Authors weigh in
Amazon and Hachette have been quarreling for a while already, as Amazon wants bigger margins on the publisher’s books. Hachette refused, which prompted Amazon to lengthen delivery times and raise the prices, basically bringing book sales to a halt. A number of books are not even for sale anymore.
Nearly a thousand authors, united under “Authors United”, have now joined forces in an attempt to halt Amazon’s actions. They have launched a website and taken a full-page ad in The New York Times to talk about the situation. They clearly state they do not want to take sides in the price fight, but ask both parties not to damage them in the fight. Plenty of the authors in Authors United are not part of Hachette.
Movie issues as well
Amazon seems to be heading in the same direction with Disney. Pre-orders for certain Disney dvd’s and Blu-rays have been halted, even though you can still order them through Amazon Instant Video.
Several Warner Home Video movies also suddenly disappeared from Amazon earlier this summer. Amazon has not revealed why the movies disappeared, but apparently, it is also applying pressure here to get better margins.
