Amazon Accused Of Meddling With Hachette Sales

Hachette has accused Amazon of delaying shipments "for reasons of their own", with the Internet retailer delaying the shipment of certain books by a number of weeks. The books span the gamut from new to old, and encompass a variety of different authors.

Amazon is keeping its stock of some Hachette books low, and is going about restocking slowly, according to a spokesperson for the publishing company. Such practices are delaying the books' various availabilities, leaving customers waiting as long as five weeks in some cases.

The reasons for this aren't immediately apparent, though seem to concern a business matter that Amazon is doubling-down on. Some of the books being delayed include Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson, as well as works from J. D. Salinger, Stephen Colbert, and others.

Said Hachette spokeswoman Sophie Cottrell to The New York Times, "We have been asked legitimate questions about why many of our books are at present marked out of stock with relatively long estimated shipping times on the Amazon website, in contrast to immediate availability on other websites and in stores. We are satisfying all Amazon's orders promptly."

SOURCE: NYTimes