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Apple Offers Discounts on Hachette Pre-Orders Amid Publisher's Dispute With Amazon

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple is offering discounts on several popular e-books from Hachette Book Group, the publisher currently embroiled in a dispute with Amazon. As noted by Re/code, Apple is promoting a sale on several Hachette titles under a "Popular Pre-Orders: $9.99 or Less" section in the book section of the iTunes Store, which includes upcoming titles from major authors like James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and J.K. Rowling (under pen name Robert Galbraith).

While Apple does not specifically mention the books on sale are published by Hachette, every book in the 26-book section is indeed a Hachette title. An Apple PR representative confirmed the promotion to Re/code, but declined to discuss pricing or other details.

hachette.jpg
For those unfamiliar with the dispute, Amazon and Hachette have been at war for the last month, after negotiations over profit-sharing failed. Amazon has since refused to take pre-order sales of Hachette books and has also ceased discounting existing Hachette titles, leading to much higher prices, in an effort to get Hachette to agree to better terms.
An Apple PR rep confirmed the promotion, but wouldn't discuss the pricing or any other details. So we have to assume that either Hachette is lowering wholesale prices on its own titles to help Apple tweak Amazon, or Apple is lowering the retail price on its own, and losing margin in order to tweak Amazon.
Click to expand...
Amazon released a public statement in May, noting that it was not optimistic about resolving the disagreement with Hachette in the near future. That means Amazon customers must pay more for Hachette books and must wait for books to be launched to make a purchase, a situation that benefits Apple as it is still able to offer customers pre-orders on popular titles.

Article Link: Apple Offers Discounts on Hachette Pre-Orders Amid Publisher's Dispute With Amazon
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/17/apple-discounts-hachette-books/
ActionableMango

ActionableMango

macrumors G3
Sep 21, 2010
9,612
6,907
Wait, Apple iBooks might possibly take a tiny, temporary, and nearly inconsequential part of the market away from the behemoth that is Amazon?

Time for the DOJ to step in again and smack down Apple!
 
C

cube

Suspended
May 10, 2004
17,011
4,972
I prefer paying full price for an ebook I can read on any device, that getting a discount to be locked to Apple.
 
F

Frisco

macrumors 68020
Sep 24, 2002
2,475
69
Utopia
Amazon is the new Walmart. Don't forget Walmart put Rubbermaid out of business because RM refused to succumb to Walmarts demand on crazy low prices (RM would be selling at a loss).

The Rubbermaid name was bought my another company. So when people see the RM brand in stores today they think it is a quality product, but's it's just cheap products with the RM name on it.
 
AllergyDoc

AllergyDoc

macrumors 68000
Mar 17, 2013
1,985
8,961
Utah, USA
And yet, the dispute is centered around pricing, with Hachette (and every other big publishing house) wanting Amazon to sell their eBooks for higher prices. Imagine a Hachette representative stopping by a brick and mortar store and demanding the proprietor raise the prices on their books or they'd pull them out of the store.
 
BaldiMac

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,756
10,885
mdriftmeyer said:
I was wondering when this move was going to happen. Now with the settlement it makes sense.
Click to expand...

What does the settlement have to do with it?

The settlement with the states and consumers simply avoids additional trials. It is tied to the outcome of Apple's appeals in the DOJ case. If Apple wins their appeals, than they pay nothing as part of the settlement. If they lose, they pay up a pre-determined amount.
 
G

GeneralChang

macrumors 68000
Dec 2, 2013
1,671
1,504
AllergyDoc said:
And yet, the dispute is centered around pricing, with Hachette (and every other big publishing house) wanting Amazon to sell their eBooks for higher prices. Imagine a Hachette representative stopping by a brick and mortar store and demanding the proprietor raise the prices on their books or they'd pull them out of the store.
Click to expand...

Of course, Amazon forcing publishers to sell at such low prices doesn’t really hurt the publisher. Oh no, they pass that pain on to the authors. The whole publishing industry is broken, and Amazon is NOT helping matters.
 
C

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,555
1,666
Redondo Beach, California
Even at $9.95 e-books are over priced. The paper back version has the same content. It took the author as much time to write AND there is the cost of paper and shipping. The e-book should sell at the price lower then even a paper back.

For those who can wait the public library is the best option.
 
P

powerslave12r

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2010
702
149
I personally choose to go and purchase ebooks from the specific publishers. For a slightly higher price, I can get the pdf/epub/mobi file.

No need to be forced into using the Kindle app. Yuck.
 
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
AllergyDoc said:
And yet, the dispute is centered around pricing, with Hachette (and every other big publishing house) wanting Amazon to sell their eBooks for higher prices. Imagine a Hachette representative stopping by a brick and mortar store and demanding the proprietor raise the prices on their books or they'd pull them out of the store.
Click to expand...

Software developers have this right. Rovio is allowed to decide what price Angry Birds is sold at.

Do you:

A) disagree with that system and think software developers should lose that right?

or

B) Think that writing a book is different than writing software and should have different rules in stores?

Just curious.
 
pdaholic

pdaholic

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2011
1,837
2,545
powerslave12r said:
I personally choose to go and purchase ebooks from the specific publishers. For a slightly higher price, I can get the pdf/epub/mobi file.

No need to be forced into using the Kindle app. Yuck.
Click to expand...

Great idea that I never thought of...I also dislike the kindle app. At least with the iBooks app I can vertically scroll.
 
H

handsome pete

macrumors 68000
Aug 15, 2008
1,725
259
I don't understand the allure of pre-orders unless you get some added benefit/material. Do book pre-orders provide any of this, or are they just as pointless as the iTunes movie pre-orders?
 
U

UKgaryb

macrumors regular
Dec 13, 2013
186
105
Manchester, UK
This is Amazon becoming a monopolistic company, their website isn't particularly any good anymore; trying buying an actual genuine accessory.... too much junk on there, Prime is over priced and the website needs dragging out of the 90's.
 
I

i4m

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2013
197
0
Frisco said:
Amazon is the new Walmart. Don't forget Walmart put Rubbermaid out of business because RM refused to succumb to Walmarts demand on crazy low prices (RM would be selling at a loss).

The Rubbermaid name was bought my another company. So when people see the RM brand in stores today they think it is a quality product, but's it's just cheap products with the RM name on it.
Click to expand...


I for one like low prices...
 
S

silentbob007

macrumors regular
Jul 31, 2010
179
29
Little Rock, AR
Small White Car said:
Software developers have this right. Rovio is allowed to decide what price Angry Birds is sold at.

Do you:

A) disagree with that system and think software developers should lose that right?

or

B) Think that writing a book is different than writing software and should have different rules in stores?

Just curious.
Click to expand...

A bit of either/or logical fallacy on display here ... those are not the only two options available. For example, I could say that Rovio can charge a distributor whatever they want. After that, a distributor can charge whatever they want for the product. Now it gets a bit more gray when it comes to a % model, but frankly, if a publisher does like the model, they don't have to sell via that outlet. Since there ARE other outlets, it is not a monopoly.
 
C

coolfactor

macrumors 604
Jul 29, 2002
7,034
9,695
Vancouver, BC
cube said:
I prefer paying full price for an ebook I can read on any device, that getting a discount to be locked to Apple.
Click to expand...

And what's wrong with being locked to Apple when Apple is providing the best devices available? You are not locked to using only one device.
 
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