After disclosures over the weekend that the hurdles in the Amazon-Hachette dispute center on charges for such things as pre-order buttons, personalized recommendations and the cost of having a person at Amazon dedicated to Hachette, the Bookseller reported that some U.K. publishers "have raised concerns" about an array of demands Amazon is making in contract negotiations, including new arrangements involving print on demand.
Besides wanting better discounts, the Amazon U.K. contracts include a provision that if a book is out of stock, "Amazon would be entitled to supply its own copies to customers via its print-on-demand facilities... with extra terms benefits." Publishers worry that the clause would "allow Amazon to effectively take over their stock-control."
Among other Amazon demands, according to the Bookseller: adjustments to give e-book and physical book terms parity--and closer to print books' terms; better terms for academic titles, which often have short discounts; a ceiling on the digital list price of e-books "in preparation for 2015 when the retailer will have to begin imposing the standard 20% rate of VAT on digital titles"; and a return of "most favored nation" clauses that would mean the publisher couldn't sell books for a lower price than Amazon does, even on its own website.
In related news, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon and Time Warner Video are close to an agreement on terms and that Amazon is again allowing pre-orders of upcoming Time Warner DVD and Blu-Ray releases. In recent weeks, as in the case of Hachette, Amazon had stopped allowing preorders.
The Journal noted: "Amazon had been seeking more favorable financial terms from Warner, according to a person familiar with the matter, though the exact details were unknown. Tough negotiations between Amazon and Hollywood studios have occurred several times in the past, but Amazon never before took the step of blocking preorders, people involved in such talks said."
