Amazon and Hachette Resolve Dispute

[tagboy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/te...1&pgtype=Blogs


or


http://tinyurl.com/oc9yolv

[Phogg]

S&S made Hatchette blink.

[DrNefario]

Now we just need to argue for ages over who won, and why that's good. Even if they never divulge any of the details.

[RDaneel54]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Now we just need to argue for ages over who won, and why that's good. Even if they never divulge any of the details.

Can't we all just get along. Since Amazon and Hachette resolved their contract negotiation, maybe the eternal epub and mobi squabble could move towards peace.

Nah!

[DiapDealer]

Clearly I won. I always win. It's a rule of mine.

[Barcey]

I recall Hachette saying that they wouldn't discuss author compensation until there was a deal. I guess they're ready to discuss it now.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Barcey

I recall Hachette saying that they wouldn't discuss author compensation until there was a deal. I guess they're ready to discuss it now.

And the answer will be:
"After careful consideration we will happily pass on 12-17% of whatever Amazon chips in. The authors signed the contract, didn't they?"

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by RDaneel54

Can't we all just get along. Since Amazon and Hachette resolved their contract negotiation, maybe the eternal epub and mobi squabble could move towards peace.

Nah!

No, that one will never end as long as the last pure epub holdout hunkers in the bunker, sending regular manifestos via Tor encryption, decrying mobi and the mutants.

But at least the astroturf war ended just in time for the next phase of Bezos' master plan.
He just declared war on Oracle. The drones are flying even as we snooze...

http://www.zdnet.com/amazon-vs-oracl...tag=TRE17cfd61

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Now we just need to argue for ages over who won, and why that's good. Even if they never divulge any of the details.

Amazon & Mobi, of course.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Shane R

Amazon & Mobi, of course.

Bezos is the devil even Constantine won't mess with.

But Walmart is game.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/bus...prices-n247846

The fallout will be impressive.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Bezos is the devil even Constantine won't mess with.

But Walmart is game.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/bus...prices-n247846

The fallout will be impressive.

I don't pay taxes when I order from Amazon. Walmart can't match that, especially on electronics and other more expensive items.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Shane R

I don't pay taxes when I order from Amazon. Walmart can't match that, especially on electronics and other more expensive items.

Oh, I doubt Amazon will see many defections: that is what prime is for.
But the other B&Ms caught in the crossfire are going to hurt. I'm thinking of the bestseller price war of 2009 in particular.

[fjtorres]

Okay, the WSJ has some credible details:

http://online.wsj.com/news/article_e...NTEwMzAxMTMwWj

Under the new e-book agreement, which will take effect in early 2015, Hachette will set the prices of its consumer titles. The companies said Hachette will get better terms when it “delivers lower prices for readers.”

In other words, Hachette gets a higher cut when the price is lower and less when they reduce volume by going higher. Kinda like KDP Indies.

Should be tolerable for readers.

Amusingly...

The standoff became a proxy for a bigger existential battle between the publishing establishment and Amazon over the future of the book business. For many publishers and authors, the fight illustrated how much power and authority Amazon has amassed in recent years, in part because of the retailer’s reliable shopping experience but also because Amazon kick-started the digital books market when it launched its Kindle e-reader in November 2007.

A June 2014 online survey by researcher Codex Group LLC found that Amazon had 40% of the new book market, accounted for 62% of all print books sold online, and controlled 64% of the e-book market.

Some of Hachette’s most prominent authors attempted to cast Amazon as a villain in the contract dispute, saying their sales had been hurt. The Authors Guild, a leading advocacy group, met with Justice Department officials in August seeking an investigation into Amazon’s business practices. Authors United, a group of about 1,500 authors led by Hachette writer Douglas Preston, took out an advertisement in the New York Times.

Almost realistic, which suggests News Corp won't be vilifying Amazon when their turn comes up next summer. Reasonable, considering Hachette's foot dragging and astroturfing only got them the same kind of deal as S&S got by negotiating in good faith.

So with literature saved and the world made safe for Preston and Patterson pre-orders we can get back to the routine "Amazon is evil" manifestos.

Just in time to save Hachette's fourth quarter financials, too.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/topst...ush/ar-AA7kTco

Things were getting so bad they had to move to cubicles, like mere mortals:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/bu...hing.html?_r=0

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Oh, I doubt Amazon will see many defections: that is what prime is for.

Besides, who has better customer service?

[taustin]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Bezos is the devil even Constantine won't mess with.

But Walmart is game.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/bus...prices-n247846

The fallout will be impressive.

Given that Amazon uses flexible pricing, this could well be hilarious.

"Amazon has this for $3.99."

(Employee checks.) "I show it for $4.99"

"I have a print-out right here! It says $3.99!"

"Well, I have Amazon on my screen right here, and it says $4.99!"

Of course, if Amazon detects a Walmart IP address, it could go from $4.99 to $.01, just for Walmart to match.