Target joins the book price-wars

Buying a new book at the suggested retail price might become a thing of the past. Last week, Walmart started an online bookseller battle when it announced it would offer 10 bestsellers for $10 each on its web site. Amazon.com promptly matched that deal. And by late Friday, both retailers had dropped their prices again - Walmart to $8.99, and Amazon to $9.

And on Monday, Target joined the fray, offering the same selection for $8.99 on its web site. For two books on the list, Sarah Palin’s “Going Rogue” ($29) and Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” ($35), the online price cut amounts to discounts of 69% and 74% respectively, which is a pretty hefty savings for consumers. Target says the price also applies to pre-orders on Target.com of such books as "Breathless" by Dean Koontz and "Ford Country" by James Patterson.