Stephen Colbert has a new way to 'really show Amazon'
When Colbert asked viewers to pre-order Hachette author Edan Lepucki's upcoming novel 'California,' the book shot to the top of independent bookstore Powell's sales list. Now Colbert asks fans to help him get the book on The New York Times bestseller list.
When Colbert asked viewers to pre-order Hachette author Edan Lepucki's upcoming novel 'California,' the book shot to the top of independent bookstore Powell's sales list. Now Colbert asks fans to help him get the book on The New York Times bestseller list.
Stephen Colbert is stepping up his fight against Amazon.聽
The 鈥淐olbert Report鈥� host publishes his books through Hachette, which was reportedly involved in negotiations with Amazon when Amazon first increased shipping times for some Hachette titles and then took 鈥渂uy book鈥� buttons off upcoming Hachette titles altogether. For example, the novel 鈥淭he Silkworm鈥� by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling鈥檚 pen name) was made unavailable for pre-order, with customers鈥� only option being to sign up for an e-mail alert when they could get it. Now that 鈥淪ilkworm鈥� has been released, it鈥檚 listed as 鈥淐urrently Unavailable.鈥�
Hachette spokesperson Sophie Cottrell said the longer shipping terms weren鈥檛 caused by problems on their end and that Amazon is taking longer to deliver some Hachette items 鈥渇or reasons of their own,鈥� while Amazon, in a later statement, said that the company 鈥渆ncourage[s] you to purchase a new or used version [of an unavailable Hachette title] from one of our third-party sellers or from one of our competitors.鈥�
On a recent episode of Colbert鈥檚 show, he brought up the dispute. Colbert鈥檚 newest book, 鈥淎merica Again,鈥� is currently listed as taking between three to five weeks to reach customers.聽
When he first brought it up, Colbert informed Amazon that he had 鈥渁 little package鈥� for them from himself and other authors like Rowling and showed his middle fingers to the camera. The host then spoke with 鈥淭he Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian鈥� writer Sherman Alexie, who also publishes through Hachette. Alexie noted that the Amazon-Hachette dispute makes it particularly hard for first-time writers to get the word out about their books. To help a debut novelist, he suggested that customers seek out the novel 鈥淐alifornia鈥� by Edan Lepucki. Colbert asked viewers to go to the author's website and pre-order Lepucki鈥檚 novel, which will be released on July 8, to purchase it there via a link from Oregon bookstore Powell鈥檚 Books.
鈥淐alifornia鈥� quickly became the bestselling title on the Powell鈥檚 website, and now Colbert is giving his fans another goal: get 鈥淐alifornia鈥� on The New York Times bestseller list, saying that doing so will 鈥渞eally show Amazon.鈥�
The host said viewers could buy the novel through his website or could go to an independent bookstore like Nashville store Parnassus Books (owned by novelist Ann Patchett), Washington D.C.鈥檚 Politics and Prose, or Rainy Day Books of Kansas.聽
鈥淥r go to your local bookstore, walk up to the counter, and just click on the clerk,鈥� Colbert suggested.