Will the big “A” remove Twilight buy buttons?

It’s not difficult to imagine Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos fluttering his fingertips together and ordering Smithers to remove the buy buttons on book pages that don’t please him. Amazon has yet to allow customers to purchase Macmillan titles due to a dispute over e-book pricing, despite the fact that it announced last Friday it will “capitulate”.

Last night Hachette CEO David Young announced its support of Macmillan, following a similar move from HarperCollins on Wednesday.

From a letter sent out by Young to agents (via MobyLives):

At Hachette Book Group, we have been considering a new pricing model for 
some time, and have decided to transition to selling our e-books through an 
agency model. There are many advantages to the agency model, for our authors, retailers,
 consumers, and publishers. It allows Hachette to make pricing decisions that
 are rational and reflect the value of our authors’ works.

In the long run
 this will enable Hachette to continue to invest in and nurture authors’
 careers – from major blockbusters to new voices. Without this investment in 
our authors, the diversity of books available to consumers will contract, as
 will the diversity of retailers, and our literary culture will suffer.

With three out of six of the big U.S. publishers supporting the Apple-approved agency sales model, Amazon isn’t likely to continue stealth removal tactics, especially with a Twilight-powered company like Hachette. How long can Bezos hold out before making a public statement?

Perhaps Jobs and Bezos are actually sitting in a room together, planning this all out and cackling before they release the hounds.

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