MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
February 4 – February 11, 2010 Edition
Authors Guild Backs Macmillan in Amazon Fray
NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/02/03/10–The Authors Guild, advocacy group for writers, is lending its support to Macmillan Publishers in its fight with Amazon over e-book business models.
On its web site, Authors Guild, the group calls the battle “a necessary one for the industry, ” and says the stakes are high, particularly for Macmillan authors.
Amazon.com further angered customers and authors by removing most Macmillan titles from both its Kindle and printed editions in protest for Macmillan’s demand for higher prices on e-books
“Thousands of authors and titles are affected; hardest and most unfairly hit are authors with new books published by Macmillan that are in their prime sales period.
“Yet if Macmillan prevails, the eventual payoff for its authors (and all authors, if a successful result ripples through the industry) is likely to be significant and lasting,” the Guild said.
The Guild called Macmillan’s move bold and well-timed, because the longer Macmillan had waited the more difficult the price transition would be in an exploding e-book marketplace. The organization also said Amazon’s practice of removing the “buy buttons” from publishers titles is a harsh tactic.
Amazon controls an estimated 75% of online trade book print sales in the U.S., according to the Guild. Read the organization ‘s full take.
