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Customers have reacted angrily on Amazon.co.uk to Hachette, Penguin and HarperCollins' switch of pricing onto the agency model, accusing the publishers of price fixing.
Publishers have been accused of "greediness" http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_pg_pg1?_encoding=UTF8... target="_blank">on the retailer's Kindle forum, with many shoppers pledging to boycott buying e-books from agency publishers.
The move by Hachette, Penguin and HarperCollins has lead to Amazon.co.uk's Kindle chart being dominated by non-agency publishers. Stephen Fry's The Fry Chronicles (Penguin, £12.99) has tumbled out of the top 20, while his first memoir, Moab is my Washpot (Random House, £2.69) was in the top 15 this morning (2nd November).
One user points out the discrepancy in price between Stephen King's Just After Sunset (Hodder), available for £4.99 as a paperback but £17.99 as a Kindle edition. Forum member Lexi noted: "Prices like that are a welcome mat put out for pirates . . . I'm not sure publishers are at all up to speed with e-books. They're acting like they are a fad which will go away, and needn't
be taken too seriously."
Other users suggested this move could lead to greater book piracy. Caroline P said: "I can't believe I'm saying this . . . because I have never ever downloaded files illegally. Not even once. And now I'm considering it. Because if publishers want to rip ME off, maybe it's not so wrong to rip
them off?"
L Barham added: "In the meantime the only real way to fight back is to start looking on the bit torrent sites for the novels one wants to read and if the publishers don't like it . . . well they chose in much the same way as the music industry the way they wanted to go! Not many records are sold today but we all know the music we like and we all listen to it."
Another user suggested trying authors from non-agency publishers. K S Jones said: "I don't think the best way to respond to this situation is to go out and look for ways to get the books you want without paying, a better way, to my way of thinking, is to take the money you were willing to spend and find yourself a book that doesn't cost a small fortune, maybe try a new author."
Debate has raged on the Kindle forum since the retailer hit out at agency pricing last month.
In a statement released by HarperCollins defending the move, a spokesperson said: "Experience has shown in the US, where the market is more mature, this is the best way to stimulate competition by offering good value to consumers and maximising the number of channels to market."