AppNewser Appdata FishbowlNY FishbowlLA FishbowlDC TVNewser TVSpy LostRemote more UnBeige AgencySpy PRNewser 10,000 Words MediaJobsDaily SocialTimes AllFacebook AllTwitter semanticweb.com

Penguin CEO Calms Outrage Over Amazon & Wylie Deal

logo-red-115.pngResponding 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.

SPONSORED POST

Thursday May 23: Real Talk about Life after Publication

These days, writers aren’t just writers: They’re social-media mavens, seasoned public speakers, and one-person publicity machines. And they still have to find time to write their books! Find out what life is like once you've landed that dream book contract in a free web chat with young-adult authors Elizabeth Norris (Unraveling and Unbreakable) and Brodi Ashton (Everneath and Everbound) — plus special guest Kristin Rens, editor at HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray. Thursday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. ET. on Figment.com.