In China, a Major Battle Between Publishers and Big Tech

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In an industry first, dozens of publishing houses have announced they will boycott e-commerce platform JD.com’s “618” shopping festival. A major power struggle has erupted in China’s book market this week, with dozens of publishers announcing a boycott of e-commerce platform JD.com’s upcoming “618” shopping festival over the tech company’s aggressive pricing policies. China’s big tech companies have long held enormous leverage over the publishing industry, as e-commerce accounts for an estimated 88% of book sales in the country. This has enabled platforms like JD.com to force publishers to offer heavy discounts on their titles in order to take part in major online shopping events. But many publishers appear to have drawn the line ahead of “618” — China’s second-largest shopping festival of the year, which takes place on June 18 — as they argue that JD.com’s latest sales strategy will make it impossible for them to make money. In recent days, two major publ ………………………………