program will be able to read "Harry Potter'' ebooks for free through the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, a move intended to encourage consumers to buy Kindle devices. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers including Foyles, Newham Books, Pages of Hackney and The Book Box will be among those... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital analytics provider comScore has extended its media measurement services to the smartphone with the launch of Mobile Metrix 2.0. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2012-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Policy Press (TPP) has revealed plans to increase its digital focus as the popularity of e-... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pottermore ebook store sold £3m-worth of Harry Potter ebooks in its first month, the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Reading Agency and the Publishers Association have launched a digital skills sharing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Washington, D.C., May 2, 2012: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, today announced the launch of its Digital Publishing Platform (DPP) at MarkLogic World 201 ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Byliner.com, a digital publishing company, withdrew the ebook “After Friday Night Lights” by Buzz Bissinger from Amazon because of a pricing dispute involving a promotional giveaway. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Corsair publisher James Gurbutt and editor Sarah Castleton are launching a "bijou imprint... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nobody partners, or negotiates deals, like Microsoft. That's evident from today's stunning agreement with Barnes & Noble, which is sure to turn the ebook market on its head. The two will jointly invest in Newco, temporary name for ebook venture that incorporates B&N's digital and College... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon.com has announced a 19% hike in worldwide media sales, which include books, DVDs... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Almost a year after it was first announced 3M's Cloud Library ebook lending service is getting a proper rollout. Introduced today at a beta site in St. Paul, the system is now ready for its kiosks, e-readers and apps to hit the hands and eyes of library patrons. The touch-based Discovery... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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