Has anybody told the readers about this? You know, the customers? What if they were brand-savvy enough to know what they’re missing when a contract dispute stalls out the shipping of their favorite author? What if we tell them?
If readers were aware of who published what and, in the current example, became incensed that their favorite authors’ books from Hachette were being held back from them in the publisher’s dispute with Amazon, they (those readers) might make a concerted complaint to Amazon. Last year, if S&S readers had banded together in their thousands to stare down Barnes & Noble, then that situation might not have played out so slowly.
But readers who don’t see David Streitfeld’s Writers Feel an Amazon-Hachette Spatin the New York Times may not know why Malcolm Gladwell’s print books are listing as taking two to three weeks to ship. You’ll meet few avid book fans who can tell you that S&S authors’ work was suppressed in the earlier scenario or that Hachette authors are being impacted by the current round.
As publishers struggle to meet readers, they’re learning the readers don’t know them, either.
By Porter Anderson | @Porter_Anderson
Issues on the Ether: Bigfooting the Publishers: We’ve Seen It Before
Read the full post at: PublishingPerspectives.com
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