HarperCollins has added its name to the growing list of publishers who will delay eBook releases.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Brian Murray, chief executive of HarperCollins, claimed that starting January the publisher will delay eBook releases by anything from four weeks to six months, depending on the book.
Initially the scheme will be trialled with five to ten books each month, though it could be expanded.
Each new eBook represents a potential new marketing opportunity at a time when we need every possible hook to get consumer attention
“We’re going to experiment with this,” Murray told the paper. “Each new eBook represents a potential new marketing opportunity at a time when we need every possible hook to get consumer attention.”
Murray claimed the publisher was taking the decision to protect profits. Amazon’s ability to buy books in huge numbers means it can release eBooks at the same time as hardbacks, often at prices as low as $9.99 in the US.
Murray has warned that this trend could harm the industry, with publishers unable to take chances on new writers.
HarperCollins has become the third publisher in as many days to announce that it will delay the release of eBooks, following Simon & Schuster and the Hachette Book Group.
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