Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating agreements between the country’s largest e-book publishers and two of the largest sellers – Amazon.com, Inc. and Apple, Inc. — that may block competitors from offering cheaper e-book prices.

Both Amazon and Apple have reached agreements with the largest e-book publishers that ensure both will receive the best prices for e-books over any competitors — contract provisions known as “most favored nation” ( MFN ) clauses.

In letters to Amazon.Com and Apple, Blumenthal is calling on the companies to meet with his office to address these concerns.

TheBookPatch.com uses state of the art technology to build a unique and free platform for writers to create, edit, publish and sell their books in one seamless process.

The new website offers members (membership is free) a complete set of tools letting writers log on to their book from any computer in the world with an internet connection and write.

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing has launched Loser/Queen at http://www.loserqueen.com/, an online serial novel for teens by New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson, hosted by the social discovery and cataloging network LivingSocial’s Visual Bookshelf. Loser/Queen is a new style of reading experience that provides online users the opportunity to shape an unfolding story.

This fall, Salem Publishing will launch FamilyFiction, a major resource for helping consumers discover the best in Christian fiction, through a bimonthly digital magazine, email newsletter and website. FamilyFiction’s coverage will span the breadth of Christian fiction–Amish, Historical, Suspense, Speculative, Romance, Contemporary and Young Adult–with timely news updates, up-to-date release lists, reviews, interviews, book trailers and more.

“FamilyFiction addresses a great need,” says Michael Miller, General Manager of Salem Publishing.