Booksellers from around the country delivered a standing ovation for a publisher battling against a major online retailer. During a opening remarks at the Fifth Annual America Booksellers Association’s Winter Institute Program, a comment about Macmillan’s stand against Amazon (AMZN) book prices elicited a standing ovation.
GalleyCat couldn’t attend the event in California, but Word Bookstore manager Stephanie Anderson captured the moment in this tweet: “Mention of Macmillan in opening remarks just got a standing ovation.” The ovation traveled around the Internet at the speed of Twitter as more readers, writers, and booksellers celebrated the gesture.
UPDATE 4:10 pm EST: Despite a promise to “capitulate” to Macmillan’s request for higher eBook prices, many books by the publisher are still not available for direct sale on Amazon. Read more about the developing story here. You can test the availability by following links to John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War or William Poundstone’s Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value.
