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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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 08:45 Orion Children's Books is launching a new Young Adult imprint, with Harlan Coben's first foray into YA fiction among the "starry authors" geared up for release. Indigo will publish four titles a month, beginning in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 15:47 Transworld/Bantam novelist Manda Scott has formed the Historical Writers Association as a forum for writers and to promote the genre. The internet-based group, which already boasts around 100 members including authors Simon... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IDG has launched the Enterprise CIO Forum (ECF) in US-English, German, Japanese and Chinese editions, with HP as sponsor. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 09/03/2011 - 08:38 Easons is to launch a company makeover in the next 12 months. The Irish bookseller's managing director, Conor Whelan, has announced plans to give a facelift to the Easons website, launch a loyalty card scheme for customers and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 09/03/2011 - 09:48 Ten times as many people shop at Amazon than online at Waterstone's, a survey has revealed, while more than half of respondents bought books online. The research, carried out by the Institute of Direct Marketing,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 07/03/2011 - 09:00 Sainsbury's has launched a range of own brand pre-school children's books, publishing eight titles in collaboration with Dorling Kindersley. The titles went on sale on Saturday [5th March] in more than 200 of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 10:08 Book Marketing Limited has began new research among publishers to predict what comes next in digital. The provider of market research is working on behalf of Publishing Technology to assess what impact e-publishing is having... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Association of Magazine Media (MPA) released a study following growth in magazine-created iPad Apps, tracking a decline from previous months numbers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beginning Tuesday, Random House will join other major book publishers in selling its ebooks using the so-called agency model, setting its own prices for ebooks while the retailer takes a commission. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 01/03/2011 - 15:52 The Campaign for the Book has launched a legal challenge over the widespread library closures, claiming culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has failed to comply with his duties under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AT&T is the current broadband network used by the Amazon reader. The Kindle 3G can hold up to 3,500 books and is sold at the retail price of $189. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online publishers like CBS and Forbes are selling the tiny ads on their Web sites, rather than letting a third-party network promote teeth whitening and herbal remedies. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 24/02/2011 - 15:30 Simon & Schuster is repackaging three of Jackie Collins backlist titles ahead of her latest novel, Goddess of Vengeance. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Wed, 23/02/2011 - 14:20 Walker Books is launching marketing campaigns to support its picture book publishing and teen fiction ranges. Undercover, promoting a range of YA titles, will launch in March and a separate picture book campaign, Picture Book... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Wed, 23/02/2011 - 15:33 A High Court challenge is being launched over library closures in Gloucestershire and Somerset, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind. A challenge to the coalition government's "vague" Big Society concept,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Forbes is launching an ad platform that combines the Forbes Media Network with a new audience segmentation effort called FAST and offers custom units that blend advertising with content according to user preferences. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 21/02/2011 - 15:59 Quartet Books is launching a new imprint by veteran American broadcast journalist Charles Glass. The imprint, called Charles Glass Books, will focus on investigative journalism, war, world politics and corporate and political... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 18/02/2011 - 08:20 Orion has launched a new imprint, Swordfish, publishing a wide range of commercial non-fiction as well as a small selection of fiction. Non-fiction publishing director Rowland White will take on the role of publisher. Six... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 09:57 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 09:39 Indie publisher Salt has launched a digital imprint, Embrace Books, comprising four series of erotica and romance titles. Red Velvet is billed as "sexy, sophisticated romance", while After Dark is an "intense,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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