I’m feeling vituperative.
During recent weeks, there has been a discussion – oh, okay, let’s call it a battle, for the public’s opinion on the business discussion between Amazon and Hachette. For a long time, I’ve stayed out of it because I thought that things would level out and the discussion would remain civil. Boy was I ever wrong.
Essentially, the debate is, as I understand it, whether or not Amazon has a “right” to set it’s prices low. Can you believe it? After so many years of offering good services, at good, fairly low prices, and delivering for a good rate, Amazon is fighting with Hachette because Hachette wants to price its ebooks as high as possible to maximize profit. Amazon wants to keep prices low, to satisfy customers.
Amazon, if you don’t already know, allows indie writers to set their own prices (with a few guidelines), which has allowed so many writers, so many many many writers, to write and publish what they please and to gain readership. These are books, mind you, that previously wouldn’t have seen the light of day. So many indie writers have talked about being turned away at the gates of The Big Five (the five big publishing houses). After they got turned away at the gates, they found other venues, places such as Amazon, Kobo, Nook Press (B&N), Smashwords, CreateSpace, Ingram Spark – where you can write what you want, publish what you want, and sink or swim on your own terms. Each of these venues (and there are many others) allow you to control ALL aspects of the publishing process. There are no gatekeepers. There is only the indie writer and the computer in front of them. (Keep in mind that Amazon is completely fine with you publishing with them AND with anyone else you please.)
I’m going to link to a lot of very good blog posts about this issue (see below) – written by those who’ve been on top of this story longer than I have, and who have experience in the industry, and who know the history of the industry and the players in it. Suffice it to say, Hachette is a multi-BILLION dollar multi-national company with a worldwide presence, and they are freaking out that books on Amazon are priced under their books and, possibly, are OUTSELLING them. Why are they freaking? Because there’s value in being able to make your own choices about what you want to read, and Amazon is giving that away for free.
Today, a petition was started up on Change.org, which is an explanation of what’s going on and an apology for any writers (those who have signed up with Hachette, mainly) that have gotten caught in the crossfire. When you sign the petition, you support not only indie writers (many of whom are now, as never before, making a living writing books that lots of people enjoy), but you also support FREEDOM of CHOICE, which is what, it seems to me, that Hachette and other publishers and conglomerates and other big money grabbing corporations, are trying to take away from us. Freedom of Choice – An individual’s opportunity and autonomy to perform an action selected from at least two available options, unconstrained by external parties. Let freedom ring! (And let the Truth ring too, too, because so much spin has been put on this story that it’s ridiculous.)
Here is the petition; I hope you’ll sign.
https://www.change.org/petitions/authors-to-thank-our-readers-2
This is the reason I gave on the petition as to why it’s important to me:
Firstly, I’m a reader, and enjoy the variety that indie readers bring. Second, I’m a writer, and enjoy being able to write what I want to write and publish what I want to publish. I appreciate Amazon, and Kobo, and B&N Online, and Smashwords, and all those other venues that allow me to publish my work wherever, and whenever I want. I appreciate not being controlled by some publisher in New York (or wherever) who thinks that they know what I like and what I “should” be reading. With rec lists abounding, and reader reviews, my “publisher” is the reading public. All cream rises to the top, so I don’t really need some guy in New York somewhere telling me what I should like! The publishing world is opening up, and that’s a good thing. For readers, for writers, and for the freedom of choice that this country so long has espoused. Freedom of Choice – that’s what Amazon (and others like Amazon) have given us.
For your reading pleasure, I have the following list of blog posts about the issue:
Authors Behaving Badly and Authors Who Aren’t
Amazon Finally Defends Itself Against Accusations That It’s A Bully Pushing Around Hachette
If You Love Books Then You Should Be Rooting For Amazon, Not Hachette Or The Big Five
David Gaughran on Amazaon/Hachette
Fake Best Sellers, Concern Trolls, And Hidden Agendas
Writer’s Digest Dumps Author Solutions
Who’s Afraid Of Very Cheap Books
Addendum: I’ll add more links to more blog posts as I see them.
Yes, yes, yes, and furthermore, yes. (And I love “vituperative”- what a great word!)
Yes, it is a great word, isn’t it? It just came to me and then I had to double check before I used it, but then I used it with impunity!
Thank you for the lovely shout out on your blog; since I started writing, I don’t think I’ve ever been linked to like that. Your book looks terrific as well. : D
The anti-Amazon uproar is mind-boggling. Don’t stores always get to decide what to charge for the products they offer? Although as in indie author, I don’t mind if Hatchette charges $14.39 for an ebook. They’ll drive the smart people into my pages.
I do find it bizarre that there are writers — ordinary, non-bestselling ones — complaining bitterly that they can not pre-order the next blockbuster at a discount. Does that seem weird to anyone else? They can’t pre-order my books at a discount. And I am unable to pre-order other objects of desire at a discount or otherwise anywhere else. How did this become a rallying point?
Thanks for a great post. I also love the word vituperative. It makes me think of foxes for some reason.
I agree; the story is so one sided, biased towards tiny, pathetic Hachette, who has no might and no muscle in the industry. Ha! I so enjoyed being able to use “multi-national” in a sentence, which is what Hachette is; certainly no weakling in the give and take between them and Amazon. I figure my post might help right the balance of information. And yeah, sure, pay me more for my books no problem. But don’t whine if I want to price it lower so more readers can read what they want. It’s called freedom of choice! Oh my goodness, what a timely battle, just around the 4th of July.
They can preorder books anywhere, or order them when they’re available, just not on Amazon at the moment – don’t they get that?
You’re more than welcome, the post was fun to write, and it’s nice getting feedback like this. : D
Awesome post.
Hey, thanks!