The Writer's Pulse

Two more major publishers have decided to raise their e-book prices on Amazon: HarperCollins and Hachette will now charge up to $14.99 per digital copy. Meanwhile, many Amazon consumers are calling for a boycott of any e-book over $9.99. Are the higher prices a fair policy or the first step on the road to cannibalizing yet another publishing industry? That is for consumers to decide.

As the foundations of modern journalism come crumbling down, Shana Ting Lipton over at The Huffington Post suggests that journalists embrace changes in the industry and learn to evolve:

“Throughout the stable years, journos grew comfortable with the definition of their jobs and somehow sensed that the “medium” or the “media” was the job, rather than the conduit for a message or purpose. Little did they realize that in a modern, technologically evolving world, their medium was also meant to evolve.”

Journalism Online is finalizing its payment system in anticipation of its upcoming launch later this year. The service will allow news publications to easily charge consumers for access to news stories and other content, however it is unclear at this time how the general public will react to such a system.

Apparently the conflict between Amazon and MacMillan is not yet settled, as certain books from the publisher remain absent from the online marketplace’s catalog. According to The New York Times, Amazon and MacMillan are still negotiating.

With the recent announcement of the Apple Ipad, many are questioning what its effect will be on the e-book industry. The Ipad’s e-book application will be called “iBooks,” and will sell electronic books from several major publishers, including Penguin, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster.