Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
That's ludicrous.
The ability to create their own unique discount systems (Fictionwise's Micropay for instance) was one of the only things that small ebook-only retailers had going for them. They could reward their loyal customers with special discounts to keep them coming back. Agency pricing took that ability away from them (and others like them) and it gutted their business. They simply can't compete selling agency published books anymore without those loyalty discount systems. So they don't sell agency books anymore. So no more talk please of how agency pricing was all unicorns and rainbows for everyone except Amazon. Agency pricing threw a lot of babies out with the bathwater.  |
I take your point that agency pricing did not allow for certain types of discounting that may have been favorable for smaller retailers. The problem is that even with that Fictionwise had a sliver of the market and may not have been making any money. Heck, if they had been doing well, why sell out to BN?
Secondly the agency pricing model can be modified to allow for those kinds of discounts and probably will be as part of a settlement.
My point is not that agency pricing is unicorns and rain bows. I prefer lower prices in short term just as much as any consumer. My point is that the other side has a reasonable argument to make as well.