Why the book-price wars haven't come to Canada

Walmart is separating for the greedy pricing of bestsellers by its American partner that has spurred American booksellers to ask the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate. In the U.S., Wal-Mart online and Target are matching the $9 or under price Amazon.com has put on 10 bestsellers, setting off a price war that booksellers fear will "devastate not only the book industry but our ability to remain a society where ideas are always available to the public." The bestsellers include books by John Grisham, Stephen King and Barbara Kingsolver that usually sell for from $25 to $35 (U.S.). In Canada, neither Amazon.ca or Wal-mart Canada are in that type of discounting. Andrew Pelletier, vice president of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart Canada, said that Canada is taking the Canadian approach for "what is good for the Canadian market" that often is different in the U.S. "We are two different countries. The U.S. approach is based on their marketplace," Wal-Mart Canada also doesn't sell books online.

I think that having the book prices at a lower price will benefit everyone in Canada. People would be surprised to see the amount of people that read books on a regualr basis, so having the prices at fair level is great. The bestsellers are purchased so much in Canada, and I think that the authors make enough money, that having prices increase won't tremendously affect their difference in income. The prices are high in the U.S. and the authors make money off of them, but not as much of it comes form Canada.