Authorlink News Alerts and Podcasts: Amazon-BookSurge Controversy Heating Up

Hi Everyone,

Amazon.com's strategy to force publishers who want to sell books on the site to also print the books through its subsidiary, BookSurge, has caused a stir throughout the publishing industry, both in the US and in the UK. On Tuesday, April 1, Lighting Source, Inc--BookSurge's chief rival--issued a second statement in response to the controversy. J. Kirby Best, President and CEO of Lightning Source, said "The issue centers around Amazon.com tying the availability of your books and terms of sale at Amazon.com to the production of books at the Amazon.com subsidiary BookSurge, specifically requiring you to use BookSurge in order to sell on Amazon.

". . . we are very concerned about any conduct that would servPublish Poste to limit a publishers choice in supply chain partners and to negatively impact the cost of your products to consumers. We believe that choice and selection of best of class services are critical to the long term success of publishers and a vibrant book market.

"Lightning Source continues to provide the highest quality digital on demand print and distribution services for every one of our customers. All your [Lightning customers] titles continue to be available to all of our channel partners, including Amazon.com, with immediate availability for shipment within 24 hours," Best said.

He added that Lightning is committed to providing you with the best of class quality product and fastest distribution service in the market, and will continually work to develop new channels and new offerings. He said the company will continue to monitor the situation and let its customers know when more information becomes available.

In other important news for our writers, Roaring Brook Press is launching a new nonfiction imprint. And, as the publishing world moves closer to digital solutions, Random House has purchased more than 100 Sony e-Readers for its marketing, sales, and editorial staffs to facilitate the manuscript development and sales process. Read this week's news on our site at www.authorlink.com.

Hyperion president Robert S. (Bob) Miller is leaving the company to become head of a new "publishing studio" at HarperCollins. The new unit will publish 25 titles per year. Beginning April 14, Miller will report to HarperCollins Publisher Jane Friedman.

Meanwhile, Ellen Archer has been promoted to president of Hyperion in Miller's place, it was announced April 3 by Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney-ABC Television Group, to whom she will report. .

As president of Hyperion, Ms. Archer will be responsible for the direction, management and performance of Media’s publishing group, which specializes in fiction and non-fiction for adults. Hyperion has published more than 1,500 books since its inception, of which more than 100 have been national bestsellers.

In other personnel news, Beverly Reingold, executive editor at Farrar, Straus & Giroux, has left the company. No other information was available.