HarperCollins Offers Authors More Cash on Books Sold Directly to Consumers

The fight between book publishers and Amazon over e-book pricing has often seemed almost laughably one-sided: With its dominant position in the market, the giant e-tailer can starve a publisher that won't accept its terms-Hachette Book Group, for instance-by delaying shipment of its print titles or discounting rival titles. The months-long battle has encouraged publishers to come up with ways to sell books without Amazon. In July, HarperCollins launched a redesign of its website that allowed it to sell print and audio titles and e-books directly to consumers.