More on Reaction to Wylie's Backlist Move

Literary agent Andrew Wylie made news last week when it was announced that the Wylie Agency had created a publishing subsidiary, Odyssey Editions, which has released e-book versions of 20 backlist books by several of Wylie's clients. (See related story.)

The books, including Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, and Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint, will be available in digital form exclusively on Amazon's Kindle platform for two years. The books were not previously available electronically.

Much of the reaction to Wylie's move, from both within and outside of the publishing industry, addressed the disadvantage that independent bookstores and other retailers now face.

“It's not just the exclusivity part that bothers me,” wrote Emily Russo Murtaugh on the Odyssey Bookshop's blog. “What really gets my blood boiling here is that by Wylie choosing Amazon exclusively, he is excluding so many other readers.”

Macmillan CEO John Sargent, who published his first blog post since February's agency pricing dispute, wrote that he was “appalled” that Odyssey Editions was selling its e-books through a single retailer. “I understand why Amazon wants an exclusive deal with Andrew. They have asked us too for exclusive product, as has every major retailer we deal with. This is smart retailing, and a great deal for Amazon. But it is an extraordinarily bad deal for writers, illustrators, publishers, other booksellers, and for anyone who believes that books should be as widely available as possible. This deal advantages Amazon, which already has the dominant share in this market. Independent booksellers across the country are making plans to launch their e-bookstores this fall. Now they will not have these books available and Amazon will. These are the very folks who helped make many of these books bestsellers in the first place.”

In a comment on Sargent's post, Square Books owner Richard Howorth asked, “Can you imagine what people would say if bookstores were to remove Wylie’s authors’ books from their shelves?” Square Books staff used that question as the inspiration for a window display called “Wylie World.” A sign above the display of Odyssey Editions titles declares “These books not for sale.” Square Books emphasizes that it is not refusing to sell these books. Rather it is encouraging customers who see the display "to think about the ramifications of this effort to vertically integrate the book industry and limit or exclude access to information and free expression."

Brandon Stout, a bookseller at Changing Hands, shared his concern about the possibility of a race to sign up exclusive e-books. “Let's say Amazon, free to load its app on any number of devices, snaps up exclusive after exclusive. The Nook team works to compete. Then it's on, and I don't anticipate a happy ending for indies or for readers. At least not where e-books are concerned,” he told eBookNewser.

Random House spokesperson Stuart Applebaum also acknowledged the impact on other retailers: “We have received communications from upset retailers large and small, who have worked mightily over the years to sell the print editions of the Random House authors affected by the Wylie announcement. They are feeling demotivated to continue to sell these authors with the same vigor if they are being denied the opportunity to sell their e-books. That's bad for our authors, their agent, and their publisher,” as reported by Publishers Weekly.