Amazon, Macmillan, and a Kindle Touch?
February 4th, 2010 by Therese Walsh
Still no sign of Amazon relenting to Macmillan, as all of that publisher’s books are unavailable to buy new from the site. In a (generous? mean-spirited?) half-concession, Amazon has been posting links to outside vendors who are selling those authors’ books — you know, like the used ones that won’t earn the author a single penny against her advance. I feel so badly for authors like Randy Susan Meyers, whose debut, The Murderer’s Daughters, released just two weeks ago to early acclaim. (See her Amazon page here.) Said Meyers in comments on our 2/2 post, “It feels like someone tripped me just as I started a race.” Check out her site, where you can find alternate buying options.
And what’s this? Coming off the heels of Apple’s iPad announcement, Amazon just acquired a touch-screen company called Touchco. Will a future generation Kindle have the touch capabilities of an Apple product?
Stay tuned.
*sigh* The whole thing is such a mess, isn’t it? Well, I hope Meyers and author Macmillan authors find much success in spite of it.
Kristan´s last blog ..Whas happenin’
If Meyers is smart, she’ll be able to use the MacMillan noise to generate her own publicity. There are so many online retailers out there – granted, not as trafficked as Amazon – but there have got to be ways to work it to her advantage.
Hillary Lodge´s last blog ..Thoughts on and for Oscar Whiners
All goes to show we need totally new models for reading and publishing. Are huge companies really writers’ (or readers’) friends?
This kind of stuff generates such ill-will toward the distributor (Amazon). People will remember this.
Hillary, she is (smart and finding ways to work it to her advantage): http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/04/authors-fight-macmillan-battle-amazon
i’m sure borders and barnes and noble could use the biz. i think using this controversy to publicize a book is a great idea. call the newspapers!
I hope people do remember it and use alternative online retailers. This is a shameful case of big business bullying, in which the writers seem to come last.
Most of my backlist was published in the US by Tor, so I am affected by this, but it’s those writers like Meyers, with novels just out, who will suffer most.
I thought I’d read somewhere that Amazon had capitulated, but our books are still missing from the site.
I just read the piece in The Guardian, so I see they are playing games at the expense of Macmilllan and its authors. Sigh. Will consider removing Amazon buying links from my website.
I guess all you people against Amazon in this just love paying extra money for things.
Sorry, I know everyone should earn something for their efforts but $15+ for something they don’t have to print or ship is just ridiculous.
Steve, there are SO many things that go into a book besides printing and shipping.
Note also that we are not upset about the pricing, but about the fact that Amazon is hurting both writers and readers (and a lot of people in between) by refusing to directly sell Macmillan’s titles right now.
Kristan´s last blog ..The wordy nerdy halfie chameleon
Kristan, thanks so much for responding to Steve.
Steve, I agree completely with what Kristan has said here; it’s not about the money so much as it is about disapproving of this tactic by Amazon (namely stripping Buy links to books as a means of “punishing” or even trying to control the publisher). It’s not fair to the publisher–who should have the right to control pricing on their intellectual properties–and it’s definitely not fair to the authors.
All that said, it looks like Amazon is putting those links back right NOW! Thanks to PW for the update:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6717892.html?desc=topstory So glad this is nearing some sort of resolution.
In no way does the price Amazon sets affect what McMillian gets or what the author gets.
There isn’t just shipping and printing invovled in making a book. But editing, covers, etc are in the print cost. As consumers see it, ebooks cost little to nothing. So, they don’t want to pay $15, or even $10 for something they can’t resell later.
Yep this is hurting author’s in the short term. But this is very important for readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents in the long term.
Everyone invovled is still trying to figure out the new technology. Look at the mp3 and record label debacle. They will never recover.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/02/what-should-e-book-cost.html
http://ireaderreview.com/2010/02/03/things-publishers-will-do-to-kill-ebooks/
http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2010/01/amazon-v-macmillan-authors-are-you.html
asrai´s last blog ..Writing Success
(This is a different Steve than the one who posted above).
I have felt for a while that Amazon is obsessed with controlling the reader’s relationship with the content in a way that was not possible in the world of print books. Notably this is seen by the “locked down” nature of the Kindle and the capability of remotely removing content from the device.
The Macmillan fiasco appears to reflect that same obsession with control, in a somewhat different form. We had words for people like this in the sixties. The mildest is “control freak”. Most of the others would not be appropriate in a blog where civility is valued.
Let’s just say I don’t think the megacorps are our friends.
-Steve