Amazon strikes deal with Simon and Schuster

It just makes Hachette appear even more incompetent and petulant.

I wish I understood the ramifications of this better. Personally, I'm relieved, but I just wish I felt more confident about my understanding of the issues.

girlyswot said:

It just makes Hachette appear even more incompetent and petulant.

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It does seem to take the wind out of their sails a bit.

Or perhaps S&S was dealing from a position of a little more power, or Amazon didn't want/need yet another drawn-out publicity fiasco, or Amazon did this partly as a strategy for dealing with Hatchette, or ... Not saying I understand all of this publisher/retailer negotiation stuff, but from a purely generalized business sense, deals between customers and suppliers are very individualized, and typically not as black and white as they appear on the surface.

girlyswot said:

It just makes Hachette appear even more incompetent and petulant.

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Just curious. Why does it make Hachette more incompetent and petulant? I assume you're privy to the terms that both S&S and Hachette are dealing with Amazon to make that assertion.

Debeucci said:

Just curious. Why does it make Hachette more incompetent and petulant? I assume you're privy to the terms that both S&S and Hachette are dealing with Amazon to make that assertion.

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I think it's like the 'why can't you be more like your sister' stigma.

Hachette and Amazon are at loggerheads over contract terms and they've had a huge slugfest.

Now along comes S&S and they reach an agreement with no muss, no fuss.

The contract terms may be completely different but considering no one is privy to those terms, all we can do is look from the outside.

Big Publisher Hachette and Amazon in a slap fight; can't agree on anything.

Big Publisher S&S and Amazon sit down; hammer out equitable terms.

So it would be natural to draw parallels that Hachette is the one with the problem now. Not correct, maybe even not logical, but it is natural just looking at the surface.

bearilou said:

Big Publisher S&S and Amazon sit down; hammer out what appears to be equitable terms.

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Fixed it for you.

gothicangel said:

Fixed it for you.

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True.

aruna said:

WHo is it in the movie industry who said "nobody knows anything"? That is why I continue to withhold judgment on this issue. *But I am so happy for S&S authors that this has gone through so quickly and smoothly. Ms Perks, I'm looking at you!

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I'm telling you, after having the whole Barnes & Noble/Simon & Schuster thing roll over my first book, I can tell you that I was none too happy that S&S's contract with Amazon was expiring less than a month before my second book.

So, yeah, I'm very relieved, but I do feel this constant, vague bewilderment about the nut n' bolts of the issues.