Responding to Andrew Wylie’s exclusive eBook deal with Amazon, Penguin Group CEO John Makinson offered a calming point to all the outrage.
At Publishers Weekly, the CEO noted that the backlist titles involved compose “a very small percentage” of the company’s total revenue. “I don’t think it’s a cosmic issue. We will continue to talk to the Wylie Agency and we will continue to talk to our authors about what is best for them,” concluded Makinson.
Last week Wylie unveiled the Odyssey Editions eBooks imprint, releasing 20 eBook versions of beloved literary titles including, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich. Macmillan CEO John Sargent said he was “appalled” by the Wylie/Amazon deal and Random House has stopped dealing with the agency.
Despite his calming words, Makinson added that he is unhappy with the Wylie/Amazon deal and agreed with Sargent’s sentiment that books should be made available through a wide variety of channels.
