Bookshops face pricing hell over Dan Brown’s Inferno

Independent bookstores have hit out at retail giants that are selling Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown’s new novel, Inferno, for less than half the recommended price.

The book, published by Transworld, comes out next Tuesday with a suggested tag of £20. But Tesco and Asda are offering it on pre-order for £9 and Amazon is selling the e-book version for £7.50. Waterstones and Foyles are also discounting the book on pre-order, at £10 and £14.60 respectively.

Independents are being offered a 60 per cent off deal on the author’s backlist when they buy Inferno. But many say it is futile trying to compete when they can buy it cheaper at the supermarket than from the publisher.

Tim Robinson, manager of Muswell Hill Bookshop, said price-matching would mean making a loss. “It’s going to be a big seller for us. They gave us a discount when we ordered so we will probably knock £4 or £5 off the recommended retail price.

“That isn’t going to compete anywhere near what the supermarkets can sell it for. We’d be losing money if we did that, but we do take some money off. What can you do?”

Jo Adams, owner of Stoke Newington Bookshop, said: “I could go into the supermarket and get it cheaper than from the publisher, so it’s frustrating sometimes, although it’s not a book my customers or I would get particularly excited about.

“We just get on with it and try to do what we do as best we can, and leave supermarkets to what they do. There are difficulties these days but we do have loyal customers and we can offer a service the supermarkets can’t.”

Peter Ho, owner of Clerkenwell Tales, said he would only stock a couple of copies, adding: “It doesn’t matter how much discount the publishers offer us, it doesn’t make any difference. I could get 20 copies, but they are just going to sit there and that’s money wasted on a book I can’t sell. It happened with Harry Potter, it happened with The Casual Vacancy.”

The ad campaign for the book, inspired by Dante’s classic and set in Florence, starts on May 20 to coincide with the American author’s UK visit, which includes a talk next day at the Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street.