Established authors in the United States and the UK write to Amazon, complaining about their commercial practices in a dispute with Hachette. Authors in Germany write in similar terms about Amazon’s negotiation with Bonniers. In the other direction, an open letter from a number of American authors urges support for Amazon. In France, the same row transmutes into a law protecting independent booksellers. It’s all about patronage.
The authors’ complaint
The most telling complaint of the authors about Amazon is that the global bookseller is ‘refusing to discount the prices of many of Hachette’s books’. Here are independent creative artists complaining that a retailer is refusing to sell their books at knock-down prices. What do these authors believe is the ‘right’ price for their books, then? And why do they not write to their publishers complaining that list prices are too high?
The German language authors write in similar terms, but their main complaint is not the discounting issue, since this does not apply in Germany, but Amazon’s alleged manipulation of the recommendation lists. Who do these authors believe should be recommended then? Their own books, obviously, and they are upset if they do not see their own works in the recommended lists.
The French booksellers’ complaint
In France, the anxiety is about the disappearance of independent bookshops, and more particularly the ancient battle against large American corporate activity and its perceived influence on French culture. Bookshops are disappearing all over the world, in the same way that small grocers, bakers, fishmongers and butchers do, because of changes in family life, distribution chains, habits of buying and price. Who will preserve the booksellers, if not themselves?
The ebook pricing complaint
One of the headline rows is about ebook pricing. Amazon wants to cap ebook prices at $9.99, the publishers want to be the arbiter of price and list ebooks at prices that they choose. There is endless discussion about the ‘right’ price for ebooks and much nonsense talked about the costs associated with ebooks in relation to the costs of printed books. An article in The Guardian even quoted random unit manufacturing costs for a hardback and a paperback. Who knows what the ‘right’ price for an ebook and a printed book is? Only the market.
The established authors want to be protected from competition, and to be specially promoted. The French bookshops, as elsewhere, want to be protected from the changing behaviour of their customers, who know they can get any book through an online retailer, but not in a small bookshop. The ebook publishers want to be protected from the possibility that their guess at the ‘right’ price might be wrong.
Both sides are right
The two positions that understand the matter best are that of Michael Pietsch, CEO of Hachette, when he says that ‘This dispute started because Amazon is seeking a lot more profit and even more market share, at the expense of authors, bricks and mortar bookstores, and ourselves’ and Sue-Ellen Welfonder who wrote, in defence of Amazon, ‘In traditional publishing, a few will always thrive, but a large number of writers, those on the dread midlist, have to learn how to paddle hard to stay afloat. Indie publishing (and Amazon) offers new writers never-before opportunities and gives midlisters a wonderful chance to re-invent themselves, making it possible to have the kind of control and power over our work that was unthinkable just a short while ago.’ They are both right, but Pietsch should not expect anything else when dealing with a retailer, any retailer. Welfonder clearly understands the market and works hard to make herself heard.
Protection is patronage
Protection is patronage, whether it be state subsidy, corporate donation or fixed price retailing. Writers, as any other artists, offer their work to the audience, the readers, the viewers, the market. If there are enough people prepared to pay them for their labour, they will make a living. If not, they will do something else, or seek a patron. In England, we have the Arts Council, which has budgeted £1 billion of UK taxpayers’ money for the arts over 2015-2018. This is marvellous, but it’s not a right, it’s patronage. It’s a bonus, not a pension. Amazon has created a position for itself in retailing through top-quality service and fierce price-cutting. People who sell to Amazon have a choice – deal or no deal. But Amazon is not a patron of the creative arts and authors should not expect the company to be nice to their publishers.