Hachette Book Group says in a statement that “after much deliberation” they have “reluctantly agreed to join the settlement of this matter with the U.S. Department of Justice, and to begin the process of settling with the State Attorneys General.” But “Hachette was not involved in a conspiracy to illegally fix the price of eBooks, and we have made no admission of liability.” In a separate statement, HarperCollins also says the company “did not violate any anti- trust laws and will comply with its obligations under the agreement. HarperCollins’ business terms and policies have been, and continue to be, designed […]
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Settling Publishers Are Allowed Modified Agency for Two Years That Could Limit Predatory Pricing
HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group and Simon & Schuster have settled the Justice Department’s lawsuit over agency ebook pricing, officially filed earlier Wednesday. Under the settlement, they promise for two years not to “restrict, limit, or impede an e-book retailer’s ability to set, alter, or reduce the retail price of any e-book or to offer price discounts or any other form of promotions to encourage consumers to Purchase one or more e-books.” They also “shall not enter into any agreement with an e-book retailer relating to the sale of e-books that contains a price MFN” during that period, and they will […]
Details From the DOJ’s Lawsuit
In their lawsuit against Apple and five agency publishers, the Department of Justice claims “the evidence showing conspiracy is substantial.” In the broadest terms, Justice charges that the defendants “shared their business information, plans, and strategies in order to formulate ways to raise retail e-book prices.” It appears that Justice is actually charging two separate conspiracies. The earlier one they say began “no later than September 2008” and involves a number of meetings regarding a possible “joint venture” to sell ebooks together as well as “telephone conversations and other communications in which they jointly acknowledged to each other the threat […]
People, Etc.
Patrick Nolan has been promoted to vp, editor-in-chief and associate publisher at Penguin Books, reporting to Kathryn Court. He fills the position being vacated by Stephen Morrison when he joins Picador. Nolan has spent the past 12 years as director of trade paperback sales, and in his new role Nolan will be responsible for overseeing the editorial direction and shape of the Penguin Books list. “Patrick has been a big part of Penguin’s success over the last decade, and I very much look forward to working with him in his new role,” Court said in a statement. Ryan Chapman will […]
Sourcebooks Starts Romance eBook Club
Sourcebooks launches their latest experiment today, a subscription plan for romance readers the company is positioning as an ebook club and community. Discover A New Love offers subscribers one of four featured romance titles a month, at $9.99 for a six-month plan (so about $1.67 per book). Members can purchase additional titles at discount, and some club selections are available a month before general release. While the initial hook is value, Sourcebooks sees the long-term appeal as discovery and community. Editorial manager Deb Werksman says in the announcement, “Readers have a hard time figuring out what they should try next. […]
People, Etc.
At Simon & Schuster’s adult trade imprint, Sammy Perlmutter has been promoted to assistant editor, and Rebecca Marsh and Andrea Rogoff move up to associate publicists. Kathleen Calhoun Nettleton has been promoted to president and publisher of Pelican Publishing, effective immediately. First joining the company in 1983, Nettleton served as promotion director from 1985 until her promotion in 2008 to assistant to the publisher, her late father Milburn Calhoun. As part of the ALA’s annual State of America’s Libraries Report, their Office for Intellectual Freedom has released their list of the ten most frequently challenged books and authors in 2011: […]