Looks like the book price wars are no longer just for pre-orders anymore. Amazon was offering hardcovers of John Grisham's Ford County and Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna for just $9 on Tuesday, which was the official release date for both books. Hardcovers Normally have a list price of $24 or more.
In October, Walmart.com announced some dramatic discounts for pre-orders of Ford County, Sarah Palin's Going Rogue and others. Wal-Mart.com initially charged $9 for the books, and that price was quickly matched by Amazon.com, followed by Walmart.com dropping them to $8.98.
Besides cheaper prices, what does it mean? Well, to authors, publishers and rival booksellers, it's worrysome. They worry that cutting the price so low will harm competition and force down the cost of books overall, leading to a reduction in author advances.
Where are we at now? On Tuesday, Walmart.com was selling Ford County for $12 and The Lacuna for $13.50. Target.com, was selling Ford County for $15 and The Lacuna for $18.89.
Related Posts
- Battle Brews Between Online Retailers And Cash-Strapped States.
- Fooled By Randomness – Overview
- Trade your old electronics for cash
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street
- Evidence that the Stock Market is Efficient