Price Moves Up And Down For New Grisham Book

HILLEL ITALIE

NEW YORK (AP) — It was a weird day in the book price wars.

The cost of John Grisham's "Ford County," officially released Tuesday, moved up and down like stock market shares as rivals Amazon.com and Walmart.com extended, then rescinded, their high discounts for top-selling pre-orders.

Early in the day, Amazon was selling Grisham's book of short stories for $9, the same price it had offered for "Ford County" before publication and a sign that Amazon was ready to continue the cost competition beyond the release date. Walmart.com was selling "Ford County" for $12 early Tuesday, then cut the price to the pre-order discount of $8.98.

By Tuesday afternoon, the cost was back up to $11.99 for both online sellers.

"We remain committed to offering our customers the lowest prices online at Walmart.com, and will continue to adjust our pricing accordingly and as needed on these books," Walmart.com spokesman Ravi Jariwala.

Amazon.com did not immediately respond to requests for comment.