Amazon Breaks Silence on Hachette Dispute

By Dianna Dilworth 

amazon304Amazon has finally come out and commented on its ongoing dispute with Hachette on a Kindle forum page.

In the post, the retailer admits that they are buying less print inventory of Hachette titles and are no longer taking preorders on Hachette books that are not out yet because of changes related to their contract and terms with the publisher. The retailer said that it would order Hachette titles based on consumer orders rather than warehousing these titles. Here is more from the post:

Negotiating with suppliers for equitable terms and making stocking and assortment decisions based on those terms is one of a bookseller’s, or any retailer’s, most important jobs. Suppliers get to decide the terms under which they are willing to sell to a retailer. It’s reciprocally the right of a retailer to determine whether the terms on offer are acceptable and to stock items accordingly. A retailer can feature a supplier’s items in its advertising and promotional circulars, “stack it high” in the front of the store, keep small quantities on hand in the back aisle, or not carry the item at all, and bookstores and other retailers do these every day. When we negotiate with suppliers, we are doing so on behalf of customers. Negotiating for acceptable terms is an essential business practice that is critical to keeping service and value high for customers in the medium and long term.