Colbert Flips Off Amazon

Comedian makes Hachette beef personal
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2014 11:57 AM CDT

Amazon has been going to some extraordinary lengths lately to strong-arm publisher Hachette Book Group, and in the process it's made a powerful enemy: Stephen Colbert. Hachette and Amazon have been feuding over e-book pricing, and Amazon has responded by delaying shipments of Hachette's books and making them harder to search for and order—it's even removed the pre-order button for JK Rowling's upcoming The Silkworm, the Los Angeles Times explains. Another author getting that treatment is Stephen Colbert, the comedian revealed last night. "And as any longtime viewer of this show knows … that's me," he quipped.

Colbert said he was "not just mad" but "mad Prime" over the flap. He then said he had a package for Amazon—and proceeded to shove his arms through a cardboard box and flip the bookseller off, twice. ("Customers who enjoyed this also bought this," he quipped while raising Finger No. 2.) After that he brought on fellow Hachette writer Sherman Alexie, who explained that it was first-time authors who would be hurt most by these tactics, prompting Colbert to announce that he was selling California by Edan Lepucki—a debut novel Alexie recommended—on his website, and offering a download for "I Didn't Buy It on Amazon" stickers. (More The Colbert Report stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X