Amazon wants to do away with gatekeepers. It promises a world where books are cheap, where anyone can publish anything, where there are no editors or distributors saying this is not what is selling now, go away.

Hachette is holding fast to the traditional publishing system that underpins modern culture. It was a world where publishers bankrolled writers in return for a large cut of the proceeds, where editors improved prose and sharpened arguments, and where books were selected and presented rather than simply released. They cost more, too.

“Amazon indicates that it considers books to be like any other consumer good,” Hachette said in a statement. “They are not.”

There are many considerations here besides money, the publisher said, noting that authors are engaging “in a complex and difficult mission to communicate with readers.” It added, “In addition to royalties, they are concerned with audience, career, culture, education, art, entertainment and connection.”

The only thing the publisher and the retailer agree on is that there is no deal in sight, and 5,000 Hachette books are caught in the middle. Amazon said that if customers ordered them, it would ship them — eventually.