Two weeks after an online book price war broke out among giant retailers, the three stores involved—Walmart, Amazon and Target—are limiting the number of copies their customers can buy.
The limits will stop other booksellers from scooping up cheap copies in large quantities and reselling them.
Full story in the Wall Street Journal
it’s a disgrace
that these retailers treat books like any other commodity. I’d say more, but I’m sure someone will come back with ‘why not’…
Stephen King on the delay of his e-book and the $9 price wars
Stephen King on the delay of his e-book and the $9 price wars – can bookstores survive?
In the latest skirmish in the e-book war, Scribner announced this week that it will delay the e-book release of EW columnist and perennial best-seller Stephen King’s new novel, Under the Dome, until Dec. 24. That’s almost six weeks after the hardcover edition goes on sale November 10. “We think that this publishing sequence gives us the opportunity to maximize hardcover sales and at the same time allows people who receive a reading device or gift certificates as a holiday gift to enjoy the digital edition,” says Adam Rothberg, a spokesman for Scribner (an imprint of Viacom’s Simon & Schuster). In an exclusive comment to EW, the author himself was more blunt: “It’s time to give the smaller bookstores a little breathing room (although not much chance of that, with Walmart offering Dome for nine bucks.)” He’s referring to the fact that Walmart (as well as Amazon and Target) this week began offering his book, along with nine hot titles, for as little as $8.98. The retail price of King’s book is $35, which means these retailers are taking a loss on each book.
Full article with comments from King
NYTimes Publishes Non-Story on Walmazon Pre-release Price Wars
NYTimes Publishes Non-Story on Walmazon Pre-release Price Wars: Will Journalism be Fundamentally Damaged?
This blog post makes some interesting points.
Mmm, I can’t see that blog
Mmm, I can’t see that blog as my works filter says it comes under the heading of ‘Ocult’!