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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Effective implementation of technology will let companies react to new opportunities Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Exploring what's worked and what hasn't in the search for new revenue streams. The post Specialized Publishers Share Challenges, Insights at SIPA Conference appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2016-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-published author Adam Croft has been snapped up for a publishing deal by Amazon imprint Thomas & Mercer after releasing what he says is the biggest-selling book by a self-published author in 2016. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Opinions were mixed about what Amazon's rumored plans to open more physical bookstores could mean for the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Publishers Weekly Stock Index jumped 59.2% in 2015 over 2014, propelled in part by a huge boost from Amazon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Society of Authors has issued an open letter, addressed to members of the Publishers Association and Independent Publishers Guild, asking publishers to address the issue of author earnings which it says are "falling fast". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This is the season in which the entire book industry depends upon consumer holiday purchases to drive sales and, for some, issues at Amazon are leaving their hottest titles languishing on shipping docks and sitting in truck trailers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since its highly publicized decision to stop selling books through Amazon, sales at EDC have skyrocketed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Schools minister Nick Gibb, today challenged publishers to make 100 classic books available at low cost, so all pupils have the chance to read them. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the opening press conference at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair (which ended October 18), Heinrich Riethmüller, the chairman of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, told reporters about the German book industry’s battle to prevent Amazon from “monopolizing” the book business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A content-centric approach is the key to resolving accessibility issues for publishers, says Kevin Burns, senior v-p of content solutions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is not as good at publishing as it is at retailing, Charlie Redmayne, c.e.o of HarperCollins has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent Newspapers argues that €1.25m defamation award was disproportionate and has a ‘serious chilling effect’ on freedom of expression Ireland’s Independent Newspapers’ group is to challenge Irish defamation laws at the European Court of Human Rights, reports the Irish Times. The newspaper... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The book industry remains largely white and middle class, while efforts are being made to boost socio-economic and ethnic diversity in publishing. The post Diversity in UK Publishing Still a Challenge appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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So much for writing short.Last month, Amazon took a page out of Spotify's playbook, electing to start paying its self-published authors by the page rather than per download. The new model was put into action Wednesday—and it looks like the e-commerce giant may now pay writers no more than $0.006... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writers of shorter works could lose out on revenue as company’s Kindle Owners Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited no longer pay per copy downloadedSelf-published authors could be paid as little as $0.006 per page read under new rules planned by Amazon.Writers who make their works available... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers’ contracts with Amazon could become void if the European Commission (EC) finds that the online retailer has acted illegally in terms of its ebook distribution practices and its relationship with publishers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small press And Other Stories will produce no books by men in 2018 in answer to Kamila Shamsie’s call for direct action to beat gender bias in publishingSmall press And Other Stories has answered author Kamila Shamsie’s provocative call for a year of publishing women to redress “gender bias” in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has begun fining publishers for late deliveries of books to its warehouses. Meanwhile, some payments to publishers have been delayed by what the company referred to as a “technical error”. The e-commerce giant has written to suppliers warning that if they do not hit delivery targets,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emma Shercliff looks into the creative process in African publishing and distributing an anthology of digital romance writing from Nigeria's Ankara Press. The post The Possibilities and Challenges of Digital African Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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