Amazon conceded another battle by letting HarperCollins decide book prices

Mashable

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, poses for a photo Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013, with the 8.9-inch version of the new Amazon Kindle HDX tablet computer in Seattle.

Image: Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

By Jason Abbruzzese1 

In the e-book war, Amazon has conceded another battle to its line of publishing frenemies.
Amazon struck a deal with publisher HarperCollins that reportedly gives up some of the tech giant's dominance on how much consumers pay for books online. While Amazon has been holding prices low, publishers want higher prices to cover their costs. For years, Amazon and CEO Jeff Bezos have said that $9.99 is the appropriate price for ebooks. This lower price point, they argue, encourages consumers to buy more books and therefore spend more money in total.

The deal, which HarperCollins confirmed, allows the publisher to retain the ability to set the prices on its ebooks, according to the Wall Street Journal. The agreement, between HarperCollins and Amazon, covers several years of sales in both digital and hardcopy books, according to the report. 
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And at Slate:
Amazon to Publishers: Set Your Own E-Book Prices! Amazon to Customers: Not Our Fault!