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The days of all e-books priced at $9.99 are fast coming to an end - Amazon has cut deals with Simon & Schuster and HaperCollins that will allow the publishers to set their own prices. Under the new plan, some best sellers will still run $9.99, but most books will be in the $12.99 to $14.99 range. Earlier this year, Apple had agreed to this same pricing model - and Apple's iPad goes on sale this Saturday. In other words, Amazon was stuck. With all the added competition, analysts still expect Amazon to control 35 percent of the market by 2015. (WSJ)
*Reader points out that not all Kindle e-books go for $9.99. Mostly, it's the more popular titles. Some non-fiction books are priced higher (and some older paperbacks lower).
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.