Quote:
Originally Posted by jgaiser
Shrug... I think Amazon has gone above and beyond with Hachette. I *personally* think they should flip them the bird and move on.
|
As far as paper books are concerned, Amazon can obtain them from the same wholesalers that neighborhood bookstores use, and at the same discounts from the cover price. That's the worse case scenario for Amazon, and I don't see how accepting it would be going above and beyond anything.
As for eBooks, it seems, given that Amazon continues to sell Hachette eBooks without a contract, that no contract is needed. I don't know exactly how this works. Do wholesalers also sell eBook rights, without need for a publisher contract?
If Amazon wants to discard its roots as a reseller of book publisher products, I don't see this as a long-term loss to literature. It would, however, reduce Amazon access to a high-income demographic, so I doubt they'll do it.
I am currently reading a page-turning book which provides historical perspective to the thread:
http://books.google.com/books?id=Zph...venson&f=false
The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America
A&P, in its heyday as the world's largest retailer, was analogous to Amazon in terms of squeezing smaller suppliers and neighborhood stores. Some of what is described in the book appears comparable to the current impass between Amazon and Hachette.