so much more than mere ink and paper. So insist French booksellers, who for nearly four decades have successfully lobbied to keep the forces of the free market at bay. A law passed in 1981 bans the sale of any book at anything other than the price decreed by its publisher. Authorities are cracking down on those trying to flog the latest Thomas Piketty orThe fixed-price rule is meant to keep customers loyal to their local bookshop and out of the clutches of supermarkets andAmerican corporations.
Used books are exempt from the pricing rule. Third-party sellers on Amazon are accused of using this as a way to apply forbidden discounts: selling brand-new books as “second-hand” to make them cheaper. So fans of bleak fiction can purchase a copy of the latest Michel Houellebecq novel, “Sérotonine”, for €11.71 on Amazon, roughly half its mandated price. Its seller claims it is in “perfectly new” condition.
Amazon claims its practices are legal. But booksellers are fuming, and their political allies with them. “This is a major preoccupation,” complained Franck Riester, the culture minister, at a booksellers’ shindig this week. He says new legislation may be needed. Defenders of the fixed-price principle say it helps keep independent bookshops viable. Over 100,000 new and reissued titles were released in France last year, in part because bookshops make a decent margin on bestsellers and can take a punt on edgier fare.
Others are not so sure. Even with a plethora of subsidies, bookshops are among the least profitable retail businesses. Books are expensive in France—an odd way to encourage people to buy more. For now, constraining the market in the name ofremains an article of faith for French policymakers. “On the internet you find what you look for,” Mr Riester told his literary allies. “But only in a bookshop do you find what you were not looking for.
Surely illegal in the EU?
The U.K. had the “Net Book Agreement” until the 90’s fixing prices. Dillons and Waterstones began discounting in 1992 and by 1996 the Agreement was abandoned. It could be argued that many independent bookstores went to the wall because they could not discount as much.
So, a 1950 printed book with a 10 pfennig price tag. How it works?
Wuuuut? Is reading only for the wealthy in France now?!
Dumb. Let the markets be free. It’s already hard enough to get people to read.
Prepare To Be Wise!
Next up, France decrees when the tides may ebb and wane.
Bizarre
Hope they did not force the publishers to decree a fixed price for their books. Let the book store decide the prices they want to sell for the books.
France tends to marginalize virgins..esp 'book' virgins - French law bans book sales below the price decreed by publishers Latest Michel Houellebecq novel, “Sérotonine”, for €11.71 ($13.21) on Amazon, roughly 1/2 its mandated price, though “perfectly new”
* survival of the inefficient.
I don't understand well. Will it no longer be possible to sell discounted books?
And we had that in the UK/Ireland from 1900-mid 1990s, the Net Book Agreement; ruled unlawful as restrictive practice.
Not a good Idea
Even 2nd hand books and sales?
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LOL they still buy books
In Britain you can sell the books below RSP in England 3 for 10 or BIGIF is available widely , libraries are disappearing because of cost of management also old books are available in charity shop cheaply !
It's been like that for years & they have a thriving publishing industry.
is this legal under EU law?
Garage sales affected?
What are they going to do with all the unsold books ? Burn them Ridiculous is the word that comes to mind !!!!😆😆😆😆😆🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷
Same system applies in GER and AUT in order to make sure that books are being treated as a cultural good and not merely an economic one
it's the same in Germany, but I can't see it really benefiting'edgier fare.' Nor do we have more independent bookshops than, say, the UK. The regulation is dated and needs to go IMO.
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