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Amazon Threatening to Boot More Publishers From Kindle Store

by Terrence O'Brien on March 19, 2010 at 02:45 PM

Amazon Threatening to Boot More Publishers From Kindle Store
Back in January, Amazon tried to strong arm Macmillan into abiding by its e-book pricing rules. When the publisher demanded the ability to set its own prices in the Kindle store, Amazon simply yanked its books off the virtual shelves. Macmillan held fast to its demands, however, and, in the face of an impending challenge from the iPad, Amazon relented.

Now, other publishers have begun demanding yet more freedom. Amazon, meanwhile, is threatening to use the same failed tactic again. In exchange for the pricing concession it made in January, Amazon has since sought to impose other limitations, such as locking publishers into three-year contracts and banning publishers from offering cheaper prices to competitors (like Apple). The publishers, understandably, want the freedom to adapt to a marketplace clearly entering a period of significant change, and want the ability to wield pricing as a negotiating tool.

Why Amazon is reaching for the tactic that proved insufficient in the battle with Macmillan is beyond us, but it seems that no matter what the outcome, the winner certainly won't be the consumer. [From: The New York Times and Ars Technica]

Tags: amazon, e-book, e-reader, EBook, ebooks, ipad, kindle, macmillan, money, publisher, top

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