As Amazon continues to try and secure a better e-book deal with Hachette, author Douglas Preston and 900 others have taken out a full-page ad in the New York Times this Sunday to loudly push back.
Preston and the other writers are demanding Amazon "in the strongest possible terms to stop harming the livelihood of the authors on whom it has built its business," The Guardian reports.
Some of the writers who signed a letter, which will appear as the ad, include bestseller Stephen King, Greg Bear, Jonathan Ames, Barbara Kingsolver and Donna Tartt.
"As writers - most of us not published by Hachette - we feel strongly that no bookseller should block the sale of books or otherwise prevent or discourage customers from ordering or receiving the books they want," the letter reads. "It is not right for Amazon to single out a group of authors, who are not involved in the dispute, for selective retaliation."
Some of the moves Amazon has made include delaying delivery of books published through Hachette or making it impossible to pre-order. Amazon claims Hachette needs to "lower e-book prices," while Hachette claims it would be suicidal.
According to The New York Times, the full-page ad will cost $104,000, with several of the most successful authors involved in the campaign paying up.
Back when the Authors United campaign started in early July, Preston said that the goal wasn't to call for a boycott of Amazon, but rather seek to find a "friendly" end to the dispute.
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