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Publishers seek e-book price control

Bloomberg News / February 3, 2010

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SAN FRANCISCO - Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest Internet retailer, will have to give publishers more control over the prices of digital books to match an agreement forged with Macmillan, according to the Authors Guild.

After saying that Macmillan could set prices for Kindle versions of its electronic books, Amazon.com set the stage for the other five biggest publishers to negotiate new terms, including getting a higher cut of the retail price, said Paul Aiken, executive director of the guild.

Amazon.com, which offers best-selling e-books for $9.99, said this week that Macmillan could sell its titles for as much as $14.99. Amazon.com has sought to keep prices of digital books low to maintain the popularity of the Kindle. The concession shows a “chink in Amazon’s armor’’ and may make the Kindle more vulnerable to competitors, according to Collins Stewart LLC. Amazon.com shares fell 75 cents to $118.12 yesterday.

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