iPad Helping Book Publishers Gain More Control Over eBook Pricing
Macmillan's negotiations with Amazon were spurred by its deal with Apple for the iPad involving a similar arrangement. While Amazon at the time claimed that it felt that other publishers would not follow in Macmillan's footsteps, other book publishers do in fact appear to be falling into line.
During an earnings conference call this week, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that his HarperCollins book publishing unit has been unhappy with Amazon's control over eBook pricing and noted that HarperCollins and Amazon were about to begin discussions about moving to a similar model allowing for more flexible pricing.
And just yesterday, Media Bistro reported that Hachette CEO David Young has announced a similar plan for his company, marking the third of the five book publishing partners announced by Apple for the iPad to extend the agency model beyond the Apple deal. Young writes:
"There are many advantages to the agency model, for our authors, retailers, consumers, and publishers. It allows Hachette to make pricing decisions that are rational and reflect the value of our authors' works. In the long run this will enable Hachette to continue to invest in and nurture authors' careers--from major blockbusters to new voices. Without this investment in our authors, the diversity of books available to consumers will contract, as will the diversity of retailers, and our literary culture will suffer."
The increased prices will reportedly actually result in lower income for book publishers, serving instead to prevent Amazon from selling eBooks at a loss in order to draw in Kindle customers. In the view of publishers, the move will help maintain consistent eBook pricing and improve the long-term viability of the industry, while also allowing publishers the flexibility and control over their releases to offer eBook releases on the same day as hardcover releases.Top Rated Comments
(View all)
That's a laughable angle. I don't think even the most diehard Apple fanboy would want book publishers to have more 'control' by charging more. THANKS APPLE!
Now, Amazon is being forced to offer variable pricing options.
nice spin. "iPad Helping Book Publishers Gain More Control Over eBook Pricing".
That's a laughable angle. I don't think even the most diehard Apple fanboy would want book publishers to have more 'control' by charging more. THANKS APPLE!
Diehard fanboys woud be buying from Apple anyways, therefore a.) they would already be paying these new eBook prices and b.) they are accustomed to paying premiums.
Are we going to see a RIAA like wolfhounds going after open source books? Is google going to monopolize out of copywrite books?
There's a storm coming...thats what we thank apple for, change.
The sad thing is that this kind of vertical price control was, until recently, illegal. Don't you just love de-regulation? The publisher was historically free to set whatever price they wanted to the wholesaler or direct retailer, who was then free to set whatever price they wanted to the end user.
Now, sadly, that's no longer the case, and retailers can be forced to charge a certain price for the privilege to sell products. That was always true to some extent, naturally, but it used to be far less enforceable (and in reality, far less common than it is now). It was almost unheard of for products that could be readily obtained from a wide variety of merchants (unlike, for example, a POS Bose radio that only a few "certified retailers" would carry).
Welcome to the future.
So, in order to wrest control from amazon, apple allows publishers to charge more. Thanks, apple, way to fight for the consumer.
And why should every ebook be 9.99 When you go to the book store is the price the same for every book? With CD's and music singles, it makes more sense since most albums and singles cost about the same. Why should a 300 dollar book cost the same as a 10 dollar book?
The publishers having more influence would have happened as soon as major eBook publication started opening up anyway; the fact that Apple is pushing them over the edge is more of a coincidence than anything else.
The sad thing is that this kind of vertical price control was, until recently, illegal. Don't you just love de-regulation? The publisher was historically free to set whatever price they wanted to the wholesaler or direct retailer, who was then free to set whatever price they wanted to the end user.
Now, sadly, that's no longer the case, and retailers can be forced to charge a certain price for the privilege to sell products. That was always true to some extent, naturally, but it used to be far less enforceable (and in reality, far less common than it is now). It was almost unheard of for products that could be readily obtained from a wide variety of merchants (unlike, for example, a POS Bose radio that only a few "certified retailers" would carry).
Welcome to the future.
I don't get what you're saying. In this case the publisher IS setting the price. Sounds like you're arguing against but your argument is for.
[ Read All Comments ]
Analytics firm Chitika today released a report showing that by its metrics iOS has now surpassed OS X in overall web traffic share in the United States. Chitika's methodology involves an analysis...
One of the most frequent reasons for an iPhone to go on a trip to the Apple Store's Genius Bar is because of water damage. Typically, a water damaged iPhone can be replaced for a flat $199...
TheVerge's Joshua Topolsky summarizes the iPad 3 casing findings reported earlier today, but also adds his own sources regarding some details of the iPad 3.
Image from RepairLabs
As...
Last July, Apple discontinued the white MacBook from its consumer lineup, pushing consumers toward the company's popular MacBook Air line or the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The company didn't kill...
Popular iPhone Twitter client Tweetbot has finally arrived on the iPad, with a user interface instantly familiar to any current Tweetbot user. Designed for the Twitter power-user, Tweetbot packs a...
