The fallout over Andrew Wylie’s entry into the e-book business with the help of an exclusive deal with Amazon continues, with publishers and independent booksellers expressing their displeasure – and in one Big Six house’s instance, some forceful action. In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Random House has indicated that The Wylie Agency’s decision to sell e-books exclusively to Amazon through its new Odyssey Books company “undermines [Random House’s] longstanding commitments to and investments in our authors, and it establishes this Agency as our direct competitor.” As a result, “Random House on a worldwide basis will not be entering into […]
eNews
Briefs: Quick Ruling Possible in Burkle/B&N Trial; Figuring Out E-Book Bestseller Lists; and More
After final arguments in the trial stemming from Ron Burkle’s complaint about B&N’s poison pill measures, a Delaware court judge said B&N “may have responded in a reasonable manner last year”, and that he would try to issue a ruling quickly. He didn’t say how soon that would be and acknowledged his ruling may be appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court.AP The New York Times Book Review is now available as a standalone subscription for the Kindle. In related news, TIME’s Andrea Sachs wonders when e-books will be incorporated into the NYT and other bestseller lists, the way it now […]
Macmillan CEO Is “Appalled” by Wylie Publishing Deal with Amazon
In a blog post on Macmillan’s website, CEO John Sargent has issued his response to Andrew Wylie’s move to distribute select backlist titles exclusively via Amazon. First, Sargent “welcomes” Wylie to the fold as a publisher, joking that he’ll be knocking on the agent’s door to ask for AAP dues: “In today’s world job functions, channels of distribution, and age-old relationships are constantly shifting. Combining the functions of agent and publisher raises serious issues that I feel strongly about, but if Andrew wants to attempt to disintermediate publishers, that is his right.” But Sargent is “appalled” that Wylie has chosen […]
Wylie Agency Launches eBook Company, Gives Amazon Exclusive on First Titles
Andrew Wylie has made good on threats to create his own company to distribute ebooks by making deals directly with etailers rather than traditional publishers, announcing the launch of Odyssey Editions. In the first announcement, Odyssey will issue ebook versions of select titles from some of the key authors and literary estates The Wylie Agency represents, including John Updike, Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis and Hunter Thompson–and has given Amazon a two-year exclusive. The 20 titles announced so far including the Rabbit tetralogy from John Updike, MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN and LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov. Many of these titles are appearing in digital […]
1 million E-Books for the Millenium Trilogy, Hyperion Cancels Book by Elizabeth Gilbert’s Ex-Husband; and More Briefs
Knopf announced that Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy has sold more than 1 million e-book copies, according to the AP. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, in particular, is doing extremely well, selling more than 500,000 copies in all digital formats as well as being the all-time top selling Kindle book (Kathryn Stockett’s THE HELP is at #2.) “We are witnessing record-breaking sales for THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO in trade and mass market paperback as well as in audio, so it is not surprising that this trend is being mirrored with e-books,” Knopf spokesman Paul Bogaards told the AP […]
eNews: Another Monster Quarter from Apple; More Companies Want in on Tablets; and More
Apple posted more big gains in its third quarter report, with revenue jumping 61% to $15.7 billion. The numbers surpassed Wall Street expectations and shrugging off recent questions about antenna problems related to the iPhone 4, released just three days before the end of Q3. IPhone sales totaled 8.4 million units during the quarter, while Apple also sold 3.27 million iPads, in line with analyst predictions. For the fourth quarter, Apple said it expects revenue of $18 billion and earnings of $3.44 per share.Release In other tablet device news, Lenovo says its Android-based LePad tablet will be released by the […]