RED INK

Famous Authors Blast Amazon

More than 300 sign letter.

More than 300 authors have signed a letter calling on Amazon to “resolve its dispute with Hachette without hurting authors and without blocking or otherwise delaying the sale of books to its customers.” Included in that list are names like Douglas Preston, David Baldacci, James Patterson, Stephen King, and Nora Roberts. It also includes David Maraniss, an associate editor of The Washington Post, which is also owned by Jeff Bezos. The online superstore has come under fire for tactics like delaying delivery of Hachette books. The letter was organized by Preston, who objects to the company’s “scorched-earth tactics.” “I’m not against Amazon. It’s a wonderful company that sells books,” he said, “I don’t think Amazon knows what it’s doing, the kind of human wreckage they’re causing.”