Amazon puts pressure on publisher with sales stop

More money from e-books

Hachette Books is an important publisher on Amazon, with books from J.K. Rowling and Michael Connelly, to name a few. The e-tailer has decided to (temporarily) cease the sale of this particular publisher, after a quarrel about the percentage it should get on the e-books. Amazon wants a bigger cut, but Hachette refuses to budge at the moment.

Right now, it is impossible to pre-order Hachette’s books and already published books have received extensively longer delivery times, which is usually the case for products that are temporarily unavailable.

Authors are furious

“We are doing everything in our power to find a solution to this difficult situation, one that best serves our authors and their work, and that preserves our ability to survive and thrive as a strong and author-centric publishing company“, spokeswoman Sophie Cottrell said.

Several authors have opposed Amazon’s decision and wonder how this approach benefits Amazon’s customers while also expressing their discontent about the fact that their work is no longer available. The Authors Guild, the American association for authors, backs them up and states that Amazon is abusing its position to break the law.

Independent book sellers have taken advantage of the situation to discount Hachette’s books to lure customers into their stores.

Amazon is in a similar struggle with Bonnier in Germany, as that publisher’s books are also scarcely available on Amazon. The internet giant controls some 60 % of the e-book market, but its results have been disappointing.