Traditional Publishers Finally Standing Up to Amazon

Published on February 3, 2010

This may be old news to you now but, just in case you missed it, Amazon had a showdown with Macmillan (one of the “Big 6” traditional publishers) over the weekend…and Macmillan appears to have won. Other large publishers are expected to follow suit.
Basically, Macmillan wants the right to set their own retail prices for ebooks, and to set their own sales terms to bookstores. In my opinion, this is how it should be. The publisher should be able to dictate the terms of sales of their books to bookstores. Bookstores, of course, can negotiate their own purchase terms with a publisher but no bookstore should be able to dictate how, or at what price, a publisher sells their books elsewhere.
You can read my comments on this situation in detail under Morris Rosenthal’s article HERE.
PublishersWeekly.com is posting frequent updates to this situation.
And, finally, don’t miss this article in Fast Company:
Amazon Revealed: It Hates You, and It Hates Publishers
UPDATE: Harper Collins is also now demanding better terms from Amazon. Click HERE to read comments by News Corp Chief Rupert Murdoch.

Writer Does the Right Thing; Stops Work on Unpaid Project

Published on February 3, 2010

Angela,
I’d like to thank you for being a good person and reasonable businesswoman. Even when I don’t have time to read your newsletter, just seeing it in my mailbox makes me feel better by reminding me that there are nice people in the world.
I’m writing the content of a website for a guy who has told me twice now that the check is in the mail. Can you believe he was surprised when I told him I was suspending work on his project until I received my check? In what Universe would a writer continue to send him material?
Thank you for letting me share.
M.

What Publishers Want By Ronica Stromberg

Published on February 3, 2010

As a beginning writer, I wondered, “What do publishers want?” I lacked funds to attend conferences to ask editors in person, but I found answers in the publishers’ books.

1 2 3