The Bookseller.com

2nd December 2008

Anger mounts over Obama book release

19.08.08

Anger is mounting in the US over the publication of Obama's Challenge by Robert Kuttner, following publisher Chelsea Green's decision to make it available early exclusively through Amazon.com.

According to the New York Times, Barnes & Noble has substantially reduced its 10,000-copy order of the title. The chain will make the book available on BN.com, but it will not stock it in its stores.

Mary Ellen Keating, a spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble, said in a statement that the initial order “was based on the book being available to all booksellers simultaneously — an even playing field — which is common practice in book publishing.”

Chelsea Green decided to sell the title through Amazon’s print-on-demand service so that it could be available to attendees of the Democratic National Convention in Denver next week.

But the decision angered other retailers, including Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores, many of whom vowed to boycott Chelsea Green Publishing in response.

According to Publishers Weekly, Borders is not changing its initial order. Spokesperson Anne Roman said: “We are keeping with our original buy and marketing plans for this title. It is an important book that will be sought after by our customers as the election heats up in October and we want to meet their needs.”

New York Times

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