Intelligence Squared Debates Amazon's Impact on Readers, Authors, and the Book Industry

In light of Amazon’s growing dominance in the book market and its recent and very public negotiations with Big 5 publisher Hachette, Intelligence Squared -- a global forum for debate -- hosted a live event on Thursday, January 15, 2015, asking four panelists to support or reject the statement, “Amazon Is the Reader’s Friend.” Panelists delved into questions around whether Amazon is serving readers better with its low prices and quick delivery or if publishers still have something to offer readers that Amazon cannot. The pro-Amazon panelists included Joe Konrath, an author and self-publisher, and Matthew Yglesias, executive editor at Vox. Panelists Franklin Foer, former editor of The New Republic, and Scott Turow, an attorney and author, represented the anti-Amazon view. At the end of the event attendees and viewers of the live stream were asked to vote on the winner of the debate. You can view those results here and watch the entire debate below.