They say that 40 is the new 30. Along these lines, I have been wondering recently if Amazon is becoming the new Wal-Mart.
The extent to which Wal-Mart bullies its suppliers has been well-documented. (I'll stay away from Wal-Mart employees here. I just don't want to go there in this post.) To its credit, the company has been aware of its image problem and has recently taken steps to address it.
Now, it looks like another massive company is exhibiting some of Wal-Mart's, er, "less than desirable" tendencies. In Amazon Threatens Publishers as Apple Looms, Motoko Rich and Brad Stone write about how Amazon continues to play hardball with publishers. I can tell you from personal experience that I am very confused about how Amazon operates with authors and publishers.
It'll only take a moment.
