Famous Author Refuses to Sell Novel on Amazon: 'I Don't Like Bullies'

Author Dave Eggers is taking a stand against Amazon by refusing to sell his latest novel via the tech conglomerate.

The reason for his boycott is simple — to support the plight of bookstores that are struggling against the power of online giants.

"I don’t like bullies," Eggers told The New York Times in reference to Amazon.

Eggers has just released the hardcover version of his new novel, "The Every," which is a dystopian follow-up to his 2013 novel, "The Circle," both of which take a satirical look at Silicon Valley and the tech world.

Rather than sell his novel on Amazon, Eggers is instead making "The Every" available at independent bookstores and online through his publishing company, McSweeney’s, according to The Hill. To further incentivize people to support their local bookstores, "The Every" will feature 32 different covers that will be randomly distributed to these shops.

"Amazon has been kicking sand in the face of independent bookstores for decades now," Eggers said. This is what motivated him to refrain from selling his novel through Amazon.

"One of the themes of the book is the power of monopolies to dictate our choices," Eggers added, "so it seemed a good opportunity to push back a bit against the monopoly, Amazon, that currently rules the book world."

The maverick author’s decision was met with gratitude from bookstores across the U.S.

"It’s made us feel like the author and the publishing industry really care about the smaller stores," Laura Scott Schaefer, owner of Scattered Books in Chappaqua, New York, told The Guardian. "It’s been hard to compete with the bigger retailers. Any small advantage we can get in any kind of space is great."

Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books in Miami and creator of the Miami book fair international, said he believes that Eggers is recognizing "the important role independent booksellers play in the ecology of our literary culture."

Commenting on the broader topic of what would happen if independent bookshops disappeared, Kaplan added, "You’d be losing a diversity of voices when you lose a diversity of sellers. The people who sell literature in a community help people to discover voices that might not otherwise be introduced."

The paperback and ebook versions of "The Every" will be released next month and will eventually be sold on Amazon, but the exclusive hardcover covers will not be available through the platform.