During Saturday’s lunch for James Patterson at SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance), Hachette Book Group USA CEO Michael Pietsch and the bestselling author spoke to a packed room of booksellers at the Sheraton Hotel in Norfolk, Va. While Pietsch declined to discuss Hachette's ongoing negotiations with Amazon, he told the indie booksellers that "your support means a lot. Our sales of print books are up over 2013." In limiting his remarks about dispute with Amazon, Pietsch explained that giving more details might be construed as signals to competitors, and, as a measure of respect, he wants to keep the negotiation as private as possible. While the publisher's current terms dispute with Amazon has generated a significant amount of press over the past few month, both sides have largely kept silent in recent weeks.
In continuing his remarks, Pietsch said, “Thank you for your support during this time. In difficult times you find out who your friends are. Independent booksellers are our true friends and we will never forget.” He continued: “We work at the intersection between writer and reader. Thank you for your kindness, for the communities you build and your time.”
When it was Patterson's turn to take the podium, he quipped, “Hi, I’m Stephen King,” before he chanted, “Go Amazon, Go Amazon. And I mean, Go!” Amid the laughter and applause from attending booksellers he added, “Michael can’t do stuff like that.” Patterson spoke to the booksellers about his passion for getting books into the hands of children. “I’d like to turn everyone here into even more of a reader missionary for kids,” he said, advocating how booksellers can make the change by continuing to put books into the hands of kids, and if they like it, to replace it with another. “Reading is a joyful thing. My theory: don’t ever tell a kid a book is too hard or too easy.”
After his talk, and a subsequent standing ovation, Patterson opened the floor to questions. He touched on what he’s currently reading (In The Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides), along with what it’s like to play in the author-poker games on Castle, and that he’s almost never been in a bookstore he didn’t like.
When it came to the Amazon-Hachette negotiations, Patterson responded to a question on what he was “heartened” by. “I guess what heartens me is that it’s forcing change, and change is necessary. Readers and kids are changing, and what they want is changing. Surviving independent bookstores are better than they ever were before.” Patterson continued, “I think it’s important that there’s respect for all the potential customers out there.”
Speaking to the turbulence in the publishing industry, specifically that caused by Amazon, Patterson said, “Why can’t we have more American companies who are also ethical about how they do [business]?” He implied that if he were Jeff Bezos, he would be the champion of independent bookstores. “To me, one of the smartest things they could do is say ‘we’re going to help make books and reading even better than it’s been around the country’.”
