Another widespread killing of trees has hit North America with the pending arrival of Stephen King’s latest, the 1,008 page novel, “Under the Dome.”
Mr. Supersize finds himself part of double-edged news burst as well. “Under the Dome” is at the center of a contested price war between Amazon,Wal-Mart and Target while at the same time, the novel’s transfer to digital for readers like Amazon’s Kindle will be delayed until the weighty tome floods stores.
Publisher Scribner said the digital version will be available Dec. 24 unlike Dan Brown’s hyped best-seller, “The Lost Symbol,” which was available simultaneously in both paper and on-line in September. The delay strategy is also followed by Sarah Palin’s ghostwritten campaign autobiography, “Going Rogue,” to be officially released Nov. 17 after she plays nice with Oprah.
The other side of the story are the plans of those discounters to sell surefire sellers for $9. King, Palin, James Patterson, Dean Koontz and JD Robb will also get the low-ball treatment.
Unhappy is the American Booksellers Association, trade rep for independent bookstores. It asked the U.S. Justice Department Oct. 22 to investigate trade war.
The booksellers association fears that such prices are “devaluing the very concept of the book” and make it impossible for smaller stores to compete, reported the Associated Press.
Posted
Oct 23 2009, 05:25 PM
by
Bob Hoover