Why Random House is Not on the iPad, Yet

Random House could keep its books from the iPad amidst fears of a price war, according to the Financial Times.

Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Harper-Collins and Penguin are all believed to be selling eBooks on the Apple tablet; however, Random House has yet to sign up.

Markus Dohle, Random House chief executive, did not exclude the possibility of reaching a deal before the iPad goes on sale on April 3, but said he was treading carefully, as Apple’s pricing regime could erode established publishing practices.


Dohle told the FT that the iPad and iBookstore spelled “changes, in particular for our stakeholders”, which would require the publisher to consult further with its authors and their agents.

It would seem that Apple's iBookstore actually gives publishers more control over pricing. Unlike Amazon who dictates the price of books sold through their store, Apple is willing to let publishers set the price. Perhaps the issue is Apple's control over distribution...

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