Publishers Weekly is reporting that Amazon and Penguin have not reached agreement on the terms of sale and so new Penguin ebooks will not be available at the Kindle store. Ebooks released before April 1 will continue to be available. Print books are not affected.
Peguin’s CEO has sent a letter to authors and agents saying: “Our conversations with Amazon are ongoing and we do hope to continue our long-time relationship with them,” Shanks said. Shanks noted that new Penguin e-books “are available through Barnes and Noble.com, Sony, Kobo, eBooks.com, reader applications on the iPhone and soon on the iBookstore for the iPad. Additionally, we’re working with our digital delivery partners (Ingram, Overdrive, and Baker & Taylor) to make your eBooks even more widely available.”
Amazon has already reached deals with HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette.
Update: Publishers Lunch is reporting that Amazon has posted the following: “Hachette has disallowed the sale of ebooks except on agency terms effective as of 12:01 am this morning. We came to terms late last night but we cannot be operationally ready to sell their ebooks on agency terms until two days from now — April 3 — when we will also cut over for the other publishers that are switching to agency. If we can get a two day extension from Hachette to continue selling their ebooks under the prior terms, we can have the Hachette ebooks promptly back for sale today. If not, then they will be back on April 3.”
Think that means we can expect the books from these publishers back on Fictionwise and Books On Board on April 3 as well?