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Amazon Suppresses Yen Press Titles in Dispute with Hachette
posted on by Karen Ressler
Online retailer Amazon is currently using several methods to suppress the sales of books by major publisher Hachette Book Group as part of the two companies' ongoing dispute, which went public on Friday. Several titles from Hachette's manga imprint, Yen Press, have been affected.
A spokeswoman for Hachette told the New York Times that, even though Hachette has been keeping Amazon supplied with books, "for reasons of their own" Amazon has been warning customers of a long delay in shipment, from several weeks to several months. In addition, most titles are listed with smaller discounts or without any discounts at all, and Amazon display messages offer alternative titles from rival publishing groups. Some of the suppression tactics have been going on for months.
The dispute arose from failed contract negotiations. Publishers Weekly reports that the e-book prices and terms, in particular, are a sticking point between the two companies.
Amazon has had disputes with major publishers before: in 2010 it removed the "buy" button from books published by Macmillan and in 2011 it removed 4,000 e-books distributed by IPG from its site.
Source: ICv2
