Authors United, a group of over 1000 authors, is going over the head of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and contacting the board members of the company, warning of the reputational risks of continuing its sanctions against Hachette, according to the New York Times.  Authors United previously ran an ad in the national edition of the Sunday New York Times, also organized by Hachette author Douglas Preston, in which it urged readers to send e-mails to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (see "Amazon Attacks Hachette, Takes on Disney"). 

The authors want Amazon to resume selling Hachette titles, including Yen Press manga titles, in the normal way, rather than delaying shipments, refusing to take pre-orders, selling at higher prices, and recommending alternatives from other publishers.  Amazon is using those tactics to pressure Hachette to give it better prices on e-books, among other concessions. 

The new letter to Amazon’s board argues that Amazon’s reputation is being damaged by the company’s tactics.  "Since its founding, Amazon has been a highly regarded and progressive brand," the letter says.  "But if this is how Amazon continues to treat the literary community, how long will the company's fine reputation last?  We appeal to you, with hope and goodwill, to exercise your governance and put an end to the sanctioning of books, which are the very foundation of our culture and democracy."

Many of the authors are not Hachette authors, but are concerned about Amazon’s tactics and the possible effect on their own publishers.  They argue that without author pressure, Amazon would also be cutting its sales of books from Simon and Schuster, with which it is engaged in similar negotations (see "Amazon, Hachette Fight Over Prices").  Amazon is also engaged in a dispute with Disney over video pricing.