Preston: 'Amazon Said Writers Are Our Only Leverage'

Shelf Awareness

In a front-page story this morning called "Plot Thickens As 900 Writers Battle Amazon," the New York Times traveled to Maine to speak with Douglas Preston about Authors United and the open letter it's running in Sunday's Times.

Douglas Preston

Preston told the Times that Russell Grandinetti, Amazon's v-p for e-books, has called him twice recently, trying to get him to endorse Amazon's proposals that Amazon and Hachette forgo revenue but pay writers. Preston declined, but, the Times wrote, "he took the opportunity to ask Mr. Grandinetti why Amazon was squeezing the writers in the first place. His response, according to Preston: 'This was the only leverage we had.' Amazon declined to comment. 'It's like talking to a 5-year-old,' Mr. Preston said. ' "She made me hit her!" No one is making Amazon do anything.' "

Preston said that some writers support the letter but were afraid to sign it or signed and then backed out.

A Hachette author, Preston knows firsthand that writers are among the casualties of the dispute. According to the Times, about half of Preston's book sales used to come from Amazon, but since the dispute began, his paperback sales are down 61% and his e-book sales are down 62%. Before publication, White Fire, his last novel written with his writing partner, Lincoln Child, had been ordered by 25,000 Amazon customers in advance. Their most recent novel, The Lost Island, which appeared Tuesday (see more about that below), had only a few thousand preorders, dating to before Amazon cancelled that ability for Hachette books.

Noting that Amazon has called him "entitled," "an opportunist" and "rich," Preston said, "It makes me laugh. Tech company billionaires are calling a mere writer 'rich.' I think they're rattled."