Another example of the tug-of-war between retailers and vendors, this time in the book-selling market:

The U.S. publisher of the new "Harry Potter" novel is selling some copies straight to readers. Bookstores complain that means less business for them.

Over the past couple of weeks, Scholastic Children's Books has been taking orders for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" at school fairs around the country. Customers pay the full list price, $29.99 - far more than the cost at Amazon.com - but they also receive a free "Harry Potter" baseball hat. A portion of the proceeds goes to the schools.

The new Potter novel, the fifth in J.K. Rowling's beloved series, comes out midnight, June 21. Those ordering at the fairs can pick up their copies at local warehouses eight hours later.

Publishers have an obvious motive to sell direct: They keep more of the money. Scholastic has been selling books, including the earlier Potter works, at fairs for years. But this is the first time a Potter book has been pre-sold, offered before publication.