Indie Publishers Back Agency Model, Criticize DoJ Deal – Publisher’s Weekly

Nine independent publishers have combined to file joint comments objecting to the pending settlements of the Department of Justice’s lawsuit with Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster related to e-book pricing. The publishers noted that while they continue to sell e-books under the wholesale model, they have “benefitted significantly”–along with authors, booksellers and consumers,– from the ability of the Big Six publishers to adopt the agency pricing model with Amazon, since those arrangements, “contributed dramatically to increased competition and diversification in the distribution of e-books.”

It is suggested that the ruling could ban the agency model, which then defeats all purpose of bookseller/publisher competition.

Monopolies are never good, folks.

The nine publishers backed their statement with statistical reports previously conducted in March. Data always helps in arguments!

The publishers, who noted that they were never contacted by the DoJ to get their views on industry issues, concluded by stating that if the defendant publishers did indeed collude, competition should be restored in a way that does not ban the use of the agency model, something that would “harm innocent third parties such as the Independent Book Publishers, other trade book publishers, authors, booksellers and consumers.”

Jeez.