UK indies concerned over price of new Dan Brown novel
In the UK, independent retailers have expressed concerns about competing with the big retailers for sales of the new novel from Dan Brown, reports the Evening Standard. Inferno, which will be...
Quote of the week
‘The wasteland of publisher expectations’—Kobo’s Malcolm Neil referring to ebook prices above $15, during a session at the Small Press Network’s Independent Publishers Conference.
ACCC releases draft guide for resolving bulk mail disputes
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released a draft guide for how the ACCC would inquire into pricing disputes between Australia Post and bulk mail users such as...
Rubbo, Pinkham and Harms on global pricing
With the rise of online shopping, booksellers are now competing in a global market. As such, many believe there needs to be a global price on books. Readings’ Mark Rubbo,...
APA appears before parliamentary inquiry into technology prices
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) has participated in public hearings for the federal parliamentary inquiry into the prices of software and other electronic products paid by Australian consumers. Macmillan group managing director...
Scribe to reduce prices by publishing B+ format paperbacks
Scribe Publications has announced that it will publish most of its trade paperbacks in B+ format instead of C format from January 2012, in a move designed to lower the...
Phaidon Press announces price reductions
Visual arts publisher Phaidon Press has announced that it will reduce the Australian and New Zealand prices of 'the majority' of its list. Phaidon sales manager for Australia and New...
Thames & Hudson announces price changes
Thames & Hudson Australia has announced this week that it will introduce 'significant changes to the pricing of all imported books'. The publisher said in a statement that 'the changes...
HarperCollins alters indent pricing structure
HarperCollins Australia has announced this week that it will be altering its 'indent pricing structure'. HarperCollins Australia and New Zealand CEO Michael Moynahan said in a statement that 'from now...
OUP announces new pricing structure to address ongoing concerns from local booksellers
Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand (OUP) has announced ‘significant changes to local pricing of all imported trade, reference, scholarly and professional books sold in Australia'. Richard Harms, director,...
Hardie Grant Egmont announces price initiatives to support booksellers
Hardie Grant Egmont has announced a number of initiatives this week designed to support booksellers by addressing price concerns. The publisher said in a statement today that it has introduced...
A&U named publisher of the year at 2011 Leading Edge Books conference
Allen & Unwin has been voted publisher of the year by independent booksellers across the country for the second year in a row. The publisher received the honour at the...
Simon & Schuster revise prices
Simon & Schuster is the latest publishing house to announce a revision of its Australian pricing schedules. Simon & Schuster managing director Lou Johnson told the Weekly Book Newsletter that the publisher...
CUP drops prices
Cambridge University Press (CUP) has recently dropped the prices of more than 28,000 titles. The price drops follow a pricing review of more than 30,000 of the publisher's titles, with...
Hardie Grant to reduce US agency prices in line with strong Australian dollar
Publisher Hardie Grant has announced that it will reduce the Australian prices of books from a number of US publishing agencies in response to the current strength of the Australian currency....
Ebook price comparison site launches
Ebookant.com is a new Australian-based website that offers consumers price comparisons on over 270,000 ebook titles (and 60,000 e-magazines, 5000 e-textbooks and 50,000 e-chapters). The site was created by Jason Davis, who also runs...
APA responds to ‘increasingly desperate’ Prod Comm
As reported in a WBN special bulletin last week the Productivity Commission has issued a supplement to its report on Australia's parallel importation restrictions (PIRs). The supplement is to rebut a...
Parallel import debate: battle of the petitions and the price comparisons
Hitting back at the Dymocks petition launched last week, Australians for Australian Books (an umbrella group comprising the APA, Australian Society of Authors, Printing Industries Australia and the Australian Literary...
Borders Xmas catalogue prices some titles above RRP
Borders has irked some publishers by pricing some books in its Christmas catalogues in Australia and New Zealand above recommended retail price (RRP). The New Zealand Herald quotes an unnamed...