Sep

Amazon and Barnes and Noble Lowering eBook Prices

Many big name publishers had their settlement approved by the Justice Department case against price fixing. The agency pricing that allowed publishers to set the price on ebooks is gone and we enter a new age of discounted digital content. Today B&N and Amazon are reducing prices on ebooks as new contract negotiations are currently underway.

eBooks by Hachette and Harpercollins are seeing price reductions and Amazon has changed the wording of its pricing. It used to say “Price Determined by Publisher” and now it simply lists the publishers name. Many books are reduced in price for USA and international customers. Not to be outdone, BooksOnBoard sent out a email today giving people massive discounts on ebooks published by HarperCollins.

Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble have been preparing for the eventuality that the industry would abolish the agency pricing scheme throughout North America. We spoke with B&N’s legal team a few weeks ago and they told us exclusively that initiatives were underway to re-negotiate the prices on ebooks from the major publishers.

Has anyone noticed significant price drops? One reader said that the ebook American Sniper is priced at $10.94 on Amazon and $12.99 on B&N, making it the first time there’s been in a price difference from a major publisher in years!

Michael Kozlowski (2919 Posts)

Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about electronic readers and technology for the last four years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the Huffington Post, CNET and more. Michael frequently travels to international events such as IFA, Computex, CES, Book Expo and a myriad of others. If you have any questions about any of his articles, please send Michael Kozlowski an email to michael@goodereader.com