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As Matt Yglesias reported last week, Amazon is fighting with French publishing company Hachette. As more details about the feud surface, well-known authors such as J.K. Rowling, who has a contract with Hachette, and John Green have made some public comments appearing to side against Amazon. Now, Stephen Colbert, who also has published with Hachette, has joined them.
Last night, Colbert took a few minutes to address the controversy, saying he was "mad Prime" at Amazon for playing "hard cover."
As Colbert explained, Amazon appears to have been raising the prices of and deliberately delaying shipments of Hachette books as part of a fight over the terms of Hachette's Amazon contract — tactics that have some worried about Amazon possibly damaging the literary marketplace in the long run.
After bringing his viewers up to speed, Colbert pulled out a package he said he had prepared for Amazon and its chief Jeff Bezos (who, with a little Comedy Central magic, was Voldemortified). Colbert unwrapped the package and took out the bubble wrap to reveal one middle finger, then the other.
Can't wait to hear the Justin Timberlake version of "Colbert's Finger in a Box!" In the meantime, you can enjoy the full clip from The Colbert Report above.
