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Amazon/Macmillan Update — Pacifier Anyone?

Amazon announced that it is capitulating to Macmillan's demands. The e-tailer essentially says it has to capitulate but that its customers will make the ultimate decision at the cash register.

Maybe I've been a lawyer too long, but this looks a lot like a marketing ploy cooked up at the end of a negotiation. Kindle users get upset at e-books priced over $9.99 because they feel that's their bargain with Amazon. So how could Amazon give in and still come across as being on the Kindle owners' side? They could play a giant shell game but not run it for long enough to do any serious damage to Macmillan or Amazon.

Was this a real dispute or a giant pacifer to Kindle owners? Either way, it opens the door and all the other publishers can now walk through. It's the beginning of the end of that $9.99 ceiling.

I'm an indie publisher so the publishers big prices can only help my bottom line. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Amazon's customers.

I doubt that Kindle owners will feel terribly pacified.