PORTLAND — Powell’s Books is already a staple on Portland to-do lists, with tourists and locals alike getting lost in its vast warehouse of books, often billed as the nation’s largest. And now, the bookstore is in the national spotlight after a starring turn as an Amazon.com alternative on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” Wednesday.
Because of a recent dispute between the Seattle-based online retailer and publishing company Hachette, host Stephen Colbert (whose books are published by Hachette) called on his audience to take their business to Powell’s Books instead.
The New York Times Bits Blog reports that in an effort to get more money from publishers, Seattle-based Amazon is playing hardball with publishers that have pushed back, including Hachette. The company has seen its titles get delayed by weeks at a time on the Amazon website, and Amazon has set much higher prices for Hachette titles.
“We are determined to protect the value of our authors’ books and our own work in editing, distributing and marketing them,” said Sophie Cottrell, a Hachette senior vice president. “We hope this difficult situation will not last a long time, but we are sparing no effort and exploring all options.”
Amazon and Hachette are also negotiating over e-book prices, but it’s been reported that Hachette isn’t happy with the terms. In the meantime, independent bookstores nationwide have come forward to say they will sell Hachette books without the delays and price hikes. And Amazon’s recent changes in business have attracted more criticism than support.
On last night’s show, Colbert discussed the issue with Pacific Northwest-based author Sherman Alexie, as they’re both published by Hachette.
With some sass and dry humor, the two determined that online shoppers should boycott Amazon and instead go to Portland’s Powell’s website to purchase books.
Alexie isn’t alone in publicly shaming Amazon for pulling pre-order options, which can hit first-time novelists especially hard.
To help out one newbie author, Alexie recommended California by Edan Lepucki, which is currently the No.1 selling book on Powell’s website. Colbert promoted both on his website plus downloadable stickers that say “I didn’t buy it on Amazon.”
“We’re going to prove that I can sell more books than Amazon,” Colbert said.
Although Powell’s is a staple in Portland today, the new and used bookstore brand actually started in Chicago in 1970. According to the Powell’s website, the original storefront was opened by college student Michael Powell. Michael’s father Walter joined him for a summer and brought the idea of Powell’s Books back to his home in Portland, opening the flagship Burnside store.
Editor’s note: Powell’s Books owner Emily Powell is a member of OPB’s board of directors. Powell’s is also a sponsor of OPB.
