The books industry still underestimates the disruptive power of Jeff Bezos's awesome ambitionSo Amazon are the bad guys, again. At least according to Harper's Magazine they are. For the former Amazon employee James Marcus, Brad Stone "drops the ball" in his biography of Jeff Bezos, The Everything Store, when he accepts "what is literally the company line – that these extorted dollars 'create the foundation on which everyday low prices become possible'." Marcus tells how some publishers are being "pressured" to pay "for the privilege of presenting their lists to [Amazon] marketing team and buyers" – a story denied in a footnote by an unnamed "Amazon spokesperson" – and goes on to assemble an impressive rap sheet of sharp practice:Of course it's legal. So is Amazon's control of an estimated 65 percent of the ebook market, a near monopoly that's apparently of no concern to the supine Department of Justice. So is its bare-bones price of $9.99 for popular ebooks, a loss-leading tactic that might be classified as predatory pricing if there weren't so many legal hurdles to making such a charge stick. So is the funneling of its British revenues through a subsidiary in Luxembourg ...... and on it goes. But Amazon's aggressive style of doing business is nothing new. What astonishes me is the continuing ability of publishers to underestimate how radically Amazon has changed the industry.Mike Shatzkin is one of those who have understood Amazon's disruptive power all along. But such... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry members claim the program, which allows third-party re-sellers to win the main buy button on book pages, has the potential to "decimate authors' and publishers' earnings," especially on backlist books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission has accepted Amazon's changes to how it sells its ebooks. Following a 2015 investigation over the retailer's anti-competitive behaviour, Amazon said back in January that it would change its ebook contracts, removing clauses t... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Citing robust international publishing output and efforts to tackle problems, Bloomsbury's Richard Charkin gives an overview at Abu Dhabi. The post After His IPA Stint: Richard Charkin on Publishing’s Challenges and Promise appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has appointed Shona Abhyankar, currently head of PR at Penguin Random House Children’s and formerly senior publicist at Ebury, as publicity lead of Amazon Publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers, distributors, booksellers, and authors find themselves pointing at each other in a reported ‘vicious circle’ for Nigeria’s market. By Dennis Abrams | @DennisAbrams2 ‘A Constant Battle’ t The Guardian in Nigeria, Anote Ajeluorou reports on a bitterness in the publishing industry... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing, the largest publisher of translations, will be at the London Book Fair with a rights list of suspense, memoir and literary titles. The post Amazon Publishing at London Book Fair: Literary Fiction, Suspense, Memoir appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tinte & Feder is Amazon Publishing's second German-language imprint, and is to focus on contemporary and historical fiction. First titles out March 7. The post Amazon Publishing’s Newest Imprint Makes Its Debut in Germany appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book sales have plummeted in Taiwan in recent years, as have the number of bookstores in the island nation home to 23.5 million people. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has a program in place allowing people to self-publish both printed and electronic books, but until now the workflow has been clunky as authors were forced to use a different tool for each format. The company is now streamlining the experience... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2017-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is funding a legal challenge against US president Donald Trump's controversial "travel ban" on behalf of its employees in the US and around the world who could be affected. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The biggest question for publishers prioritizing video isn’t Snapchat or Facebook Live, it’s simple economics. How many bodies can an organization throw at production and still keep the lights on? Digital publishers are struggling to square demand for video with the bottom line. Five charts that... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission (EC) has confirmed that Amazon has offered to remove controversial Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clauses in ebook contracts and is asking publishers for feedback on the pledges. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are hopeful about the chance to finally turn their Facebook videos into a revenue stream, but creative challenges await them. Ads could bring a welcome source of revenue, but videos will have to be edited with breaks in mind. And most online video that's out there now isn't good... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a land of nearly 2,000 small book publishers, Myanmar's post-junta industry is strengthening its ties to ASEAN and serving a youthful demographic. The post Book Publishing Market Overview: Myanmar’s Challenges and Potential appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon plans to announce a cloud-based header bidding solution aimed squarely at publishers as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter.Header bidding has become one of the most important areas of ad tech because it lets publishers take more offers for their ads at once... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2016-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Export and rights sales to the UK and the US present “huge opportunities” for Irish publishers, but sterling instability could be a “nightmare” challenge, Publishing Ireland's annual Trade Day heard last week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After underestimating the ferocity of Japan's manga fans, Amazon has made major adjustments to the contents of its Kindle Unlimited offer in the country, while dropping some publishers from the service altogether. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is all powerful and it knows it. Publishers have little choice but to play by its rules. At Digiday’s Publishing Summit in Nice we asked publishers what their biggest challenge with Facebook was: unclear metrics, murky routes to monetization and unpredictable priorities were among... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Among stories coming out of Frankfurt Book Fair: a new liaison between Brazil and the UAE, and a German bestseller signs with Amazon's Edition M imprint. The post Frankfurt Industry Notes: Sharjah GoH at São Paulo; Amazon Publishing Signs Strobel appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing has acquired two new and unseen titles by the late novelist Catherine Cookson, including a memoir. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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