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Hachette turns to Twitter to sell books

Hachette is selling three of its titles, including Amanda Palmer's new book 'The Art of Asking,' using buy buttons on Twitter.

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Eric Thayer/Reuters
The Twitter logo is pictured.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

Publisher Hachette wonders if you might be inspired to buy a book while browsing through Twitter.

Earlier this year, Twitter added a “buy” button option. Now, according to Businessweek, Hachette is using it to promote three of their titles: “You Are Here” by astronaut Chris Hadfield, the book “The Onion Magazine” from writers from The Onion, and Amanda Palmer’s new title “The Art of Asking.” If you buy one of these books through Twitter, you get an extra item – for example, a copy of Palmer’s book would come with a manuscript page that she signed. There will only be a certain amount of these titles sold on Twitter.

As pointed out by The New York Times, these writers (or group of writers, in the case of The Onion) all have large followings on Twitter. Hadfield, for example, is currently followed by 1.2 million Twitter users.

Hachette is working with the company Gumroad to make the promotion happen.

According to the NYT, the titles are being sold at list price.

A Hachette spokesperson said the publisher plans to sell more books through Twitter.

Hachette was involved in a months-long battle with Amazon over pricing during which Amazon delayed shipment of Hachette titles. It seems likely that the publisher is looking for a way to reach consumers more directly.

Palmer too has expressed enthusiasm for finding another path for sales. addressed this

"I’m not a fan of the idea that Amazon has a stranglehold on any one industry," she said in an interview with Businessweek.. "Giving people an alternative to Amazon is rewarding."

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