Dispute Contines Between Amazon and Penguin Books

I'm not sure how the dispute started, only where it has ended. With me, turning on my Amazon Kindle and expecting the books that I had pre-ordered to appear in my booklist. Amazon is notorious for advance sales - allowing excited fans to purchase items long before the release date. Apparently that didn't pan out for the huge release of Lover Mine, the latest novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood, by J.R. Ward. Not only did Lover Mine not appear in my booklist, but apparently, it isn't going to.

Customers who ordered J.R. Ward's new novel Lover Mine were notified several weeks ago that their orders had been canceled. I guess I missed that email. The book was released on April 27th in hardcover, selling for about $25.00.

The dispute between Amazon and Penguin is over pricing. Amazon wants to sell digital books at a discount price, and Penguin wants to hit Kindle readers with a hardcover price for a digital copy. As it is, Kindle readers are outraged over paying ten dollars for new releases. I don't know what kind of power trip the CEO of Penguin Books is on. As much as I love J.R. Ward, love the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, and was eagerly anticipating the release of Lover Mine, I would never pay $25.00 for a digital book. Even a J.R. Ward Book. Even a Black Dagger Brotherhood book. Even a book I am dying to read and paid for in advance several months ago. Even when I have every other book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood on my Kindle.

Many Kindle customers have contacted Penguin Books Directly to complain about the cancellation of Lover Mine for Kindle. While it is important to let Penguin know that they are losing customers, Penguin's response is infuriating. Penguin is defending their position by stating that Lover Mine is available in many other formats, including one for the iPad. I don't know about other people, but I had to save up for a while to buy a Kindle. Suggesting the customers purchase an iPad to read J.R Ward's Lover Mine is crazy.

When a company makes me mad, I generally avoid all future interactions with them. I may voice my dissatisfaction with a letter or phone call, but I take action as well. I never buy from them again for any reason. I am getting there with Penguin on this one. The only problem is that I want to read the JR Ward books! I guess in some cases I will be taking my business back to the public library, or pawning a used copy of Lover Mine from someone else.

A Wall Street journal article today highlighted that the problem between Amazon and Penguin is ongoing. Here is a summary as reported on Bookseller.com -

"Amazon.com has cut the price of "a number of new hardcover books" published by Penguin to $9.99, in what appears to be another dispute over e-book pricing, the Wall Street Journal reports. Penguin stopped providing digital editions of new titles to Amazon on 1st April, having failed to reach an agreement over agency pricing, in which the publisher sets the price of the book and the retailer takes a percentage of the amount. Of the five major US publishers to have opted for agency pricing with Apple, Penguin is the only one not to have reached an agreement with Amazon.

As the e-tailer cannot sell Penguin e-books until that is settled, WSJ said it was "in effect, showing its customers that Amazon is still the place to go for discount pricing".The paper added: "The low price also serves to put pressure on Penguin, as publishers passionately dislike the steep discounts. Many publishers say a $9.99 price tag on a new hardcover book cheapens the value in the minds of consumers".

The books include Roger Lowenstein's The End of Wall Street, Drew Perry's This is Just Exactly Like You, Olga Grushin's The Line, Anne Lamott's Imperfect Birds, and Stuart Woods' Lucid Intervals."

In addition to J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood Series and her latest novel Lover Mine, the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris is also a victim. The newest novel in her series is called Dead in the Family: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel. Dead in the Family is set to be released May 4, 2010, and is currently unavailable for Kindle. I'm sure that there are thousands of Charlaine Harris fans who have every Sookie Stackhouse novel on their Kindle (like me!). The idea of having to purchase a hard cover copy of Dead in the Family just makes me mad. I won't do it.

So, to all of my fellow fans of vampire tales out there, voice your opinion to Penguin Books! They are trying to hold Amazon hostage by not making Lover Mine, Dead in the Family: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel, and many other titles available to fans. Shame on them! Oh, and if you are a print fan....Amazon is selling these hardcover new releases for $9.99 instead of the $25.99 suggested by Penguin. Links are provided below.

Sources:

Amazon and Penguin Continue e-ook pricing Dispute
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/117664-page.html

http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Family-Sookie-Stackhouse-Novel/dp/0441018645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272648892&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Lover-Mine-Novel-Dagger-Brotherhood/dp/0451229851/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272649198&sr=1-1