Avon Romance Free Online Reads
Publishing NewsAvon-Historical / free-book14 Comments
Avon is promoting its books through an online feature called “Love Gives Back.” Through December 23, 2008, you’ll be able to read 20% of every book online and various books in their entirety. This is an online read only and you must have internet connection to read the books. It’s not the easiest way to read online books but it is free. The current slate of books that are “full access” are
- In Bed with the Devil by Lorraine Heath
- Keeping Kate by Sarah Gabriel
- The Bride Hunt by Margo Maguire
This promotion would seem a lot nicer if it weren’t for the fact that HarperCollins, who publishes Avon, has hiked up the prices of their ebooks. The ebook of Eloisa James’s When the Duke Returns is $14.99. The paperback is half that. And it was the same with every other Avon Romance ebook published released this week. As my budget is limited these days (whose isn’t?), I didn’t buy the book.
Tell me about it. I want to buy that ebook too, but $14.99? When the paperback costs $7.99? I think those people at Avon have lost their minds.
What also bites is that at their regular website, they state the cost of the ebook is the same as the paperback. Only when you go to the ebook site is the price higher. I definitely sent them an email.
I checked at Eloisa James’s website and the good news is, she’s aware of the situation. She’s asked her agent to talk to HarperCollins in the hopes of getting this changed. I don’t know about the other Avon authors, though.
Harpercollins may have found the only way to not sell ebooks by giving away free content.
I’m slightly confused (not unusual for me). I clicked on the “buy” tags for both my books under the Harper e-book site, and both e-books are listed for the same price as the paperbacks. Less, actually, since Avon/Harper is offering a 20% discount on my e-book versions. So where does it show that the price is higher on all Avon e-books? Did I miss something?
I think this is a new thing, Jeaniene, because it’s only the newest releases that are now doubled. I did notice that Eloisa James’s prior release, Duchess by Night, is now also double the price. It was a reasonable price when I bought it, though. Haven’t checked any other authors to see if their more recent releases are more expensive as well.
I emailed HarperCollins and was told that they had experimented with different ebook pricing but that the ebook pricing would return to mmpb retail prices. I’ve tried to reach St. Martin’s Press about it’s pricing strategies but haven’t heard anything. Any other publishers who are “experimenting” with higher prices?
Good news (sort of). When you go directly to HarperCollins’ ebook website, the ebook prices are back to normal. The message doesn’t seem to have gone out to Fictionwise or BoB, because they’re still high. Maybe the bookstores just need an extra day to get it changed.
this is so amazing!.now i can read books online, thanks for establishing this webstite, i wish all the books of annette blair were here.thanks!
I can not open your” Avon Romance Free on line Read”, waiting your comment about this. Thanks.
@lena: This article was posted in 2008 and the free reads links expired on December 23, 2008. However if you go to http://avonromance.com you can find some free reads there.
How do I read these books online please?
@Ayobami – I believe that these were a limited time only free read.