As Hachette, Amazon, and the laundry list of household name authors who make up the faux-power group Authors United continue to battle and make headlines over the contract dispute, there's another major player who's caught in the crossfire of the whole mess: the readers. While critics and supporters on both sides argue over the costs of doing business, the power of … [Read more...] about Authors United to Issue New Directive to Amazon
Hachette
Amazon Offer Rejected by Hachette, Authors’ Organization
In a semi-olive branch move, Amazon offered last week to extend 100% of the sales price of Hachette titles to the authors themselves, in a conciliatory move meant to eradicate fears that Amazon's alleged "sanctions" against Hachette have hurt their authors. In an effort to avoid dragging the children into this while the grown-ups fight, Amazon offered to give the entire … [Read more...] about Amazon Offer Rejected by Hachette, Authors’ Organization
Forbes: Amazon Dispute Not About Money
Despite the hordes of critics who have verbally assaulted Amazon for its greed in the Hachette dispute, an article for Forbes today demonstrated the outcome of the current contract negotiation holds a certain percentage of Amazon's revenue in the balance. How much is that revenue? Around eleven million dollars. As in, 0.014% of its total $78billion business. Apple was … [Read more...] about Forbes: Amazon Dispute Not About Money
Amazon to Forfeit Royalties, Offers Hachette Authors 100% of Sales
In another twist in the ongoing fight between Amazon and publisher Hachette, Amazon has either demonstrated its true spirit of support for authors and readers, or made the best PR move in the history of book publishing. Yesterday, in a King Solomon-like letter that has not been sent to the publisher but was sent to various experts and author organizations for feedback and … [Read more...] about Amazon to Forfeit Royalties, Offers Hachette Authors 100% of Sales
Hugh Howey on Writers’ Unions: Who Really Speaks for Authors?
There are a few groups out there that claim to be the voice of advocacy and support for authors. Chief among them is the Author's Guild, an organization that actively works to block self-published authors from its inner sanctum by imposing hefty sales requirements before indie authors can join, thus making them a retailer's guild, rather than an author's guild. There's also the … [Read more...] about Hugh Howey on Writers’ Unions: Who Really Speaks for Authors?
eBook Review: The Silkworm by Robert Gilbraith
Verdict: 5 Stars Rowling/Gilbraith has done it again, and this one may be even better than the first in her Cormoran Strike series. It was both sad and amazing when JK Rowling returned to fiction writing after closing the covers on her Harry Potter series. As she transitioned into becoming the head of the worldwide wizarding empire that has seen a movie franchise, … [Read more...] about eBook Review: The Silkworm by Robert Gilbraith
Big Five Back in Court over eBook Pricing
When the dust finally settled from the Department of Justice lawsuit against Apple and five of the then-Big Six publishers for illegally colluding to inflate the price of ebooks, essentially bilking consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to grab some more market share away from Amazon, the terms of the judge's ruling included a caveat. That statement was … [Read more...] about Big Five Back in Court over eBook Pricing
Light Up Your Fourth with Amazon’s Best Books of July
As the Independence Day festivities carry over for many people due to the long weekend, it's time to load up the e-reader with Amazon's list of best books for July. The titles are selected by the editorial team at Amazon Books, and just as with every other list the group produces for months or holidays, they're not based on book sales or ranking, but rather on the human input … [Read more...] about Light Up Your Fourth with Amazon’s Best Books of July
Authors Rally Behind Amazon in Publisher Dispute
Despite the letter circulated by some well-known authors that urged Amazon to behave itself in its ongoing dispute with Hachette, a new open letter and petition has surfaced. This time, nearly thirty indie authors signed the letter thanking Amazon for its service to the reading public and to authors in particular. The authors include the usual suspects, such as Joe Konrath, … [Read more...] about Authors Rally Behind Amazon in Publisher Dispute
No News Is Still News for Amazon, Hachette Dispute
A headline in the Wall Street Journal today promised that a senior executive at Amazon had finally spoken openly about the ongoing dispute between the online retail giant and Hachette Book Group, one of the mainstays of publishing and a member of the Big Five. And the remarks attributed did come from VP Russ Grandinetti, but that's really where the amazement of the announcement … [Read more...] about No News Is Still News for Amazon, Hachette Dispute