Don't judge a book by its cover price
Catherine Keenan writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, November 15, 2008

BEFORE buying books this Christmas, it will pay you to shop around. Borders' Christmas catalogue has caused disquiet in the industry, with some books marked above the recommended retail price.
In an intensification of a practice now common at Borders and Angus & Robertson, both part of the A&R Whitcoulls Group, a significant proportion of books are about 10 per cent above the recommended retail price, while others are substantially below it.

Terry Pratchett's The Illustrated Wee Free Men, for instance, is advertised at $49.50, when the RRP is $45. In contrast, Pratchett's Nation is $32.95, while the RRP is $49.95. Dymocks, like most booksellers, is selling both for the RRP.

The RRP is set by publishers and is not binding. It has long been common practice to sell selected books below it, but until recently it was rare to mark above it. Angus & Robertson started the trend, initially with back list and slower-moving titles. Borders, which was acquired by A&R Whitcoulls in June, has joined Angus & Robertson in extending this, selling even new and popular titles, such as Bernard Cornwell's Azincourt for $36.50, when the RRP is $32.99.

The managing director of Borders Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, John Coote, justified the price rises on the grounds that "we have an exceptionally large range of books and great experience-based store formats that our customers enjoy. We believe our premium experience is beneficial to the Australian book industry, as it's one of the only places where customers can comfortably browse books before they purchase them. However, it requires higher running costs than other book stores."

Read the full piece online.

Footnote.

This issue also hit the headlines in NZ last week. See my post on the subject.