Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The latest tome from Harry Potter author JK Rowling is still four months from publication, but it has already sparked a price war.

Story from The Financial Mail

Amazon, Waterstone's and Tesco are all offering the book to pre-order online for £3.49 - half the £6.99 cover price.
The Tales Of Beedle The Bard is a compendium of short stories from the world of the boy wizard.
It could be the top-selling book at Christmas.
A price spat broke out last year between Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury and retailer Asda over the seventh and final instalment in the series.
Asda had accused the publishing house of 'attempting to hold children to ransom' by hiking up the recommended retail price (RRP) of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to £17.99.
It then apologised unreservedly for the press release, paving the way for a settlement. Asda's order for 500,000 copies had been in doubt after the dispute broke out.
Peter Pritchard, Asda's director of general merchandise, had accused Bloomsbury of 'blatant profiteering'.
The store chain had pointed out that the first book in the series, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, had an RRP of £11.99 in 1997 and the sixth, Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, was published in 2005 with an RRP of £16.99.

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