Hillel Italie at The Telegraph explains, "Amazon has slowed delivery on books by Preston and other Hachette authors, limited discounts and removed pre-order tags for upcoming releases."
Italie's article focuses on author Douglas Preston, author of "The Codex."
In a telephone interview Thursday, Preston said he was receiving so many emails of support that he felt like "a data entry clerk." Known for such thrillers as "Blasphemy" and "The Codex," Preston said he admired Amazon and appreciated how many of his books have sold through the online retailer. But he objected to Amazon's "scorched earth tactics."
"A lot of pain is being inflicted on innocent third parties," he said, referring to authors whose books have been affected.
Preston's next book, "The Lost Island," is a collaboration with Lincoln Child that comes out in August. Only the audio edition can be pre-ordered.
This is something I've been keeping tabs on for a while now. I've got to say my greatest concern is whether or not these monopoly tactics are going to impact the future of books in a negative way. Once anyone tries to monopolize the flow of information through books, such as Jeff Bezos is doing, then one individual has control of how and even what is disseminated.
ReplyDeleteOnce that happens, we're no longer dealing with a democracy of the written word, whether print of digital.
I'll also confess, I've wondered whether or not this has effected you negatively, Reverend.
ChrisC