Dive Brief:
-
A group of writers published by Hachette Book Group has written to Amazon’s board of directors, warning them that the retail giant’s reputation — and their own — is suffering due to its hard-ball tactics against the publisher.
-
The letter to the board reportedly says, “Efforts to impede or block the sale of books have a long and ugly history. Would you, personally, want to be associated with this? We feel strongly that such actions have no place in a common commercial dispute. Amazon has other negotiating tools at its disposal; it does not need to inflict harm on the very authors who helped it become one of the largest retailers in the world.”
-
The group, Authors United, includes some writers published by Hachette as well as others from other publishers who support them.
Dive Insight:
This appeal from several writers is yet another new tactic in this ongoing dispute. Amazon is refusing to sell Hachette titles as long as its contract over e-book pricing remains unresolved. The practice of withholding goods is certainly a strange one — Amazon has gone so far as to tell its customers to find unavailable titles from its competitors.
But this new salvo is innovative, too. In the letter to Amazon’s board, which will reportedly be sent this week, Authors United says the progressive bent of CEO Jeff Bezos and of many on the board doesn’t jive with the very idea of withholding books from the public.
"We are certain that you, as an Amazon board member, prize books and freedom of expression as much as we do,” the letter reads. “Since its founding, Amazon has been a highly regarded and progressive brand. But if this is how Amazon continues to treat the literary community, how long will the company's fine reputation last? We appeal to you, with hope and goodwill, to exercise your governance and put an end to the sanctioning of books, which are the very foundation of our culture and democracy.”