[mcguire]

I don't know that the authors are a counterparty in the negotiation, any more than any other employee of Hachette (or, more reasonably, any other supplier to Hachette). If Hachette's relationship with their retailer is problematic, the authors merely need to find another buyer for their product, just like a paper mill.

[dtparr]

Is this actually possible? I would have expected the authors' contracts with Hachette to include some sort of exclusive right to publication (perhaps for a time window or some such).

Does anyone have experience with this?