I’ll be back later today with a real blog — sorry, guys, but I popped my shoulder out late yesterday afternoon and even though it is back in joint now, it hurts like hell and is making typing difficult — but for now, here are some links I thought you might be interested in.
Indie publishers back agency pricing: note that the study these publishers supposedly conducted was in-house and didn’t include all of the ones named in the comment. Could it be because those others didn’t show the same “trend” they wanted to play up?
Then there is this response, predicting the DoJ settlement will lead to the “systemic elimination of competition”. (Why does this sort of thinking make me wonder if these same folks trying to use the fear of what Amazon might do in the the future would feel the same way if the manufacturers of their favorite beverage or food suddenly decided to band together and use agency pricing for that product? Would they so staunchly stand behind the setting of a flat price across the board of something they want bargains on as they do agency pricing of e-books?)
In case you missed this link from the weekend comments, check out Courtney Milan’s post on what BN’s hiring of David Boies, as well as his response to the proposed settlement, might really mean.
Then, on the library e-book front, there are two links of interest. The first is the Pew report on libraries and e-books. Then there is this from the latest ALA meeting, Rebecca MacKinnon’s talk about digital privacy.
I’ll be back later and will do a full post then. Thanks for understanding, guys!
Mad Genius Club 
Take care
Finally put you in a straitjacket, did they?
On a more serious note, read the comments to the Publishers Weekly link. It is amazing how many people will repeat the BS they have been fed without checking it for logic.
[“If the major publishers don’t pass on the savings that they get from not having to print or ship books to the customer via e-books then they deserve to get crushed.”
-The paper cost of a Hardcover is typically $2-4 (,depending on print run,) and that includes returns. So the savings have been passed on to the customer If anything e-books are underpriced.] quoted from comments.
Really, apply a little logic here, hardback price=$25, ebook price=$9.99, paperback price=$7.99. Ok, if we go with the highest number, figure $4 for printing that would say a ebook should be $21 for an equal profit margin as a hardback, if this is true, HOW THE HECK DO THEY MAKE MONEY ON A PAPERBACK, WHICH ALSO HAS PRINTING COSTS, AND IS ALREADY CHEAPER THAN AN EBOOK!!
Either a) the publishers are losing tons of money on paperbacks (consider the fact that the vast majority of print books sold are paperbacks)
b)They are making truly insane amounts on hardbacks
c)this commenters facts are so full of BS that hip boots just aren’t going to be enough.
You’re not allowed to point out the existence of eight-dollar paperbacks. That’s just not cricket. In the world o ebook argument, the mass-market paperback doesn’t exist …
Isn’t dislocating your shoulder one of the ways OUT of a straightjacket?
Yes, I assumed she dislocated it escaping. 🙂