Relief at conclusion of Amazon/HBG battle | The Bookseller

The two companies made their disagreement public in May, when HBG accused Amazon of delaying deliveries of its books on purpose. Since then, thousands of HBG titles have been subject to delayed shipping and readers have been unable to pre-order books. HBG accused Amazon of seeking profit and bigger market share, while Amazon said its aim was to provide customers with e-books at lower prices. Authors were pulled into the six-month long dispute, with prominent writers including James Patterson, John Green and Gladwell condemning Amazon. Preston set up Authors United to petition Amazon to end the dispute, while Amazon set up its own campaign, titled Readers United. A number of prominent indie authors, including Hugh Howey and Barry Eisler, also stepped up to support Amazon, with their own public-facing campaign.