ONE of Britain’s leading publishing figures has attacked Amazon, accusing the online giant of “driving publishers to the wall”.
Toby Mundy, former chief executive of Atlantic Books, whose authors include the Man Booker prize winner Aravind Adiga and the late Christopher Hitchens, said Amazon’s insistence on taking up to half of publishers’ profits was changing the industry beyond recognition.
Mundy, who left Atlantic in the summer to set up a literary agency, has become the first British publisher to break ranks by saying that Amazon’s grip on the market and its aggressive discounting practices have led some in the industry to believe the retailing giant is “actively pursuing the destruction” of publishers.
“Amazon can demand 30%-50% of their profit and no publisher can live with that very easily. It is driving consolidation between the biggest publishers and some houses may well be driven to the wall,” he said.
“We’re not talking about selling beans but something that’s imperative to our culture of knowledge and reading. We are on the verge of quite radical changes just so some people in Seattle can make even more money.”
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Amazon sometimes backdates its contracts with publishers so, for example, a 12-month deal agreed in July could be backdated to January.
“The clear indication is: ‘We will be back for more soon’,” said one industry insider. “So it’s pointless striking a hard bargain.”
Mundy’s comments come as a battle rages between Amazon and the publisher Hachette over ebook pricing. More than 900 authors, including Donna Tartt and Lee Child, have said their books have been “taken hostage” by Amazon’s practices.
“Some will say Amazon is actively pursuing the destruction of some of their suppliers. It wasn’t long ago when they seemed like plucky disrupters of the existing order but they are the establishment now,” Mundy said.
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“Amazon is also taking control of stock by printing on demand. They will tell publishers that this is a good thing because their books will never go out of stock, but the publisher has lost control . . . of what the book looks and feels like.”
A spokesman for Amazon said the retailer did not force publishers into the Print On Demand service.
A spokesman for Amazon said: “Amazon has long made it possible for more publishers of all sizes to make more titles available to readers than anyone else. Independent publishers can struggle for distribution in other channels and we are proud of the way we’ve helped them reach a wider audience.”