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 is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
