Amazon.com appears to have bowed to consumer pressure and speeded up delivery of JK Rowling's just-published new novel The Silkworm – one of the victims of the retailer's battle over terms with the publisher Hachette – as well as releasing it in ebook form.
On Thursday, Rowling's mystery The Silkworm – written under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith – was being offered by Amazon.com as "usually ship[ping] within 1 to 2 months", according to the book industry website Publishers Lunch, which reported that "social media and the Kindle discussion forum started filling with complaints and questions, since Amazon had previously told customers who pre-ordered Hachette Book Group titles when they were available that those orders would be honoured on publication date".
As of Friday morning, delivery times had shortened dramatically, with Amazon suggesting that the book was "in stock but may require an extra 1-2 days to process".
The Kindle edition of the novel, which was published on 19 June in the US, was also unavailable on Thursday, prompting a wave of complaints on Amazon.com. One reader wrote: "I just went to Barnes and Noble and downloaded their free nook app and bought the book from them. You have stupid corporate feuds, you lose, Amazon!", adding: "I've been a loyal Amazon customer for years, but this is ridiculous. You don't stand between a reader and her JK Rowling!" Another wrote: "Been a loyal Amazon customer since it arrived, but this is just ridiculous. Have cancelled pre-order Kindle edition of this book, and buying it from Apple instead. I hope others make the same protest." A third said: "C'mon, Amazon. Settle your differences! Very anxious to read the sequel to The Cuckoo's Calling. Rowling is a terrific writer."
A few hours ago, Amazon.com started selling the Kindle version of The Silkworm, with the novel going on to soar up the online retailer's chart.
Other titles published by Hachette in the US which have been affected by the negotiations were also shipping in between two and five weeks on Friday morning, including JD Salinger's Nine Stories, James Patterson's latest Alex Cross thriller and Stephen Colbert's America Again. Hachette has said that Amazon.com was delaying delivery on more than 5,000 of its books. "Things are definitely not back to normal for our titles on Amazon," it said on Friday.
Hachette's US website directed readers towards a host of sites – not including Amazon.com – to buy The Silkworm. Booksellers including Barnes & Noble and independent retailers have been looking to profit from Amazon's delay on the title, with B&N offering the book for $16.80 (£10) – less than Amazon.com's $25.20 – and Rowling herself tweeting earlier this month "Booksellers were the secret of Harry's success, now #CormoranStrike is going to owe them big time, too. #buyfrombookstores".
Apple has also promoted and discounted a wealth of Hachette titles in the wake of the row.
The feud is believed to boil down to terms. Philip Jones, editor of the Bookseller, pointed earlier this week to a presentation from Hachette Livre chief executive Arnaud Nourry, in which - when asked about Amazon - he said that it was "easier when you want to dramatically change terms in the business, to start with one, rather than five".
"No one on the outside knows the details of these discussions, but some things have crystallised," wrote Jones. "The clear consensus both in the US and UK is that Amazon wants to shift its agency commission from 30% to 50%. On a $12 ebook this would have the impact of reducing the publisher's revenue from each sale by $2.40, from $8.40 to $6, or by 30%."
Speaking to the Guardian Jones said that the drastic change in delivery on Rowling's novel was likely to be "Amazon trying to be responsive to customer pressure on some titles".
"Any sensible consumer knows that one to two months is not an accurate reflection of what's going on, so that has to be in some way damaging to Amazon's reputation," he said. "It has tried to say it's not worried, but even so, having these delays either shows customers that it is not running a good retail operation, or that it's happy to disadvantage its customers."
Jones added that, despite the visible changes, he would be "wary in thinking this dispute was over".
"What's on the table is too fundamental," he said. "Even if they have concluded negotiations with Hachette, a) we are not going to know the details, because there is no Department of Justice in the background publishing the materials, and b) every other publisher in America is facing similar negotiations. So even if this is resolved, Amazon's over-arching land grab into publishing is going to continue."
Reviewing the continuing delays, Hachette told the Guardian: "We don't know why this is the case, you would have to ask Amazon." Amazon.com has not so far responded to a request for comment.
