More iPad news

The New York Times has an article by Motoko Rich and Brad Stone about the latest Apple acquisitions for the upcoming iPad:

Apple’s iBookstore on the forthcoming iPad is set to get larger. The company has just signed a deal with two more independent publishers to sell electronic versions of their books on the new device. Perseus Books Group, a large independent publisher that also distributes works from 330 other smaller presses, including Grove/Atlantic, Harvard Business School Press, and Zagat, signed a deal last week with Apple, following five of the six biggest publishers that have already signed such agreements.
Separately, Workman Publishing Company, responsible for the What to Expect series, novels like Water for Elephants, and the Silver Palate cookbooks, also signed a deal with Apple.
The Perseus and Workman agreements come as Amazon.com, the largest eBook seller in the United States and the maker of the Kindle eReader, is pressuring publishers that have not yet signed deals with Apple to refrain from doing so. With Apple’s iPad coming on the scene, Amazon is fighting to keep as much of its market lead as possible.
Publishers have provisionally welcomed Apple’s entry into the market, because Apple is allowing them to set consumer prices, within limits. Publishers have had no control over prices at Amazon, which has generally sold new releases and best sellers for $9.99, a price that publishers feared would erode profits in the long term.
Like the other publishers who have already signed with Apple, Perseus and Workman will set consumer prices and Apple will serve as an agent, taking a thirty percent commission on each sale. eBook versions of most newly released adult general fiction and nonfiction with comparable hardcovers will cost $12.99 to $14.99. All publishers whose books are distributed by Perseus will be allowed to opt into the deal. Tom Neumayr, an Apple spokesman, confirmed that that the company had signed agreements with Perseus and Workman.
In an email statement, David Steinberger, chief executive of Perseus, said: “As the leading provider of distribution services for independent publishers, including digital distribution through our Constellation digital service, Perseus is thrilled to be making our books available on the iPad.” A person with direct knowledge of the talks between Apple and Perseus said that a Perseus executive had flown to Seattle to meet with Amazon this week. A spokesman for Amazon declined to comment.
In talks with publishers, Apple has said it would not let other retailers sell any book for a lower price than the price in its new iBookstore. Several of the larger publishers are seeking to renegotiate agreements with Amazon and other eBook retailers to mirror the deals with Apple. But Amazon has agreed to those terms so far only with one publisher, Macmillan. Amazon has told smaller presses that it does not want to enter into so-called agency agreements with them. These publishers fear that if they sign deals with Apple, Amazon will discontinue selling their books.

Rico says he'll be happy to let Apple have thirty percent of any of his books...