Amazon vs. Hachette – Indie authors and lovers of Indie Lit. – take a stand against big publishing, sign the petition.

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Some have called for a boycott of Amazon. Read the article excerpt below.

 

“Self-published authors responded to Preston’s open letter on Thursday with their own petition, which now boasts over 3,000 signatures.

Launched by Howey – author of the hit dystopian novel Wool – and others including the bestselling thriller writers JA Konrath and Barry Eisler – the letter urges readers not to boycott Amazon, arguing that the online giant has liberated authors and readers alike from the clutches of “New York Publishing”.

“Major publishers like Hachette have a long history of treating authors and readers poorly,” the petition states. “Amazon, on the other hand, has built its reputation on valuing authors and readers dearly. The two companies didn’t simultaneously change directions overnight.”

“Amazon has done more to liberate readers and writers than any other entity since Johannes Gutenberg refined the movable type printing press”, the petition continues, adding that “Amazon is growing overall readership while liberating the voices of countless writers, adding to the diversity of literature”.

“A large percentage of the ebooks sold on Amazon are from independent authors. You have validated our decision to write and to publish. Don’t let the wealthiest of writers convince you to turn away,” the authors write.”

Please take a moment to read and sign the petition.

Indie Hero thanks you…

https://www.change.org/petitions/hachette-stop-fighting-low-prices-and-fair-wages

29 thoughts on “Amazon vs. Hachette – Indie authors and lovers of Indie Lit. – take a stand against big publishing, sign the petition.”

  8. I don’t get why who to support in this fight is even a question. Choosing whether to stand with Amazon, who has opened publishing to the masses; or Hachette, who represents the old big publishers, who kept locks on the gates of publishing and only let a few trickle through. Pardon me, but I hate people like Hachette. I spent literally decades having given up on something that is now attainable for me, thanks to Amazon.

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  10. I’m going to be signing, for me Amazon (exactly as the article explains) have liberated indie authors, allowing us opportunities that would never have arrived otherwise. I welcome the ability to be the master of my own destiny without having an omnipotent gatekeeper holding all the keys.

    Playing devil’s advocate though – the sheer proliferation of indie books on the amazon store means that there will inevitably be a lot of work that is just sub standard compared to well written, professionally edited and and put together pieces (both traditional and indie). The challenge is how to make our works stand out from the rest of the pack and get those downloads/sales? I’m absorbing as much of the social media/self marketing ethos as possible, but it’s a relatively alien world to me that I’m figuring out as I go.

    I know we’re all in the same fraternity, but isn’t that why we self publish in the first place, to get our works in the hands of as many people as possible?

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  15. Thanks hadn’t heard (must be living in a writing bubble!) I signed too though of course everyone tends to have and angle in business – Amazon too.

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  17. Pingback: Hachette vs. Amazon: The Petitioning | tracycembor

  18. Pingback: A clash of titans or something like that! (#SFWApro) | Fraser Sherman's Blog

  20. I actually stand against against Amazon on this one. And I’m an indie author. Companies should have the right to price things as they choose. The consumer can they choose if that’s the product they want to buy for that price. If they don’t like the price, they can buy something else (like maybe our books? hehehe) but Amazon is effectively making it so people CAN’T buy Hachette books through them even if they are FINE with paying the higher price tag. This is where they lose me. It’s like we can’t see the forest for the trees anymore. This is about us (authors). It’s about readers. Let them access ALL THE BOOKS. Let them decide what they want to pay. Trust me, if readers didn’t pay what Hachette was listing for on Amazon, Hachette would lower their prices on their own. What Amazon has done here is sneaky and deceitful, if you thought it through. They are effectively trying to create a monopoly by killing other companies revenues and putting them out of business (by either forcing them to lower prices or not allowing them to sell at the biggest online retailer known to mankind). Amazon is strong-arming Hachette, and IMO, that’s not okay. We can’t be so bitter toward “the big guys” that we promote this kind of bullying behavior, especially when the people being hurt the worst by it our readers, who we should care about more than we care about “revenge on the big guys for locking us out”. You may not like how Hachette operates, “locking writing out,” but what Amazon is doing here is shady. I’ll take being disappointed in a big publisher over watching a big company bully and strong-arm another company at the expense of the group of people I value the most–Readers.

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  21. Thanks for providing a perspective that I had not heard or considered before. I’m normally such a critical consumer of media, I can’t believe that this “other side” of the story never occurred to me! Well presented food for thought.

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  24. I like this. As a newcomer to the blogging and writing “scene” this tells me about some stuff I wasn’t aware of. Plus I have a few new things to add to my reading list. (Like Wool, always been a fan of dystopian stories.)

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  26. OH, WOW, Brian, I just realized you were my 500th follower (real wp follower, although some count fb, et al, too 😉 ) Usually I celebrate by asking the perpetrator of the milestone to guest post. I’m sure there’s no chance you’d be interested, but are you? You many delete this comment, if you desire; I surely would. But do reply on my contact page. I’ll give you tons of fanfare with my loyals here at wp, and at Stephanie Crumpton’s ArkansasWomenBloggers, Jim Bessey’s SoWrite.Us, and, always, fb, not to mention g, p, in, and all those…
    Whadaya think? You’d get famous in the fly-over zone! 🙂

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  27. Hmm. Yes, I’m mostly about home schooling.
    Boom, I know.
    However, I’d love to learn, and I know my followers would love to learn, how best to prepare a child to be a great writer. You see, we home schoolers can do whatever we want to, so, when the child is in the 4th grade and writes his first story, what are the small things we can do, that make the big difference? And how do we push, or pull, or turn loose that muse? And in the case of teens, what skillsets are most important for a future in writing? (Besides spelling and grammar, etc., of course.)
    Would that be something you could make happen? In 500 to 700 words?
    And feel free, please, to use my contact page to communicate more privately, if you desire. I promise I’ll only communicate; I won’t start sending you stuff.

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  28. I’m sorry i did not sign the petition. For now, i’m in a neutral ground. I haven’t published any book yet, but I am aware that amazon liberated a lot of authors who can’t make it to the screening process of traditional publishing. If the big publishing has monopolized the publishing industry before, well, i guess amazon is doing the same thing right now. That’s how i see it. Every thing has its own time and place. Big publishing companies had their time to shine. I guess, it’s amazon’s turn. But that does not mean that traditional publishing should be erradicated completely. In the right time, the publishing world will have its equilibrium. For now, it will be the battle ground of who will survive.

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