Over the past month, the online retailer Amazon has engaged in a public dispute with the publishing company Hachette, which owns the Little Brown imprint, among others. In an attempt to negotiate a bigger share of e-book royalties, Amazon has instituted shipping delays of three to five weeks for the books of many Hachette authors, including J. K. Rowling, James Patterson, and me. Amazon is famously closemouthed, and no Amazon executive has been willing to appear publicly to defend the company’s position. Until now, that is. A few days ago, in an arrangement brokered by Dick Cavett, David Hill, the newly appointed director of “fulfillment” for Amazon, agreed to participate in a face-to-face meeting with me, at the company’s Manhattan warehouse. The best word I can use to describe what you are about to see is “unbelievable.”
An “Unbelievable” Encounter with Amazon
